Venture Advisory Services

Call us: 1.405.235.2305

VENTURE ADVISORY SERVICES

Enhancing the Business Know-How Entrepreneurs Need to Succeed

Our venture advisors who collaborate with and mentor entrepreneurs are central to i2E’s mission. These experienced professionals work closely with each client, assisting them in the commercialization of their concept from initial technology development to business launch to scaling of proven concepts. These services involve assessing product-market fit, determining optimal go to market strategies, business planning, determining capital needs and positioning for funding.

Since each entrepreneur comes to i2E with different skills and experiences, we provide a customized mix of coaching, technical services and access to capital.

Our proven, nationally-recognized, structured approach to launching and developing businesses is designed to assist you in avoiding the pitfalls associated with new companies, helping it grow into a profitable enterprise.

Evaluate the potential of new concepts through a rigorous venture assessment process to determine product-market fit
Assist with development of business plans, evaluation of marketing plans and assessment of capital needs
Provide guidance in building a management team, choosing an optimal business structure and creating financial forecasting
Assist with developing an effective investor presentation
Assist in obtaining non-dilutive funding through federal and state funding sources or private investment
Work with universities to encourage commercialization of university-based innovation
Provide grant capital assistance and equity investment
Make equity investments to help start new companies and grow existing companies

i2E Venture Advisors:

Mark Lauinger– SVP, Client Services

Carol Curtis | Rick Rainey | Malachi Blankenship|Stacey Brandhorst

The Venture Assessment Program (VAP) helps entrepreneurs perform market analysis and investigate the commercial opportunity of their business. This is a three week program designed to investigate the product-market fit and business opportunity of a startup including: VAP

Assessment of market needs
Determination of potential market(s) and market size
Identify market barriers
Identify preliminary distribution channels
Identify market trends and competitors
Estimate preliminary profit potential

i2E has provided its services to more than 700 Oklahoma-based startups from a variety of industries.

Our CLIENT PORTFOLIO has attracted $639 million in private investment from banks, venture capital funds, angel investors and other strategic investors.

The Oklahoma Small Business Research Assistance (SBRA) program offers the best resources in the nation to help you successfully compete for SBIR/STTR funding.

Each year the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding programs award approximately $2.5 billion in non-dilutive funding to small, high-tech, innovative businesses.

i2E works closely with the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology who administers the following state grant programs:

Oklahoma Applied Research Support (OARS) Grant
The Oklahoma Applied Research Support program helps universities, foundations and businesses fund cutting-edge research that will benefit Oklahoma’s economy.

Oklahoma Health Research Program (OHR)
The Oklahoma Health Research Program competitively awards seed funds for research projects related to human health to Oklahoma universities and colleges, non-profit research foundations and commercial companies in Oklahoma.

And OCAST provides both financial support and expertise to help qualifying firms develop their federal proposals through their SBIR/STTR support program:

Small Business Innovative Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR)
SBIR and STTR are competitively awarded federal programs designed to stimulate technological innovation and provide opportunities for small businesses.

Why Choose i2E?

Since inception nearly 20 years ago, i2E has become nationally recognized for its services, invested more than $42 million in 180 companies and provided business expertise to more than 700 of Oklahoma’s emerging small businesses.

Contact us and get started today!

"i2E also helped us with advice and getting closer ties to the community. That is a benefit that is worth as much as the investment."

Dirk Spiers

CEO, Spiers New Technologies

“A great deep dive that early stage startups should consider before asking for funding.”

Brent Wheelbarger

Co-Founder, Viribus VR Labs

“VAP gave my company the tools to succeed in a supportive & entrepreneurial environment."

Carey Flack

Co-Founder, BLOOM

“The i2E VAP was a very introspective look at our business path and allowed us to benefit from a critical assessment of our place in our space.”

Mark McGuire

President & CEO, Openhouse

“The VAP is a very thorough program/process to help a business or potential business determine its viability in the marketplace.”

Chuck Lamson

Part-owner, Spring Deck

“The i2E VAP helped us further develop business model and gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for our customers.”

Bob Eskew

Co-Founder, Viribus VR Labs

"We look at i2E as being a great resource for information and connections to help us accomplish our goals in continuing to innovate our products."

Mark Farrow

President & CEO, Compression Solutions

"i2E will meet ventures wherever they are in their development, whether it’s an idea on the back of a napkin or a profitable venture."

David King

Founder & CEO, Exaptive

"i2E has been invaluable for us. The team in Tulsa that we work with is always good to help with contacts and information. They will dig up things for us if we need it. They are supportive, but not invasive."

Mike Haines

Founder & CEO, Well Checked Systems

"Even the challenging questions that we get from i2E have helped us really dig into our business plan and think about how we are going to grow the business."

Danny Maloney

Co-founder & CEO, Tailwind

"The relationship has been invaluable to our company. As soon as we realized that i2E was there to help we readily utilized their services and took advantage of the opportunities. We would have not raised over half a million dollars without this relationship."

Aravind Seshadri

President, Roll-2-Roll Technologies

"Working with i2E has been very beneficial through their contacts with other business leaders in Oklahoma and as a source of funding. We also appreciate their guidance and business counsel in areas that we simply had not taken the time to focus resources toward…the process that i2E invokes creates credibility and legitimacy in the investor marketplace."

Brian Carpenter

CEO, 4D Sales

"The VAP experience helped us understand that limiting our focus to just one vertical would allow us to put all our efforts into excelling in that space, differentiating ourselves from other companies and offering a superior product fit for that specific market."

Laura Fleet

CEO and Co-Founder, SendaRide

"i2E has been a valuable partner for me and for WeGoLook. Not only did they provide vital direct investment at an early stage, but they have also continually challenged us to refine and improve our business strategies as we have grown."

Robin Smith

CEO & Co-Founder, WeGoLook

"I cannot think of a better investment partner than i2E. They have given us room to learn and grow but certainly ensured investors interests were always protected along the way."

Ryan Dennis

Founder, Linear Health Services

"i2E was instrumental in helping us shape our pitch deck and eventually raising $1M. Those funds allowed us to grow the business from about $1M/year to $7M/year and led to a 4X exit for those early investors."

Michael Elts

President & CEO, Weather Decision Technologies

Let's Work Together

To start the process of possibly becoming a client, please complete this on-line inquiry.

On-line Inquiry