Oklahoma Venture Forum Podcast

OVF is coming to Tulsa on 10/11/23 with a panel discussion focused on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) small business incentive funding. The panelists will be Tracey Poole, Managing Partner at 46Venture Capital along with Sean Templemore-Finlayson, Vice President of the Oklahoma Life Science Fund and Rose Washington-Jones, CEO/Executive Director of TEDC Creative Capital. https://ovf.org/Attend-OVF...

Apexloads is a cloud-based freight marketplace that connects cargo owners with transporters to streamline the freight-truck matching process and facilitate faster payments. Apexloads has adopted industry-proven solutions from developed markets (USA), implementing them in Africa and other developing regions. https://apexloads.com/ Charles Thuo was born and raised in Kenya. He came to the United Sta...

The September 13th, 2023 Power Lunch presenter is Drew Hendricks, Regional Engagement Principal for the Oklahoma City office of the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN). A relatively new initiative of the DoD, NSIN offers VC-style funding to potential dual-use (civilian and national security) small companies (under 500 EEs). NSIN is an unrivaled problem-solving network in the U.S. Departmen...

Dr. Craig Shimasaki is co-founder and CEO of Moleculera Labs, the 2016 "Venture of the Year" award winner. Moleculera Labs provides next-generation antibody tests that detect whether an autoimmune reaction is causing neurologic or psychiatric symptoms. The company is dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults impacted by infection-induced autoimmune diseases affecting the br...

Allison Watkins is the Founder and CEO Watkins-Conti Products , Inc. the 2021 "Most Promising New Venture" award winner. On this episode, we hear from Watkins what her company has achieved since 2021, how winning the Most Promising New Venture award benefited her pursuit of success and what advice she has for up-and-coming entrepreneurs looking to make a mark of their own. The 2023 Oklah...

The 2023 Oklahoma Venture Forum Economic Impact Award winner is the Cattlemen's Congress, a 16-day annual event for breeders across North America to showcase their top genetics and connect with fellow beef producers in Oklahoma City, the heart of cattle country. The Cattlemen's Congress was formed in the fall of 2020 to present an opportunity for cattlemen and women across North America to...

CAREit Human Technology offers a unique reward platform that promotes loyalty, a sense of belonging and reduces employee churn. The CAREit app keeps hourly employees engaged and on the job with a reward platform that awards bonuses for attendance, performance, and good work. It costs $5,000 to replace an employee that leaves. Still, just 26% of corporations have a plan to face this trend. The CARE...

The Oklahoma Venture Forum Awards are prestigious entrepreneurial recognition representing the triumph of the Oklahoma entrepreneurial dream and spirit. The OVF has publicly recognized successful Oklahoma businesses' achievements since 1989. The 2023 OVF Awards Keynote Speaker is Mike Beckham, Chief Executive Officer of Simple Modern, a premium drinkware and consumer products provider to retai...

Our guests this episode are Randy Wall, President and Cathey Bowyer, COO of SEE Light, a sterile, hands-free LED light, on a 360° swivel, that can be applied to any surface in the clinical field. SEE Light puts the lighting standards of the operating room and puts them into the pocket of the provider. When doing an indiscreet procedure providers will always be able to see it, perfor...

Our guest this episode is Robert Gay, CEO of Otos, Inc. Machine learning and neural-network algorithms (often called AI) are becoming more prolific and deployed for a larger variety of tasks. Otos is a learning algorithm that reads and extracts data from line items on company financial statements posted with the SEC quarterly (since 1994). Then the algorithm assembles these data into performance m...

Our guest this episode is Chelsea Luxen, CEO of ParaNano Wound Care. ParaNano delivers real-time detection and treatment of wound Infections. Founded in 2018, ParaNano is focused on the development and commercialization of an advanced wound care product line called the Nanosheet™, a flexible nanofiber membrane that visually changes color when an infection is detected all without wires, batteries o...

Building a technology startup ecosystem in Oklahoma and strategies to overcome the obstacles. Our March 2023 Power Lunch Presenter is Bobby Rockers, Chief Technology Officer of Bison Technologies software-enabled service company that digitizes oilfield logistics. Rockers is passionate about building the technology ecosystem in Oklahoma and believes the lack of experienced tech startups that can sc...

March 2023 Pitch Presenter Jenae Goodin is improving the online shopping experience through a universal shopping cart that allows users to add different items from different stores, all in one place, in a virtual Big Ass Bag. Those making purchasing decisions can compare products, curate a collection and save selections when shopping online. https://www.shoppingbab.com/ The Oklahoma Venture Forum...

2021 Most Promising New Venture Award winner SnapBack App (now rebranded as Myri Health) is the only all-in-one, evidence-based postpartum resource and community mother’s need developed by Dr. Pinkey Patel.  Pregnancy has ample resources and is often a beautiful experience, however postpartum is isolating and does not come with a manual. The average time between delivery and the first postpar...

Stable Pay is a crypto payment processor that offers a solution to the cannabis industry looking for a simple way to conduct everyday business. Libich and Douglas have developed tech that helps businesses use crypto to reach new customers and grow their business, bridging the gap from traditional to digital currency, while eliminating complexity. Stable Pay can help businesses unlock new ways of d...

Ryan Skeffington, Founder of the Cheers! App startup was an Engineering Project Manager before going back to school for an MBA focused on Energy & Entrepreneurship from the University of Oklahoma. His love of problem-solving is the motivation behind the Cheers App! The idea behind the app is to enable people to gather and celebrate instead of being stuck in line. Cheers! is a mobile app that r...

Anita Ly, Managing Director of Gener8tor OKC will be the Oklahoma Venture Forum Power Lunch speaker on Wednesday, January 11th, 2023. The event will be held at The Venue at Crew in Downtown Oklahoma City from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm and will be open to members and guests both in-person and virtually via ZOOM. RSVP to attend here: https://ovf.org/event-4823208?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=1/26/2...

Our pitch presenter for December 2022 is Mark Stoddard, Founder of EzyTip, Inc. a Veteran-owned, Tulsa, OK-based, pre-seed Fintech B2B2C subscription payment processing startup for the $2B combined U.S. Market tipped worker industries of Music, Entertainment, Restaurant, Hospitality, Nightclub/Bar and Gambling. The company fixes the problems of the broken cash tip jar and nightly cash tip-out, mak...

Founder and CEO of Watkins-Conti Products, Allison Watkins-Conti is a recognized leader, inventor and speaker. Raised in an entrepreneurial environment, she witnessed the formation and creation of sustainable businesses and has experience in many facets of business management. In 2015, Conti conceived the solution for an issue that affects an estimated one in three women. She designed, patented, e...

Established in 2019, Digital Oil & Gas Solutions utilizes decades of fieldwork experience and the latest digital technologies to turn disruptions into long-lasting value to increase oil and gas clients' business productivity and revenue. Digital Oil & Gas provides solutions to optimize production, management, refining, safety, reporting, logistics and other areas. https://www.digitaloiland...

On this episode, we speak with Brent Smith, Chief Communications Officer for Firefly Energy Services, a privately owned Oklahoma LLC startup engaged in creating gas and liquids storage solutions. Our core business provides solutions to utility power generators, petroleum and chemical complex processing facilities, industrial park complexes, high-growth utility markets and LNG facilities. Firefly h...

BlueJay Partners have invented a website and phone application with unprecedented features and functionality regarding push notifications from law enforcement agents to engage citizens during traffic stops, utilizing mobile device platforms. BlueJay is a two-sided platform that changes the way police interact with you. Patent pending, it gives both parties the ability to humanize each other and gi...

Kris Murray is the OVF Power Lunch Presenter on October 12th, 2022 to discuss Building and Consolidating Brands plus his recent exit from the Flight agency. Kris has built multiple million-dollar businesses with a unique focus on growth through acquisition and consolidation. Day to day, Kris dreams big for both companies and their clients by helping to develop business-building ideas that they can...

Everything you need to know about Venture Capital (Pt3) with Justin Wilson, Managing Partner and President of Plains Venture Partners, a growth-oriented venture fund focused on investing in entrepreneurs and technologies with a strong potential for disruption. Plains Venture Partners was spun out of i2E in 2019 and represents the next natural progression in i2E’s evolution as a proven venture inve...

A brief preview of the upcoming 2022 OVF Awards event on May 18, 2022 with Jennifer Hankins, Head of Partnerships at Tulsa Innovation Labs. Hankins will be joined by Cody Dupler of Summit Utilities in Lawton and Josh Merrill of Echo Investment Capital for a discussion on the importance of collaboration for innovation in Oklahoma. The OVF Awards incorporate some of the most prestigious recognitions...