Skip to content
i2E
  • Programs
    • For Startups
      • E3
      • Bridge2
      • OCN
    • For Students
      • Entrepreneur’s Cup
    • For Corporations
    • For Investors
  • Client Portfolio
  • About
    • Our Values
    • Meet Our Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Corporate Partners
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Programs
    • For Startups
      • E3
      • Bridge2
      • OCN
    • For Students
      • Entrepreneur’s Cup
    • For Corporations
    • For Investors
  • Client Portfolio
  • About
    • Our Values
    • Meet Our Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Corporate Partners
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Media
Search

Angel investors critical to state startup success

Get in Touch

By Scott Meacham
Copyright © 2014, The Oklahoma Publishing Company

It’s well documented that angel investors are the most important — and many times the only — source of desperately needed equity capital for startup companies.

The impact that angels have on entrepreneurial success beyond the checks they write may be less broadly understood.

With Oklahoma’s SeedStep Angels now in its sixth year of operation — the group has grown to about 50 members in chapters in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Ardmore, and Muskogee — Oklahomans are gaining first-hand experience about the impact that accredited angel investors can have on a state’s ability to identify and de-risk promising early stage investments.

Angels put a lot more into a young company than their equity stake. They become active participants on the company’s board of directors and as mentors and advisers to the CEO and management team.

Angels help the portfolio company in all sorts of ways. They facilitate important industry connections. They may encourage local service providers to provide expertise at startup rates. They can assist young companies in forging strategic technology or distribution partnerships. They may help the company gain access to intellectual property through spinouts from corporations, universities, or research institutions. They mentor and offer seasoned advice on business and financial plans.

This type of involvement improves the odds that the new company will achieve the milestones that move it toward customers, revenue and breaking even.

And that contributes to angel investors’ returns.

Dave Berkus, one of the most active angel investors in the country, having actively participated in more than 87 technology investments during the past decade, was our featured speaker at the recent Entrepreneurial Summit. Dave met with Oklahoma angels, sharing with us his experience and success with angel investing (an internal rate of return of more than 95 percent).

A rate of return of 95-plus percent is close to off the charts, but according to national statistics, average returns to angel investors with diversified portfolios can be north of 20 percent.

Not only do angels stand to benefit from well-above average returns on their investments; they get the challenge and excitement of creating an entirely new company with an interesting, new technology or business model. Plus, they get the satisfaction of contributing to the community and state where they live by helping create new jobs and wealth.

Given these potential returns, it’s not surprising that nearly 50 savvy and accredited investors have joined SeedStep Angels so far. It’s an organized and efficient way to invest in this asset class, and the benefits are many.

Scott Meacham is president and CEO of i2E Inc., a nonprofit corporation that mentors many of the state’s technology-based startup companies. i2E receives state appropriations from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology. Contact Meacham at [email protected].

DID YOU KNOW? As reported in the 2Q 2014 Halo Report, round sizes rose quarter to quarter nearly 20 percent to $2 million when angels syndicate with other types of co-investors.

Click here to read the article at newsok.com

 

More News

Loading...
Blog, Featured, News
06.25.25

i2E Showcases Startup Innovation at Bridge2 Cohort 3 Demo Day

Read more
Blog, Entrepreneur's Cup Featured, Entrepreneur's Cup News
04.25.25

Oklahoma Collegiate Entrepreneurs Take Home Over $167K at Entrepreneur’s Cup

Read more
Blog, Featured, News
12.16.24

MidAmerica and i2E Announce Award Winners

Read more
Blog, Featured, News
11.21.24

i2E & Plains Ventures Surpasses $100M Milestone in Total Investments

Read more
Blog
09.30.24

i2E Receives 2024 Excellence in Economic Development Award from IEDC

Read more
Blog
06.18.24

Bridge2 Demo Day Returns, Highlighting Promising Oklahoma Startups

Read more
Blog, Entrepreneur's Cup Featured, Entrepreneur's Cup News
05.13.24

Student Entrepreneurs Triumph at 20th Anniversary Entrepreneur’s Cup, Winning $158,000 in Prizes

Read more
Default Featured Image
Blog, Entrepreneur's Cup News
04.24.24

Beyond the Cup: Tracking Success Stories from the Entrepreneur’s Cup Series – Jessica Kinsey

Read more
Default Featured Image
Blog, Entrepreneur's Cup News
04.23.24

Beyond the Cup: Tracking Success Stories from the Entrepreneur’s Cup Series – Nathan Fountain

Read more
Default Featured Image
Blog, Entrepreneur's Cup Featured, Entrepreneur's Cup News
04.23.24

Beyond the Cup: Tracking Success Stories from the Entrepreneur’s Cup Series – Srijita Ghosh

Read more
Default Featured Image
Blog, Entrepreneur's Cup Featured, Entrepreneur's Cup News
04.18.24

Beyond the Cup: Tracking Success Stories from the Entrepreneur’s Cup Series – MaxQ

Read more
Blog, i2E
01.30.24

i2E Celebrates Success of Inaugural Bridge2 Demo Day

Read more
i2E

Oklahoma City Office

201 Robert S Kerr Ave, Suite 600
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
+1 (405) 235.2305

Tulsa Office

12 N. Cheyenne Ave, Suite 112
Tulsa, OK 74103
+1 (918) 582.5592

  • Client Portfolio
  • About Us
  • Media
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • Funding
  • Venture Advisory

© 2025 i2E Privacy Policy

Follow us:

Linkedin Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

Programs

  • For Startups
    • E3
    • Bridge2
    • OCN
  • For Students
    • Entrepreneur’s Cup
  • For Corporations
  • For Investors
  • For Startups
    • E3
    • Bridge2
    • OCN
  • For Students
    • Entrepreneur’s Cup
  • For Corporations
  • For Investors
  • Client Portfolio

Services

  • Access to Funding
  • Venture Advisory Services
  • Events
  • Contact
  • About
  • Our Values
  • Our Team
  • Board of Directors
  • Corporate Partners
  • Media
i2E