By Scott Meacham Datebox, which officially rebranded as Happily last year, started four years ago as a budget-friendly subscription service that delivered a box with items and plans for one great at-home date. The vision was straightforward: Couples want to spend more quality time together. Datebox helped them rediscover that a date doesn’t have toRead more
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By Scott Meacham Companies that are more diverse produce better financial results — much better, according to the most recent report in the McKinsey & Company series “Delivering through Diversity.” In the McKinsey report, companies in the top quartile for ethnic/cultural diversity on executive teams were 33% more likely to have industry-leading profitability. Moreover, companiesRead more
By Scott Meacham It’s official. The country is in a recession. Of course, we didn’t need the recent announcement by the National Bureau of Economic Research to tell us that. Given its unusualness, our hope is that we have nearly bottomed out from the pandemic free-fall and that economic recovery will come quickly. However, weRead more
By Scott Meacham If you asked me to name the profession most similar to entrepreneurship, I would say science. Both are based on problem-solving, experimentation, data, and the confidence to recognize that failure is a critical aspect of the path to success. Paige Johnson, founder and CEO of Tulsa-based Ten-Nine Technologies, is a noted researchRead more
By Scott Meacham I often get the question “What is a typical day like working with entrepreneurs ?” My answer is short: There is no such thing as a typical day, and that is perfectly okay. I like it that way. The variability and unexpected nature of entrepreneurship is what makes working with startups andRead more
By Scott Meacham This past week, we reopened our offices. For a few weeks, for the safety or our staff and the community, we shuttered our space and worked remotely, although we never really “closed.” Working remotely, we negotiated term sheets, concluded a major funding round for an exciting new Oklahoma startup, and held theRead more
By Scott Meacham Oklahoma is a state that has learned how to live through boom and bust. While we are constantly working to diversify our economy, the sectors of energy, agriculture, and aerospace dominate. With a mix like that, Oklahomans have had to learn how to take a 360 degree view. From tornados to swingsRead more
By Scott Meacham Every spring, the celebratory conclusion of the annual Love’s Entrepreneur’s Cup brings into sharp focus—and the limelight—the months of hard work that teams from Oklahoma’s colleges and universities put into this business plan and pitch competition. I am floored by the enthusiasm, work ethic, and talent of these students. I start outRead more
By Scott Meacham A most difficult and heart-rending aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic is that COVID patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities are so alone. Quarantine is mandatory. No outside visitors. Not friends, family, or even next of kin. A patient’s only human contact is with “strangers” wearing face masks and shields, gloves andRead more
By Scott Meacham Great ideas and great companies don’t go away during times of crisis. Many just require a little more nurturing. Other businesses recognize that with quick action and a bit of a pivot, they can not only survive a crisis, but that they can actually improve the situation. MaxQ, a Stillwater company thatRead more
Contact: Sarah Seagraves, Senior VP for Marketing (405) 813-2403 sseagraves@i2E.org May 1, 2020 OKLAHOMA CITY — Student entrepreneurs from college campuses across Oklahoma pitched winning business plans online to virtual panels of judges in the recent Love’s Entrepreneur’s Cup competition that awarded $158,000 in cash prizes and scholarships. Oral presentations in the 2020 Love’s CupRead more
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 theRead more
By Scott Meacham We have a new virtual rallying cry at i2E: Love’s Cup Is Unstoppable! In this unreal time of COVID-19, let me tell you what that means. 2020 is the sixteenth year of the widely acclaimed Love’s Entrepreneur’s Cup statewide collegiate business plan competition. From day one, the vision for Love’s Cup (formerlyRead more
By Scott Meacham Thousands of international travelers have been caught in the COVID-19 pandemic as it spreads. Earlier this month, my wife and I were two of those. Our story starts in Morocco. Susan and I were on a trip we booked at the last minute because our vacation to SE Asia was cancelled dueRead more
By Scott Meacham The COVID-19 medical and economic crisis is relentless. Every day more people, locations and institutions are impacted. Scientists and other experts are appropriately realistic. Matters are likely to worsen, at least near-term, before we flatten the curve of infection. Our hearts go out to the sick and their families. We send everlastingRead more
By Scott Meacham We are in unprecedented times. Seemingly overnight, the world has changed, possibly forever. We are dealing with a pandemic disease that has no vaccine or cure. The stock market has lost a third of its value. People are being furloughed and laid off. Many hourly workers can’t pay for their groceries, rentRead more
By Scott Meacham Growing a successful startup company is all about growing sales. And growing sales is an expertise that Brian Bomar, CEO of Whiteboard Technology knows very well. Bomar took everything he learned from 15 years in the mortgage industry, and before that several years more working for a local technology startup to createRead more
By Scott Meacham i2E’s connection to MaxQ Research, a Stillwater company that creates validated packaging systems for blood and other biologics, actually began with the 2012 Governor’s Cup, now the Love’s Entrepreneur’s Cup, Oklahoma’s statewide collegiate business plan competition sponsored by Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores. MaxQ was one of the competing business plans.Read more
By Scott Meacham Successful startups are all about vision and passion and great ideas. They are also about attaining metrics that lead to positive cashflow and attract investment. When it comes to metrics, the customer growth story from SendaRide, a young Oklahoma company that provides customized, concierge, non-emergency medical transportation, packs a punch. SendaRide servesRead more
By Scott Meacham As i2E has been closing our latest round of new investments over the last few weeks, I am reminded of how in the startup world and the venture industry, investment events attract attention. I don’t usually write about investment events. The celebratory milestones have already occurred over the weeks, months, and yearsRead more
