Mart store, which the operator had closed two months prior because of declining sales. Additionally, Greentown Labs revealed plans to raise $10 million for the renovation project and three years of working capital. The firm had raised approximately $8 million by September 2020, and building construction began the following month. In February 2021, Turner hosted a "reveal" ceremony for the incubator, which had approximately 20 corporate partners and 16 inaugural startups at the time. Companies that contributed to the project included BHP, CenterPoint Energy, Chevron, Gexa Energy, Shell, Vinson & Elkins, Wells Fargo, and Williams. In April 2021, Greentown Labs received a certificate of occupancy and 30 companies began moving into the space. The incubator opened on Earth Day 2021. The grand opening ceremony was livestreamed and had limited in-person attendance because of the pandemic, which also forced Greentown Labs Houston to scale back programming temporarily. Tenants and property management Chevron Technology Ventures was named the first tenant and program partner for the Ion in August 2020. Microsoft, which also became a program partner, announced in August 2020 it would invest $1 million into social entrepreneurship programs as part of its participation, and was confirmed as a tenant, along with Common Desk, in late 2020. Houston-based Transwestern became the property manager in November 2020. The Austin-based innovation and mentorship provider Capital Factory has Houston headquarters in the Ion, as of 2021. In October 2021, the musical theatre production company Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) announced plans to establish an education and arts center as an anchor tenant in the next phase of the district's development. TXRX Labs has operated the Ion Prototyping Lab since January 2022. In addition to the tenant restaurants in the Ion building, Stuff'd Wings has been a district tenant since April 2022. Established in 2019, the restaurants previously operated as a food truck. Partnerships and accelerators The Ion district announced its first academic partnership in January 2020; Rice University's Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies offered courses on computer and data science, financial services, human resources, leadership development, and project management to Ion members. In March 2020, the Ion and the Austin-based nonprofit organization DivInc announced a partnership to develop programs for women and minority entrepreneurs. The Latinx Startup Alliance partnered with the Ion to support Latino entrepreneurs and began hosting virtual programming in October 2020. The Houston-based law firm Baker Botts joined Chevron Technology