By Scott Meacham Entrepreneurship is hard. Most everything about building a new company is a heavy lift. Are there shout-from-the-mountain-tops moments? Most certainly. When the first prototype works as designed. When the first customer contract is signed. When a talent critical hire says yes and joins the team. And when the company receives the fundingRead more
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By Scott Meacham It’s a good thing when state leaders recognize the strategic importance of innovation in job and wealth creation. It’s also a good thing when a state considers legislation to help address capital gaps. Oklahoma’s Technology Business Finance Program (TBFP) Seed Fund is a nationally recognized best practices example of legislated early stageRead more
By Jim Stafford STILLWATER – Don’t look for a sign in downtown Stillwater advertising the presence of HostBridge Technology, which has maintained its headquarters just off Main Street for two decades. There isn’t one. Founded by Russell Teubner in 2000, HostBridge Technology occupies a historic building along E. 7th Street, just off Main Street. TheRead more
By Scott Meacham My mantra of investing, as any regular reader of this column knows, is capital begets capital. That’s why Oklahoma’s unique, pre-seed capital fund, Technology Business Finance Program (TBFP), is so critical to Oklahoma’s innovation economy. TBFP deploys state funding to provide equity-free capital for startups at such an early stage that thereRead more
By Scott Meacham This time of year, Christmas music is everywhere. Some people get a little tired of it, but for me it’s all part of the season, and I like it. Christmas music reminds me of family, friends, and memories of Christmas mornings and meals. The other day, I was on an errand, andRead more
By Scott Meacham Recently, when Elliott Adams, author of The Startup Mixtape: The Guide to Building and Launching a High-Growth Technology Startup signed up for i2E’s Venture Assessment Program (VAP), it was a great opportunity for us to gain perspective from an industry pro. Elliott’s book is based on his broad experience in entrepreneurship. HeRead more
By Scott Meacham Copyright © 2019, The Oklahoman This summer, I’ve been writing about lessons learned since coming to i2E nearly six years ago — specifically lessons about technology entrepreneurship in our state. It seems fitting as we head toward Labor Day, that I wind up this summer series with a recap of my heartfeltRead more
By Scott Meacham Copyright © 2019, The Oklahoman I have learned over the past six years that the single most important advice I can give an entrepreneur is this: Never underestimate the importance of going fast. Once you stick your head up, the world is going to respond. Some people will buy into your idea.Read more
By Scott Meacham Copyright © 2019, The Oklahoman In today’s world, a state’s economic growth demands investment in innovation and high-tech industries — especially for a natural resource-rich state like ours that must leverage our existing resource base to diversify our economy for the future. It’s a straightforward proposition. If we believe that more andRead more
By Scott Meacham Copyright © 2019, The Oklahoman I always tell every new company that I talk to: You have to crawl before you walk and walk before you run. The same thing applies to the capital path. The great thing for startups in this state is that The Oklahoma Innovation Model, which is uniqueRead more
By Scott Meacham Copyright © 2019, The Oklahoman As Oklahomans, we live with pumps. We draw most of our water from out of the ground; we’re used to seeing pumpjacks bobbing their grasshopper-shaped heads all over the state. So, when somebody says “prime the pump” we understand the metaphor in a very real-world way. “PrimeRead more
By Scott Meacham Copyright © 2017, The Oklahoma Publishing Company As a fourth-generation attorney, I can’t help my evidentiary mindset. I want the facts to tell the story; I look to the data to prove the case. That’s why I feel like titling my next series of columns “Just How Much Proof Does Oklahoma Need?”Read more
i2E was born from an Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) initiative and has now become a nationally-recognized private not-for-profit corporation that invests in entrepreneurs who are building high-growth companies in Oklahoma. i2E works directly with entrepreneurs, researchers and companies to help them commercialize their technologies, launch and grow new businesses and access needed capital.
