OSU alumnus named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30” manufacturing list
Thursday, January 15, 2015
An Oklahoma State University alumnus has been recognized by Forbes magazine as an innovator and entrepreneur under the age of 30 who is “making a difference in our world.”
Forbes named S. Brett Walker, cofounder and CEO of Electroninks, to its “30 Under 30” list in the industry and manufacturing category. Walker’s company developed electricity conductive ink used in consumer electronics and used in Circuit Scribe, a pen Walker and colleagues invented that allows users to draw functioning electrical circuits by doodling on paper. Walker joined 30 other young entrepreneurs who are, as described by the magazine, “disruptors and innovators” modernizing the way things are made in a greener, tech-savvy world.
Walker, 29, graduated with a bachelor’s degree with honors in mechanical engineering from OSU in 2004. The Edmond native went straight into a materials science engineering PhD program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he partnered with fellow graduate students and faculty in 2013 to launch Electroninks to make and market conductive inks for printed electronics.
Walker said the company successfully sells their inks to a number of large electronics makers, but the group also had an idea for a consumer product that became Circuit Scribe, the pen that uses conductive inks to literally draw circuits. Walker launched the pen with a $675,000 Kickstarter campaign that attracted more than 12,000 backers. To date, the company has sold 30,000 Circuit Scribe pens that exploded in popularity with science teachers using it to demonstrate how circuitry works and others who design electronics by simply drawing on paper.
“We wanted to develop a way to brand ourselves and show what we do in a very approachable, affordable way that anyone could understand versus saying we do conductive inks for various consumer electronics manufacturers,” Walker said.
While at OSU, Walker became a student scholar with the Oklahoma Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (OK-LSAMP), which supports under-represented students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at 11 state universities and colleges. As an OK-LSAMP scholar, Walker said being exposed to research as an undergraduate opened up a world of opportunities.
“OK-LSAMP introduces students to undergraduate research very early, which is invaluable if you want to continue your education as a graduate student,” Walker said. “Having actual hands-on experience in the lab doing experiments is absolutely necessary to move forward in STEM fields.”
Last fall Walker delivered the keynote address at the 20th annual OK-LSAMP research symposium on the OSU campus. He told the young scholars that they are on the right path to realize rewarding STEM careers.
“I told them that if they continue with their educations they will have to turn down offers when it comes to job success,” Walker said.
Walker said his company, which recently moved its headquarters to Austin, Texas, now also has offices and development facilities in Boston and Phoenix. He said he always believed the venture would be successful, but never expected how quickly it would take off. “I didn’t expect the level of response we’ve received.”
See the Forbes “30 Under 30” manufacturing list at http://www.forbes.com/30under30/#/manufacturing-industry. For information about Walker’s company visit www.electroninks.com. To learn more about opportunities in STEM fields for under-represented populations, visit www.ok-lsamp.okstate.edu.