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

Businesses adapt amid pandemic

Get in Touch

By Scott Meacham

“Necessity is the mother of invention.” This saying is commonly attributed to the Greek philosopher Plato. After multiple translations from ancient Greek over more than 2000 years, it is no surprise that scholars debate the exact wording that Plato used in The Republic, but regardless his observation is spot on: When the need to do something is strong enough, humans will find a way.

If ever there was a time that fits Plato’s proverb, it is now. We are several weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, and while I wouldn’t say that the shock of this new reality has worn off, we are figuring out ways to adapt.

There is no such thing as pause for entrepreneurs and innovators building new businesses. Even in a pandemic, they must pivot, flex their creative muscles and resolve, and keep moving forward. And there is no such thing as pause for those of us who support them.

i2E’s Venture Assessment Program (VAP) has been a great tool for helping Oklahoma startups rigorously perform structured market validation of their ideas and solutions before they start creating “great” products that the market doesn’t want to buy. Since inception in 2015, more than 150 companies in 30 cohorts have graduated VAP.

We are an organization that believes in continuous improvement, so for as successful as VAP had been, last summer we set about revising the structure and curriculum to make it better.

We tasked a work group to examine every aspect of how we were helping entrepreneurial teams de-risk their startups and build the best high-growth businesses possible. We reworked the classroom and workshop content. We decided to supplement our program with video — which serendipitously we didn’t outsource but learned to develop ourselves.

We reworked charts and slides. We responded to entrepreneurs’ requests for more interactive time in class. They wanted to hear more about other entrepreneurs’ businesses and challenges, so we expanded that, too. We tested, packaged, planned—and e3 was born. Our fist e3 cohort was confirmed and ready to launch—you guessed it—the end of March.

i2E is an organization that preaches the value of pivoting—and pivot we did. In a couple of weeks, we converted e3 from classroom to online. We learned how to make the sessions interactive, keeping everyone engaged and conversational. Between sessions, we have one-on-one calls between entrepreneurs and our director of client engagement and venture advisors. Our inaugural cohort of entrepreneurs are enthusiastic about the new format.

With e3, we didn’t just repaint the car. We got under the hood, and then when COVID-19 hit, we changed the tires while the car was going 100 miles an hour.

e3 is the most robust program of its kind in the region. Evaluate. Equip. Empower. It is example of Oklahoma’s resilient commitment to support entrepreneurs.

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].

More News

Loading...
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
Blog, i2E, News
12.18.23

i2E and MidAmerica Industrial Park announce award winners for high school entrepreneurship program

Read more
Blog, i2E
12.13.23

Entrepreneur’s Cup Marks 20 Years: Reimagined Competition and Brand – Same Entrepreneurial Spirit

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