Katie Thompson has helped Northwest Arkansas companies secure more than $17 million in federal funding since the launch of Science Venture Studio in 2020. The Walton Family Foundation has supported Science Venture Studio since its inception in 2020, when Thompson joined the organization as its leader. In her existing role, she partners with ARise, Arkansas Research Alliance, and the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center to support founders. These partnerships allow Science Venture Studio to provide its services statewide. She founded Rooted Startups in 2018 to serve the region’s entrepreneurs and scaled her impact through leadership roles at Startup Junkie and Science Venture Studio.