Put the Tex in Text

Put the "Tex" in texting with new emojis symbolizing everything that's right with the Lone Star State

Are you tired of having to spell out the words "taco," "Whataburger" and "bluebonnet" in your texts? An upcoming iPhone app, TexMoji, aims to satisfy our craving for Lone Star emojis. The emoji keyboard will provide a wide variety of Texas-themed emojis — and the first ever state-specific emojis.

TexMoji is the brainchild of country singer Rich O'Toole and Sean Compton, the Texan behind the famous "Sorry, I'm Texan" Twitter account. The two enlisted Houston-based artist Ted Borel to draw the icons and Austin-based app developer Rocksauce to bring the dream to life.

"I just can't believe there aren't emoticons based on Texas," O'Toole told San Antonio television station KENS5 in a phone interview. "Texas is like its own country. We have our own everything."

The app will launch with almost 100 Texas-themed emojis. In addition to the much-needed taco, TexMoji has released teasers celebrating Willie Nelson, Shiner Bock, Blue Bell, Whataburger and Dr. Pepper. They're not forgetting the Alamo either.

The app is slated to be available in June. Follow TexMoji on Twitter for more Lone Star updates.

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going dutch

Medical Center builds bridges for global impact with new Netherlands partnership

Photo courtesy of TMC

The Texas Medical Center visited the Netherlands to secure a deal that creates a BioBridge to the country and Houston.

The Texas Medical Center may be based in Houston, but the organization has again grown its global impact.

Since 2016, TMC’s BioBridgeshave worked with 88 startup companies. Those include strategic alliances with four other countries. Australia, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Ireland are all among TMC’s BioBridges partners. As of today, add the Netherlands to that list.

On September 27, TMC president and CEO, William F. McKeon, and Carmen van Vilsteren, chair of Health~Holland, Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (LSH), signed an agreement in Rotterdam. The TMC Netherlands BioBridge Memorandum of Understanding codifies the innovative goals of the partnership. Essentially, the BioBridge program provides a means for entrepreneurs, researchers, clinicians and industry partners from other countries to access the US market, as well as TMC experts.

“The TMC Netherlands BioBridge represents an unparalleled opportunity for collaboration and growth,” Ashley McPhail, chief external affairs & administration officer at Texas Medical Center said in a press release. “The Netherlands has solidified its position as a global leader in the field of life sciences and health, with a thriving ecosystem of research institutions, innovative companies, and highly skilled professionals. This strategic partnership will bring positive benefits to patients, clinicians and industry partners on a global scale.”

This lifeline for international healthcare companies makes expansion into the United States far smoother. The Global Innovators Launch Pad allows for startup founders to take part in a 10-week residency at the TMC Innovation Factory that will teach them about foundational infrastructure, clinical evidence and funding in the US.

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Continue reading this story on our sister site InnovationMap.