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

Startup companies are unique, but share DNA

Get in Touch

By Scott Meacham
Copyright © 2018, The Oklahoman

Startup companies are like snowflakes — no two are exactly alike.

Uniqueness, after all, is a vital part of every new company’s secret sauce. The most successful startups always break new ground. They do original things in original ways. They invent new materials (nanoparticles anyone?), new systems (remember when Windows were just glass squares in a wall?), and even new words (how many times have you Googled this week?).

On the other hand, as different as startups are from one to the next, the genome of every successful startup shares common DNA. That DNA is based on the drive to find new solutions to known problems and the willingness to take that solution to real customers in actual markets, knowing that in all likelihood those customers will have more to say about what is wrong with the proposed solution than what is right.

And that’s when the full force of the entrepreneurial DNA kicks in as the innovator twists, tweaks and iterates, shaping the original solution into a winning idea that at least some people in an identified market say they want.

Now things really get tough. What is the competition? There is always, always competition. What is the realistic market, and what is the cost to reach it? Is the price worth the opportunity? Heartbreakingly, many times, despite the greatness of the idea and the enthusiasm of initial customer feedback, the business model just doesn’t work, and it’s time to move on to the next deal.

But sometimes a big enough market nods its approval, costs fall in line and the startup takes off. However, in entrepreneurship, the playing field never levels out. Each milestone — hiring talent, stretching cash, securing funding — leads to an even steeper hill.

In the search for the right talent, not only must new companies attract individuals who embrace the risk and uncertainly of a startup environment and bring the right skills — often of a technical nature that are most in demand — winning founders recognize that they must hire people who are not like themselves — individuals who can fill in gaps in experience and further diversify the startup’s core DNA.

Successful entrepreneurs have an instinct for managing cash and a developed sense of the right time to move from bootstrapping to outside sources of capital. Winning entrepreneurs have a special spark in their DNA. They listen, invite feedback and know when and how to accept help.

Oklahoma has a committed support system, from advisory services to access to capital, that helps entrepreneurs leverage that spark into new companies that produce innovative products and services … and jobs.

Starting a new business is a long trip down a bumpy road. Entrepreneurs who start the journey deserve our admiration and our support.

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 support from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology and is an integral part of Oklahoma’s Innovation Model. Contact Meacham at [email protected].

 

 

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