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

Governor’s Cup produces pipeline of entrepreneurs

Get in Touch
UCO's ParaNano team from the Governor's Cup competition.
UCO’s ParaNano team from the Governor’s Cup competition.

By Scott Meacham
Copyright © 2015, The Oklahoma Publishing Company

The 2015 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup collegiate business plan competition culminated with a gala banquet in mid-April. It was inspiring.

Teams from East Central University won first, second and third place in the Small Business Division. Photo provided

The students were excited, poised, and dressed to the nines.

The room was buzzing as Gov. Mary Fallin and numerous other business and civic leaders announced the winners of $154,000 in scholarships and awards.

East Central University's Governor's Cup teams swept the top three places in the Small Business Division
East Central University’s Governor’s Cup teams swept the top three places in the Small Business Division

But with the drama of the gala and the significance of the awards, the enduring impact of the Governor’s Cup is its success statewide in helping our young people learn firsthand that entrepreneurship is a viable career option — and that Oklahoma is a great place to start a business.

The Governor’s Cup is inclusive — open to students from any college campus across the state, with 32 campuses sending teams over the years. More than 1,500 hundred Oklahoma college students have taken part.

After a decade of success, the Governor’s Cup is well understood at the state’s largest research universities.

In 2013, the competition expanded to include a new division for nonresearch campuses, two-year colleges and private regional universities. It’s great to see how in such a short time the Small Business Division has taken hold.

Every team has an adviser. These advisers spread the word about the Governor’s Cup. They help students form teams — always emphasizing the value of diversity — and then work with the teams to identify and develop business plans — the count so far is more than 500 innovative ideas.

“Write a business plan” means that students take an idea for a high-growth company or a small business, create a value proposition, build a credible business on paper, and then gain support for that plan in oral presentations to angel investors and other entrepreneurs.

The students — remarkable isn’t a big enough word — do this work on top of other classes and assignments, part-time jobs, community service, activities, and family responsibilities. They learn to network. They see the resources that are available in Oklahoma to support entrepreneurs. Many of them get bitten hard by the startup bug.

Oklahoma has garnered more than 23 emerging small businesses from the Governor’s Cup. i2E is currently working with seven entrepreneurial companies that are led by student teams.

Next year is the final year that the Governor’s Cup will receive funding from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

A number of companies and organizations in Oklahoma have already stepped up as sponsors with financial and in-kind support. If your business isn’t participating, you should be.

The Governor’s Cup creates the two most vital parts of an innovation economy — entrepreneurs and deal flow.

It’s time to build a funding plan that will continue the momentum toward entrepreneurship that students, dedicated advisers, entrepreneurs and investors and the business community have all worked together to create.

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].

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