i2E’s e3, formerly known as the Venture Assessment Program (VAP), has been a great tool for helping Oklahoma startup founders rigorously perform structured market validation of their ideas and solutions before they start creating products that the market does not want to buy.
This program is the most robust in the region and boasts more than 150 participating companies comprised of both seasoned founders and first-time entrepreneurs, all of whom have gained valuable insights from e3.
In April i2E concluded the latest virtual cohort featuring 5 new startups from across the state.
Jason Davenport, Nathan Gillock, and Aaron Martin, co-founders of Imperial Bioworks in Edmond, are working on developing and manufacturing a kit that will enable rapid generation of human antibodies for researchers pursuing new methods of treating diseases.
“e3 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,” Jason said, “this program has dramatically shortened our learning curve, sharpened our business acumen, and greatly accelerated our progress.”
NexMuv, also from Edmond, is developing an online marketplace that allows moving consultants to find the best solution for their relocation needs while simultaneously providing service providers customers that fit their niche within the Household Goods (HHG) industry. Devin Brown, Operations and Business Development, discussed that he felt they were moving along well, yet even after doing extensive research, mapping out business details such as potential customers, and developing a great team, they could not figure out why NexMuv was not getting any traction. “Through the e3,” Devin explained, “the i2E 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.”
Co-founders of MedTech Partners, Bob Chamberlain, Marlin Wilton, and Dr. Gabriel Pardo, MD, from Oklahoma City, are working on a remote monitoring system to assist medical providers in assessing safety, performance, and deficit progression of patients with MS, Parkinson’s and other neurological degenerative conditions on an ongoing basis.
They found e3 to be immensely valuable and were particularly impressed that the e3 process deals with specific methodologies to analyze the opportunity, not generalities.
“It is real world, the i2E team had no issues challenging us along the way which demonstrated their commitment in getting it right,” said Bob, “we thank the i2E team for their counsel, advice and personal interest in helping us move forward!”
John Habeck, founder of Wackk, is working on a software platform for automotive dealerships which provides centralized tools for website hosting, vehicle advertising, inventory management, and vendor accountability, through his startup in Moore.
And Richard Jackson, founder of ConnectTix, located in Tulsa, is working on an application-based, peer-to-peer event ticket exchange service which offers users the ability to search, list, and purchase event tickets directly from other event attendees nearby.
“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”, says Richard. “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.”
If you are interested in helping your startup get to the next level, join us as part of Cohort 31 this June. The deadline for applications is May 26th. To learn more about e3, visit www.i2E/e3.
