Note: the e3 program was formerly named the Venture Assessment Program (VAP). You may see it referenced in the following testimonials.

”It would be unfair and incomplete to single out one component of e3 to highlight, unless of course you frame the entire process that forces you to rethink your business, market and customer assumptions.” Brian Carpenter, Managing Partner, 4DSales  

“The best aspect of the e3 program is the product-market fit investigation which will anchor the many critical assumptions for the business going forward, especially who will buy, why they buy, their alternatives, and what they value.” Mike Whitaker, CEO, PURioLABS

“Through the e3 program we were able to gain the knowledge of how to build a company from scratch and more importantly to find out what customers are essentially looking for to solve their problems. Samuel Greedharry, CEO, WISO

“The best part is the value we are receiving continues each day as we implement what we learned in the e3 program and explore business opportunities with our e3 mentors.” Mark Steele, CEO and Co-Founder, Salesvizion

“The e3 program starts with a broad view of the market then narrows down the ideal customer that would pay and utilize our products.  With this in mind, this strategy could potentially save a company thousands of marketing dollars and save valuable time.” Jesse Bar, Co-Founder, Body Flexor 

“e3 brings an intensity and clear focus to where you are and where you need to be. From customer discovery to considering a realistic successful business future, they push you to get things organized. Lots of talented people who are willing to share!”
J Ross Vanhooser, MD, Founder, AIPAGS

“Thank you all for the time and effort you put into helping Oklahoma companies.  You are an invaluable resource for the state and for up-and-coming businesses within the state. – Deverick Wilder, Co-Founder, Utopia Genetics 

“Our work with i2E was valuable in helping us tighten our go-to-market plans. We see huge opportunity in front of us and planning and being accountable to achievable first steps are crucial to achieving our longer term vision.” Wayne Larkin, CEO, Rivet

“I would highly recommend I2E for their assistance and guidance with start up companies and would further recommend the cohort classes.”
Chip Paul, Founder and Chief Innovator, GnuPharma

“e3’s methodical approach to the customer discovery interviews helped us greatly in understanding the customers’ pain points as well as their buying cycles.” Pramod Vadrevu, Founder, Dynos.io

“Customer discovery and market understanding is crucial to the success of any business; e3 teaches you the questions you need to be asking and stresses the necessity in finding answers in order to move your company forward.” – Catherine Ha, CEO, Babel Analytics

“The e3 course opened the curtain to what investors are thinking and looking for in start-ups. It gave our team the tools to discover truly what our customers are wanting and how we might build a product to fit their needs. The content and delivery in the course was smooth and very useful for our company especially as an early stage startup. It was also a great experience getting to connect with other founders. I would certainly recommend this course to others who are building their businesses.” – Houston Johnson, Co-founder, Caddie 514

“The e3 program at i2E was truly a wealth of valuable information/direction for our startup, e3 was very clear to understand, the program helped show us what we need to focus on, there was so much great information that we as a team truly needed for making HerdFinder a success. I would suggest any startup in Oklahoma take the e3 course, I2E has been wonderful for us here at HerdFinder.” – Andy Jones, Founder & President, HerdFinder 

“The best part of e3 is learning, developing, and then experiencing a customer discovery process. Before e3, I would mentally put myself in the shoes of potential customers. Every time I did this thought experiment, the customer in my head loved the product. e3 taught me you cannot validate your own ideas on your own. By truly getting to know my customer persona through a combination of interviews and research, I got real feedback from potential customers. This customer discovery process resulted in me deciding to not pursue this business. This may sound sad, but it is not sad at all! I now know how to evaluate an idea quickly and am excited to move onto new opportunities and ideas.” – Brennan Murphy, Founder, Asmblrs

“As a founder, going through the e3 process was well worth the resources spent. It was validating at times, challenging at times, and always enjoyable. I relished the chance to talk about my passion project with experts and peers—my family and friends are thankful for being spared! Something particularly helpful was i2E’s take on assessing the market in a realistic way. In previous research, I had found competing opinions on how to come up with the right figures. Yet i2E’s approach equipped me with a better understanding of the kind of numbers investors would be most interested in.” – Dr. Terrie Shipley, CEO and Founder, Apply U

“Participating in the e3 program was a fantastic experience for our company.  As an early stage start-up, access to the knowledge and experience of the e3 team proved extremely valuable.  The rigorous process allowed us to quickly evaluate our company’s potential in a new market, while avoiding common pitfalls that can cause new companies to struggle.  With the guidance from the e3 advisors, we have been able to align our product to solve specific customer problems and identify risks to our business model.  This information will position our company for success” – Ron Goff, CEO and Co-Founder, ForeSource

“The e3 program is an on point, top notch program for startups.  The intentional instruction, coursework and professional advice will keep startups focused and on track to achieve their goals.  e3 is the first tool for any startup toolbox in moving their business forward.” –  Jared Boehs, CEO and Co-founder, HyQ Technologies

“The e3 program forced us to define, evaluate, and get feedback from our target customers allowing us to eliminate some of the pitfalls of the traditional build-measure-learn feedback loop. Through this process we learned valuable insights into the wants of that target demographic and was able to determine before a waste of time and resources that our initial target, although a sales driver, was not willing to pay for the technology and identify the true economic buyer in the model. It changed our mentality on how we approached the product development and allowed us to share those insights with our channel partner.” – Brendon Quick, COO, Rabble Corp

“The e3 program taught us an efficient and reliable way to discover our customer’s needs. Combined with the advice from expert mentors, we were able to firm up our value proposition, find the perfect first-customer, and plan a plausible path to success. We are the most confident we have ever been in our business and are excited to move forward with the knowledge and connections e3 and I2e brought us.” – Marc LaManque, Cadenzo

“We have been really grateful for the opportunity to participate in the e3 program. We have always known that our product had the legs to be something great, but there has always been a struggle to identify which aspects needed immediate focus. We have been able to accomplish more from a target market perspective in 3 months than we did in the previous year. The instructors are knowledgeable and invested not only in our success through the course, but our success as an entity. 10/10 would recommend!” Micheal Ude, Fan Fair 

“The e3 Program was extremely helpful from a growth and learning standpoint for our business. Both of our co-founders learned a lot while going through the program. The process of truly figuring out product-market-fit through customer discovery as well as competitive analysis and fine tuning our pitch proved to be very valuable. The videos and assignments prepared us for each class, but ultimately prepared us to be successful moving forward. The 4 weeks of classes, assignments, and discovery calls were tough, but helpful. However, we found the 1-on-1 sessions to be the most beneficial as we received encouragement, insight, and tough love from Darcy and Stacey. We highly recommend this course as it helped us a great deal.” Jay White, Focal Software

“The team at i2E, and specifically pertaining to the e3 program, is incredibly willing to help entrepreneurs succeed in all levels of their business. The course itself provided me with more clarity in how to better guide my business, better prepare ourselves for scaling within the right market, and how to tailor the product to the proper customers based on deep insights. I really enjoyed the e3 program as well as the people involved with it.” Cole Stevens, Hiike

“e3 is the founder’s map and compass: the program lets you confirm where you’ve gone in the right direction and provides the tools and guidance to help you reorient where you are off course.  In four weeks, you gain an understanding of how to go from good idea to a good startup and primes you to take your business to the next level.” Richard Jackson, ConnecTix

“The e3 program was incredibly helpful to us.  It forced us to reassess assumptions underlying our marketing analysis, as well as to refine our business model and launch strategy.” Jason Davenport, Imperial Bioworks

“The i2E staff did a great job of using their extensive knowledge and experience to guide us in a rigorous, but friendly, manor toward a better business design.” Jason Davenport, Imperial Bioworks

“The e3 program was a powerful distillation of the things we didn’t know we didn’t know.  It taught us to start asking the right questions, and where to look for the answers.  The E3 program has dramatically shortened our learning curve, sharpened our business acumen, and greatly accelerated our progress.” Jason Davenport, Imperial Bioworks

“We found the e3 process to be immensely valuable in moving our company forward. I was particularly impressed that the e3 process deals with specific methodologies to analyze the opportunity, not generalities! Additionally, it is real world, the i2E team had no issues challenging us along the way which demonstrated their commitment in getting it right. We thank the i2E team for their counsel, advice and personal interest in helping us move forward!”  Bob Chamberlain, MedTech Partners

“We had extensive research, documents, business details, potential customers, a great team and felt like we were moving along well. We could not figure out why we could not get any traction, until i2E walked us through their proven program. Their team walked us through precisely each step to take before bringing our product to market. Although we had most of the information their team was looking for, i2E completely organized us in a way we did not even know needed to be done. We now feel very confident going to market knowing we have a team of proven experts behind us.”  Devin Brown, NexMuv

“It has been such a learning experience for our entire team. This process has increased our confidence in being able to identify and market to our customers with precision.” Devin Brown, NexMuv

“See your business through investors eyes!”  Leon Fowler, Enfluencer

“This program helps you know for sure that your venture is worth your time, effort and money before you take the risk.”  Annie Bowles, Sugarfree Media

“Worth the time and money for any founder at any stage in their startup.  The class offers great framework to position you for success!”  Kate Birtch, Property Protect

“This program pushed me to think about aspects of my business I had not considered, allowing me to open my thought to much needed changes.”  Chantelle Loft, Concept C

“Be prepared to do your homework and spend the time required to complete the seminar.”  Debra Edwards, Concept C

“This program is densely packed with great information. It can feel overwhelming at times, but it teaches perseverance.” Lucy Kimani, Universal Cuisine

“This program is very organized and helps you to prepare and know the process and how to achieve a pitch and what to expect.”  Todd Nelson, Trakyr

“If you are going to find what you need, be prepared for a long road and a constant reality check.  This program is a great start.” Charlie Schmitz, Workour

“Customer discovery of paint identification are critical for the viability of a venture.  This program puts it front and center!”  Shoaib Shaikh, Chemexpose

“This class really helped my team reevaluate our customers and value proposition.  I would recommend any entrepreneur to take this class as it makes the chance of succeeding that much greater.” Beau Blanchard, Paldara Pharmaceuticals

“This class process gave me the road map and direction we needed at the critical conceptual phase of our business.”  Chris Hahn, Applique

“This class helped me hone in on my target market and gave me the tools to gather unbiased feedback.”  Jonathan Welliver, Lyfe

“I used to run a sales organization, and I would have hired Darcy to help train my sales people!”  Cameron Owen, Aevus Precision Diagnostics

“The VAP experience helped us understand that limiting our focus to just one vertical would allow us to put all our efforts into excelling in that space, differentiating ourselves from other companies and offering a superior product fit for that specific market.” – Laura Fleet, CEO & Co-Founder, SendaRide

“i2E’s VAP is extremely valuable for businesses of all types to help owners focus. Focus on awareness, focus on customers, and focus on action. VAP gives you the tools to define your company’s core customers. Done properly, defining these customers allow business owners to find what truly motivates their early adaptors. VAP is not just a course, but a well-developed process that can be applied to any new project or business endeavor.” – Chris Wilson, When In Roam

“Working with i2E is like having NOS in your racecar.” – Casey Murray, Protosynthesis Design, LLC

“A great program for Oklahoma.” – Carter Wright, Protosynthesis Design, LLC

“The VAP will help you set the wheels in motion to getting your venture off the ground. This program allows you to narrow your focus so that you can become invest-able in a timely and efficient manner.” – Keinan Smith, Protosynthesis Design, LLC

“The i2E VAP helped me to identify and test the underlying assumptions that will make or break my business. I gained useful insights on the strengths and weaknesses of my business model. This will enable me to pivot or fix them before spending hundreds of thousands of dollars ineffectively.” – Donna Miller, PursePower

“As a technical person, this is an eye-opening experience to learn how to launch a new product and succeed at business. The entire learning experience is challenging but pleasant, very rewarding.” – Dr. Li Song, BENEFF, LLC

“I would recommend the Venture Assessment Program to any tech startup that is serious about building a successful company. The insights gained from their team of experienced professionals saves time, provides clarity of focus, and connects founders with the knowledge and resources needed to maximize the potential for success.”  – Johnathan Torkelson, Virtuoso Software

“I am very busy trying to build my business and so I was very concerned about the time I would have to invest in the VAP class. Now that was are done with VAP, I would say to any entrepreneur that they should make the investment. It was one of the most productive investments of time and money I have made since I started D6 Labs.” – Steve Montgomery, Digital Six Laboratories

“This is a tough-love class that is both supportive but also shares the reality of the path forward for a successful business. It’s definitely great to attend the earlier the better in starting any company.” – Rachel Hiraldo, Oct8ne

“Detail oriented and customer/sales driven despite the brevity (3 weeks) of the course schedule. Insightful and helpful; exercise that can help teams make a difference to their ventures.” – Sarah Jayauma, MaxQ

“The VAP program helps take your business and poke holes in it now so you can change to better your business. They beat you down now and build you back up before you become too invested and lose money.” – Scott Kincannen, MicroMeasure LLC

“Quick way to determine if an idea is capable of being a successful business. Full of experienced investors who have dealt with hundreds of businesses. They offer great guidance for any ambitious entrepreneur.” – Yusuf Surbaji, Splitico, LLC

“i2E’s VAP program taught me how to actually drill down to who is the real customer and how can my company best serve the customer. It is a very specific program that teaches tools I’ll be able to use in a variety of ways from business to community volunteering to educational support. Thanks!!!” – Cindy Convery, Raw Space For Rent

“Makes you face your greatest fears, but also makes you face/see the possibilities. If you want it, go get it.” – Aubrey Jones, Zipcode Lenders

“As someone that has not been in the startup space for very long, I was intimidated but hopeful to learn. This class was very informative, helped me find the direction and focus I needed. Great for any level. Thanks i2E!” – Ashleigh Denton, Repair Cupid

“I really enjoyed the in person classes, specifically the opening conversations and hearing about other people’s companies and passions. I would recommend this class to anyone in the early stages of a startup.” – Nick Brekke, Soc Nano

“The VAP is great for any Oklahoma company looking for guidance and help with their company! It is a must when starting a new venture!” – Erin Hines, ThinkTune, Inc.

“The VAP is a great (and safe) way to challenge your assumptions in a constructive manner. Important for all start-ups…at all stages!” – Brek Wilkins, AmbreHealth Technologies

“For anyone who has a new business concept, but is afraid to take the first step…spend $375 and see where the journey takes you! Best money spent.” – Andrew Jenkins, AUXI

“i2E helped us identify our customers, refine our business model, and learn more about our company and the industry we compete in.” – Yonatan Max Schmidt, Travli

“Helps push you to spend the effort needed to identify customers and market fit…things that too many startups avoid or don’t spend enough effort on.” – Kirk, VestFront

“This program can help students better organize their early-stage start-ups with research, planning, organizing, and execution.” – Nasir Malik, Splitico LLC

“A great program for an early stage company, refreshing and insightful.” – Balayi Jayakumar, MaxQ

“VAP allowed us to put more emphasis on our market, which better identified where we should focus our efforts.” – Andrew Willis, Gameday Edge

“The value came from doing the homework assignment and taking them seriously.” – Ben Woods, GameDay Edge

“Outrageously excellent!” – Emily Wallace and Robert Kurtz, Videomodify

“It’s a great way to open your eyes to problems in your business and your sector.” – Juan Hiraldo, Oct8ne