Wired In: Thomas Parkinson of IllinoisVENTURES

IllinoisVENTURES, a tenant of EnterpriseWorks, is known for helping make startup dreams come true. As Senior Director Tom Parkinson says in his interview with the News-Gazette, IllinoisVENTURES’ mission is to “support faculty and students who are commercializing new technologies by providing very early-stage investment capital. We’re usually one of the first backers to invest in a startup.”

Parkinson of IllinoisVENTURES has only been with the company for 2 years, but IllinoisVENTURES was founded in 2002. Since then the company has invested in more than 85 companies including graduates of EnterpriseWorks such as Tiesta Tea and Cast 21, as well as current tenants Petronics and PhotoniCare.

Parkinson gradually made his way from incubator to incubator until he came to EnterpriseWorks and IllinoisVENTURES. He offers good advice to keep in mind: “The biggest lesson that entrepreneurs and early-stage investors can learn is that customers don’t buy technology, they buy solutions to their problems.”

To read more about Parkinson’s adventures, how he found his way to EnterpriseWorks, and what he has learned on his journey read the full article here.