As President and CEO of i2E, Tom Walker leads i2E’s efforts to develop and invest in companies that create knowledge-based jobs in Oklahoma. Tom is a passionate entrepreneur at heart and applies both an executive and investor perspective to the more than 150 entrepreneurs that i2E supports annually.

Under Tom’s leadership, i2E has experienced the largest growth in programs and infrastructure in its history.  Net assets have increased 30 percent and operating budgets have increased more than 35 percent. The i2E team has been instrumental in dramatically increasing the amount of risk capital available for entrepreneurs in Oklahoma.

Tom believes that innovation and entrepreneurship is a team sport that touches every part of the economy, starting with the dedicated professionals at i2E and extending to individuals and organizations in Oklahoma, other regions and states, federal entities, and around the world.

He has united i2E with key state, national, and international research and development and entrepreneurial communities producing an increased recognition of Oklahoma’s desirability as a place to start companies as well as measurable new economic opportunities for Oklahomans. This focus has established an entrepreneurial infrastructure for advanced technology opportunities in Oklahoma, with i2E earning international recognition and awards as a leading, innovative venture development organization. 

In the late nineties, Tom organized his first angel investment group and fund and has been engaged with angel investing ever since. An experienced investment fund manager, he founded SeedStep Angels. With chapters in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, SeedStep Angels is now the region’s most organized and largest angel group.

Tom served as an advisor to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (EMKF), the country’s largest foundation devoted entirely to new business creation and entrepreneurial education and was also a founding board member of the Angel Capital Association (ACA). His hands-on experience makes him a sought-out participant and speaker in the national and international entrepreneurial scene. He has testified before state and federal legislatures and has served on and advised multiple Small Business Administration (SBA) national task forces.

Tom shares his insights and enthusiasm for building Oklahoma’s tech-based economy in a weekly column in The Oklahoman, the state’s largest daily newspaper. He also blogs about entrepreneurial topics regularly at www.i2E.org and recently authored The Entrepreneur’s Handbook, an easy-to-understand step-by-step guide to commercialization for entrepreneurs with big ideas.

Tom is committed to contributing to the Oklahoma entrepreneurial ecosystem. He serves on the board of Oklahoma Bioscience Association, Oklahoma Health Center Foundation, Oklahoma Academy for State Goals and the Governor of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Task Force, as well as on the Board of Directors of several private technology companies.

He is a graduate of the 27th Annual Venture Capital Institute, the 4th Annual Venture Capital Institute Graduate Program, and Leadership Oklahoma Class XVIII. Tom was recognized as one of Oklahoma’s business leaders under the age of 40 and the Tulsa People magazine’s 40 business leaders under 40.

Tom holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, and a Master of Business Administration from Oklahoma City University. He began his career at Battelle Memorial Institute, an international science and technology enterprise that explores emerging areas of science, and develops and commercializes technology.