I'm Doug. A Serial Entrepreneur Focused on Science Enabled Ventures.
I raised seed funding for my first venture days before defending my dissertation and have been building ventures ever since. I am passionate about STEM Education and how entrepreneurship expands economic opportunities for the Heartland.
Some Things I Am Excited About
Entrepreneurial Activities
I enjoy getting in the trenches to help solve meaty challenges focused on meeting real-world needs (that have a budget).
Delta Solar
Delta Solar is a leader in the Arkansas solar industry. The company handles everything from project development, economic analysis, financing, construction, and long-term maintenance of systems ranking from 10kW to 10MW+. Learn more at: www.deltasolar.com
WattGlass
WattGlass has developed the leading anti-reflective and anti-soiling coating for transparent glass and plastics. Current applications include LED lighting (better light distribution), solar glass (higher module performance), cooler doors (anti-fogging for increased product visibility), and mirrors (long lasting anti-fogging). Learn more at: www.wattglass.com
Picasolar
Picasolar developed a process to utilize atomic hydrogen to improve the efficiency of n-type silicon solar cells. This process is complimentary to many existing manufacturing processes and can increase cell efficiency by over 10%.
Arkansas Research Alliance
The Arkansas Research Alliance was founded on the belief that Research Matters. Originally focused on recruitment and retainment of world-class research talent, the mission has expanded to ensure innovators and inventors have access to resources they need to expand their impact. Learn more at: www.aralliance.org
Innovate Arkansas
Innovate Arkansas (IA) is an Entrepreneurial Support Organization (ESO) focused on helping technology-based entrepreneurs in Arkansas. As an entrepreneur-in-residence at IA my focus is on supporting our rapidly developing ecosystem. Learn more at: www.innovatearkansas.org
Science Venture Studio
The Science Venture Studio (SVS) is an initiative focused on increasing access and success in securing federal commercialization funding. Arkansas has historically underperformed in accessing these funds and SVS provides hands-on support on all aspects of submitting a competitive application. Learn more at: https://www.scienceventurestudio.org/
Economic Development
I am an advocate for STEM education and entrepreneurship as a way to enhance economic opportunities for Arkansans and the broader Heartland.
Featured Work
Solar: Global Insight & Local Execution
Customer Focused Solar
Delta Solar was formed to ensure world-class solar deployments were available to Arkansas and the surrounding region. The primary focus is on build-to-own systems for the agricultural, commercial, and non-profit sectors.
Advocating for Intelligent Policy
Policy Enables Innovation
Intelligent policy can enable and expand innovation and entrepreneurship. As a founding board member of the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association & corresponding Foundation, I have the privilege to work with local leaders to advocate for energy policy that puts Arkansas on the forefront for having options to adopt advanced energy.
About Me
I’m Doug and I enjoy getting in the trenches to help solve meaningful problems.
My original career goals were to be a high-performing individual contributor, but somewhere along the way I found out that my passion was removing obstacles for others to excel. This has proven highly valuable in several entrepreneurial endeavors, consulting arrangements, and in my service to help build the regional venture ecosystem. I treat most things in life as a series of experiments to make more informed decisions. I hope I get to learn more about what you are passionate about in the near future.
- Technical Chops
- Customer Focused Entrepreneurship
- Ability to Resist Coffee
- Willingness to Engage
Experience
- Raised over $3m in private capital
- Secured over $4m in non-dilutive grant funding
- Made lots of mistakes (and learned from all of them)
- Directly supported 12+ startups
Education
- Arkansas School for Math and Science
- Hendrix College Double Major (Math & Physics)
- M.S. & Ph.D. in Microelectronics-Photonics at University of Arkansas
- Graduate Certificate of Entrepreneurship from Walton College of Business
Recognition
- Named one of the “Nation’s Top New Inventors” by Inventors Digest
- Early Career Award from University of Arkansas and Hendrix College
- Arkansas Business “40 under 40”
- Countless thank-you notes
“Douglas brings a rare combination of in-depth education, technical savvy, humility, emotional intelligence, and business acumen. He is already a prolific innovator and entrepreneur with three ventures underway. I fully expect Douglas to move mountains as he creates and builds great businesses in Arkansas.”
“In addition to his obvious technical strength, Douglas is a very credible public spokesman. He is very open to input from a variety of sources, and he is quick to digest that input and adjust his outlook accordingly.”
“Douglas turns vision into action and does so with skill. His insightful, purpose-driven entrepreneurship and great nature make him a pleasure to work with. He is a great resource for the Arkansas startup and technology community, and we are proud to have him. Investors and fellow entrepreneurs should seek him out.”
