Editor’s note: The University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC) will recognize several entrepreneurs at its annual Iowa JPEC Honors Celebration on April 8 at the Old Capitol Museum in Iowa City. The event highlights individuals whose work reflects innovation, leadership, and meaningful impact within their communities and industries.
 
For David Oliver, mentorship isn’t just a professional courtesy, it’s a form of philanthropy. Guided early in his career by people who believed in his potential, Oliver has made it his mission to do the same for others.

Oliver has been named the 2025 Mentor of the Year by the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC).

When Oliver was a student at the University of Iowa from 1989-95, there were people in Iowa JPEC willing to lend a hand, but nothing as structured as the Iowa Venture Mentoring Service that connects entrepreneurs with experienced, volunteer mentors. 

“I always wanted to give back something that somebody gave to me,” Oliver said. “When I started to do things in the late 1990s, there were a few things like the entrepreneur program, but that was not as big of a deal as it is now. I come from this line of preachers and teachers—it was ingrained in me early to give back.”

Oliver has done that and more. He has been a mentor to University of Iowa students in some capacity since 2014 when he was asked to help at Iowa JPEC’s Venture School. He also helped teach a summer accelerator program at the Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory. Oliver feels most fulfilled when he assists aspiring entrepreneurs with the “small things” that many people fail to consider when starting a business.

“I’m a generalist, and I can do a little bit of everything. I like helping with the simple things that don’t get talked about,” Oliver said. “I can set up a company and have everything ready to go, but it doesn’t really get taught anywhere. If you get online and search for that stuff, you can figure it out, but it’s that hard first step of getting things going.” 

Originally from Anamosa, Iowa, Oliver earned an English degree from the University of Iowa in 1995. He moved to Des Moines for a couple years after graduation and drove back and forth to Iowa City while taking JPEC classes two nights a week. Now an Iowa City resident for more than 30 years, Oliver is involved in several companies, including Police Law Institute, an online continuing education platform for law enforcement, which he has helped run for the past 22 years. Some of his other ventures focus on real estate and virtual coin mining and trading.

It wasn’t so much advice that shaped Oliver’s future as it was being told what he couldn’t do. His determination—and his “I’ll-show-you” mindset—has served him well.

“Someone will tell me I can’t do something, and that is just a challenge to figure out how to do it,” Oliver said. “I’ve been told I can’t do a lot of things: You can’t get this going, you can’t do this, it doesn’t work that way. I’ve always found a way to make something work.”

A legacy mentor in the Iowa VMS program, Oliver appreciates being included in what Iowa JPEC is trying to accomplish. To him, that mission is especially important because Iowa isn’t located on either coast.

“The support has been fantastic, and it’s a way for me to give back to the people who have helped me over the years,” Oliver said.