Tom Walker set to take top spot at Oklahoma-based i2E

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City),  Jul 14, 2008  by David Page

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After graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in mechanical engineering, Tom Walker joined Battelle Memorial Institute, where he managed corporate business development.

"I started as a raw engineer right out of college," he said. "My role for a few years was to develop business plans to take their technology to market."

After a while, Walker said he decided he wanted to do something a bit more entrepreneurial and get involved with venture capital.

"I thought I would have to move out of state to do that," he said.

But then Walker saw an employment ad from the Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center seeking someone to work with entrepreneurs and with potential venture capital providers.

The ad led to a job and after 10 years with i2E, operator of the Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center, Walker has been selected to replace the retiring Greg Main as CEO and president of the private, not-for-profit corporation created to expand the state's entrepreneurial economy.

Walker said i2E, which takes its name from turning innovation into enterprise, will continue to provide support to the state's technology entrepreneurs.

"We must be on the forefront to help startup technology companies in Oklahoma," he said.

Since 1998, when i2E was founded as a strategic partner of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, assistance has been provided to more than 1,200 companies. Half of those became project clients and 200 clients have secured more than $280 million in investment capital. Funding programs managed by i2E include the Oklahoma Seed Capital Fund, a venture capital fund that provides seed and startup stage equity financing.

Providing capital will continue to be a priority.

"We have tech business funding at the seed capital and venture capital levels but there is a gap in between," he said. "We need to create angel-level funding to help these companies."

Walker plans to create an angel funding program to fill the gap and has been preparing for the task.

In addition to his mechanical engineering degree from OU, Walker has a master of business administration degree from Oklahoma City University and is a graduate of the 27th annual Venture Capital Institute and the fourth annual Venture Capital Institute Graduate Program.

He is a founding board member of the Angel Capital Association, a national organization for angel capital groups, and was adjunct instructor for entrepreneurship at the University of Tulsa.

Capital programs help Oklahoma compete with other states.

"If you look at other states, they have very organized capital sources," Walker said.

Walker also plans to create an internship program for startup technology companies using state college students participating in the Donald W. Reynolds Governor's Cup competition. College students and their faculty advisors compete in the Governor's Cup, created to encourage future entrepreneurs.

"We think there is an opportunity to link students who show promise in the Governor's Cup to startup companies," he said.

Walker said he is an example of the value of providing technical training. As a high school student he participated in a mechanical drawing program at what was then the Mid-Del Vocational Technology Center. He won a scholarship to Oklahoma State University at a mechanical drawing competition but ended up at OU.

"The vo-tech system provided me a way to get into college," he said.

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