Tom Walker

Tom Walker has been the Chief Executive Officer of TechColumbus, Inc. since May 2012. Tom Walker served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of i2E, Inc. until July 2012 and also served as its Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President. Tom Walker was responsible for the design and implementation of statewide and national programs and resources to assist advanced technology companies and entrepreneurs in business creation and access to early stage capital. Tom Walker served as the Chief Executive Officer and President at TechColumbus, Investment Arm. He has 15 years of experience building business opportunities in software, information technology, life sciences, alternative energy and the advanced materials industry sectors. He has a proven track record of coaching executive teams, as well as, raising and managing sources of early risk capital for emerging growth companies. As a Founding Member of i2E, Tom Walker was a Leader in the vision, design and implementation of i2E's business units. He is responsible for the management of the Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center and the Technology Business Finance Program, which are OCAST programs funded with state appropriations, as well as, the Reynolds Governor's Cup Collegiate Business Plan Competition and Seed Step Angels. Tom Walker served as the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Oklahoma Investment Forum for three years, where he managed the Southwest Capital Conference. He serves as an Advisor to the National Angel Capital Association, serves as an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Tulsa and is a reviewer for the Kauffman Foundation's eVenturing initiative. He served as an Editor and Publisher of the Future Value magazine. Tom Walker turned the financially failing organization around in one year and attracted in excess of $15 billion in venture capital from more than twenty states to the region. Prior to the formation of i2E, Tom Walker worked with Battelle Memorial Institute, where he managed the corporate business development for five national technology divisions of Battelle in the Oklahoma region. He was instrumental in the development of over $60 million in new technology development business, managed an advanced technology project portfolio that averaged $36 million over a six-year period and directly developed more than $15 million in scientific and engineering project sales. He is a frequent national and international speaker and advisor in the areas of building innovation and entrepreneurial infrastructures. Tom Walker serves on the Boards of National Angel Capital Educational Foundation, Leadership Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence. He served as Chairman of the 6th annual North American Angel Capital Summit and serves as Chairman of 7th annual Angel Capital Summit. He was recognized as one of the 2006 Oklahoma business leaders under the age of 40. Tom Walker holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, and a Master's of Business Administration from Oklahoma City University. He is a graduate of the 27th Annual Venture Capital Institute and the 4th Annual Venture Capital Institute Graduate Program. He is a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma Class XVIII.