Friends,
So pleased we can introduce David Olawale to old friends and new as he shares his story. Believe us - he’s not only bringing the world a great new technology from here in Indy but the love of God is making a difference in and through him for sure!
Hope you all are enjoying a wonderful New Year and holiday and we look forward to being with you in the year ahead,
Don and Greg
So pleased we can introduce David Olawale to old friends and new as he shares his story. Believe us - he’s not only bringing the world a great new technology from here in Indy but the love of God is making a difference in and through him for sure!
Hope you all are enjoying a wonderful New Year and holiday and we look forward to being with you in the year ahead,
Don and Greg
BACKGROUND
Dr. David Olawale is not an Indy native, but you would not know that to hear him talk about his love for the city and see the ways he and his wife, Martha, give back to the metro they landed in just seven and a half years ago.
In 2017, he joined the founding team of UIndy’s new engineering school. There, he helped develop and implement the DesignSpine engineering curriculum, while also tending a small technology startup in Fishers called Valgotech, beginning in 2018.
“My family has loved Indy since moving here,” he says. “It’s a wonderful metropolis with loving and caring people who are always willing to share.”
Olawale was actually born some 6,000 miles away, in Ibadan, Nigeria, where he grew up hearing stories about his entrepreneurial grandfathers and received mentoring from a father who was a civil engineer whom he remembers as “a faithful and God-fearing man,” “honest, kind and gentle,” and “a man of prayer.” All three of them set examples for him of generosity of spirit and the power of prayer.
Another role model in his life is Martha, whom he says has shown him what Christ’s love looks like in action. “She has been selfless, faithful, and courageous as we have journeyed together towards pursuing and accomplishing God’s plan and purpose for our life. She is a wise woman and I am so blessed to have her by my side in life,” he says.
Martha is the author of two books, A Million Miles with Jesus and Unconditionally Christ’s, and serves as president of a non-profit ministry, After God’s Heart, also started by the Olawales.
Olawale received his first degree in mechanical engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, then his Masters of Industrial and Production Engineering from University of Ibadan, Nigeria, before coming to the United States for his doctorate, which he obtained from Florida State University, Tallahassee, in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering.
In August 2024, he resigned as a tenured associate professor of engineering from UIndy to serve full-time as CEO of Valgotech, which initially invested in research and development of lithium-sulfur batteries, and now hopes to begin pilot manufacturing the batteries in 2025. (Lithium sulfur batteries are an advancement over lithium-ion because they use easily sourced and highly sustainable materials to develop clean energy generation and storage systems. The research is of critical importance to the U.S. and other countries who rely heavily on expensive and unsustainable sources for lithium-ion battery technology.)
Whether professor or entrepreneur, Olawale is committed to loving people.
“Loving God and loving people are the two most important things to God,” he says, “so they are my priority. I’ve been walking in that subconsciously, but in recent years, it has solidified in my heart and become my chief motivator and driving force.” One way this works its way out into his life is by taking care of team members, stakeholders, and customers.
“Our titles, positions, wealth, and education will be meaningless if they are not channeled toward serving and blessing others,” he says. “A self-centered life is wasted.”
Olawale also makes himself available to mentor, counsel and support others who are starting businesses and he enjoys sharing knowledge, expertise and relationships that have blessed him over the years. In particular, he makes space in his own R&D lab available to other startups in the battery space, minimizing their costs and stress by sharing equipment and space.
He also serves on the board of the Institute for Affordable Transport (IAT), a local non-profit for the design, manufacture, and sale of basic utility vehicles (BUV) (see drivebuv.org), used robustly in developing countries and rural areas all over the world.
He sees encouragement as one of his spiritual gifts and seeks particularly to encourage the men around him to be people of prayer and the Word.
“We talk a lot about our weaknesses,” he says, “but we have a power source and helper in God that we are not using. Through prayer and the Word, we can exchange our weaknesses, failures, foolishness, and unbelief with His strength, success, wisdom and faith. Mostly we’re just too busy trying to make things happen,” he says, “looking to ourselves and our resources rather than spending daily time with God. Even five minutes in prayer with sincerity is a game-changer,” he says.
Part of Northview Church, Carmel, Olawale serves on the prayer team, attends “Men of Valor,” and with his wife also participates in a small group called Thieneman’s Circle (aka “T” Circle), where they gather with six other couples to study Scripture, books, and do life together.
“To crown it,” Olawale says, “the men in the T circle get to have our separate time together where we study the Bible, share, mentor one another, have fun and grow together. It’s a blast. We get to be ourselves with the bosses (wives) not around!”
He became active in Citizen 7 about three years ago after meeting Dr. Greg Enas (who now serves on his Board) and says it has also been a great place of connection for him in the city. He appreciates the collaborative culture in Indy, including in the entrepreneurial, business, and innovation space, facilitated by organizations like the Applied Research Institute (ARI), Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Elevate Ventures, and TechPoint.
Compared to his prior decade in Florida, Olawale has found out what others have as well: “The support and networking in Indy are both uncommon and great.”
OLAWALE'S IDEAS FOR A BETTER INDY
DAVID OLAWALE TRIVIA
Favorite hobby besides work? Reading or watching an action movie with Martha
Go to snack & beverage? Peanuts and M&M trail mix, orange or apple juice
Favorite restaurant, locally? Chick-Fil-A or Thai restaurants
Favorite places for a vacation? Florida (in winter!)
Secret Dream? “To become like Eli Lilly in terms of inter-generational influence and impact of our products and contributions on the world.”
Please reach out and connect with Olawale at davidolawale@valgotech.com.
Dr. David Olawale is not an Indy native, but you would not know that to hear him talk about his love for the city and see the ways he and his wife, Martha, give back to the metro they landed in just seven and a half years ago.
In 2017, he joined the founding team of UIndy’s new engineering school. There, he helped develop and implement the DesignSpine engineering curriculum, while also tending a small technology startup in Fishers called Valgotech, beginning in 2018.
“My family has loved Indy since moving here,” he says. “It’s a wonderful metropolis with loving and caring people who are always willing to share.”
Olawale was actually born some 6,000 miles away, in Ibadan, Nigeria, where he grew up hearing stories about his entrepreneurial grandfathers and received mentoring from a father who was a civil engineer whom he remembers as “a faithful and God-fearing man,” “honest, kind and gentle,” and “a man of prayer.” All three of them set examples for him of generosity of spirit and the power of prayer.
Another role model in his life is Martha, whom he says has shown him what Christ’s love looks like in action. “She has been selfless, faithful, and courageous as we have journeyed together towards pursuing and accomplishing God’s plan and purpose for our life. She is a wise woman and I am so blessed to have her by my side in life,” he says.
Martha is the author of two books, A Million Miles with Jesus and Unconditionally Christ’s, and serves as president of a non-profit ministry, After God’s Heart, also started by the Olawales.
Olawale received his first degree in mechanical engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, then his Masters of Industrial and Production Engineering from University of Ibadan, Nigeria, before coming to the United States for his doctorate, which he obtained from Florida State University, Tallahassee, in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering.
In August 2024, he resigned as a tenured associate professor of engineering from UIndy to serve full-time as CEO of Valgotech, which initially invested in research and development of lithium-sulfur batteries, and now hopes to begin pilot manufacturing the batteries in 2025. (Lithium sulfur batteries are an advancement over lithium-ion because they use easily sourced and highly sustainable materials to develop clean energy generation and storage systems. The research is of critical importance to the U.S. and other countries who rely heavily on expensive and unsustainable sources for lithium-ion battery technology.)
Whether professor or entrepreneur, Olawale is committed to loving people.
“Loving God and loving people are the two most important things to God,” he says, “so they are my priority. I’ve been walking in that subconsciously, but in recent years, it has solidified in my heart and become my chief motivator and driving force.” One way this works its way out into his life is by taking care of team members, stakeholders, and customers.
“Our titles, positions, wealth, and education will be meaningless if they are not channeled toward serving and blessing others,” he says. “A self-centered life is wasted.”
Olawale also makes himself available to mentor, counsel and support others who are starting businesses and he enjoys sharing knowledge, expertise and relationships that have blessed him over the years. In particular, he makes space in his own R&D lab available to other startups in the battery space, minimizing their costs and stress by sharing equipment and space.
He also serves on the board of the Institute for Affordable Transport (IAT), a local non-profit for the design, manufacture, and sale of basic utility vehicles (BUV) (see drivebuv.org), used robustly in developing countries and rural areas all over the world.
He sees encouragement as one of his spiritual gifts and seeks particularly to encourage the men around him to be people of prayer and the Word.
“We talk a lot about our weaknesses,” he says, “but we have a power source and helper in God that we are not using. Through prayer and the Word, we can exchange our weaknesses, failures, foolishness, and unbelief with His strength, success, wisdom and faith. Mostly we’re just too busy trying to make things happen,” he says, “looking to ourselves and our resources rather than spending daily time with God. Even five minutes in prayer with sincerity is a game-changer,” he says.
Part of Northview Church, Carmel, Olawale serves on the prayer team, attends “Men of Valor,” and with his wife also participates in a small group called Thieneman’s Circle (aka “T” Circle), where they gather with six other couples to study Scripture, books, and do life together.
“To crown it,” Olawale says, “the men in the T circle get to have our separate time together where we study the Bible, share, mentor one another, have fun and grow together. It’s a blast. We get to be ourselves with the bosses (wives) not around!”
He became active in Citizen 7 about three years ago after meeting Dr. Greg Enas (who now serves on his Board) and says it has also been a great place of connection for him in the city. He appreciates the collaborative culture in Indy, including in the entrepreneurial, business, and innovation space, facilitated by organizations like the Applied Research Institute (ARI), Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Elevate Ventures, and TechPoint.
Compared to his prior decade in Florida, Olawale has found out what others have as well: “The support and networking in Indy are both uncommon and great.”
OLAWALE'S IDEAS FOR A BETTER INDY
- TAKE TIME FOR GOD. “It’s too easy to take it for granted,” he says, “to let our eyes shift from the Lord and then start sinking like Peter. Jesus came for people who need help. When we don’t run to him, we sink, and when we do [run to him] we can be changed. Slow down and have time with the Lord.”
- ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY MUST CONTINUE CONNECTING, SHARING & WORKING TOGETHER. “This drives innovation and development,” he says, and without it, individuals are limited.
- KEEP COMING TO C-7. “Citizen 7 is a connector and barrier breaker for the good of everyone in Indy,” Olawale says. “It’s important because it creates a platform for different people to get connected. Through these connections, new ideas and opportunities are birthed, facilitated and implemented for the good of all in our city.”
DAVID OLAWALE TRIVIA
Favorite hobby besides work? Reading or watching an action movie with Martha
Go to snack & beverage? Peanuts and M&M trail mix, orange or apple juice
Favorite restaurant, locally? Chick-Fil-A or Thai restaurants
Favorite places for a vacation? Florida (in winter!)
Secret Dream? “To become like Eli Lilly in terms of inter-generational influence and impact of our products and contributions on the world.”
Please reach out and connect with Olawale at davidolawale@valgotech.com.
