6 Degrees North Launches Tech Incubator at City Hall; Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell, Mayor Bynum Join Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
(Tulsa, OK) – Today, 36 Degrees North (36°N) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in partnership with the City of Tulsa at the 36°N Incubator - its third location in Downtown Tulsa.
The previously vacant fifth floor of City Hall has been transformed into a 50,000 square foot state-certified incubation space for tech-enabled companies. Speakers at the event included Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell, Mayor G.T. Bynum, Devon Laney of 36°N, and Dominick Ard’is of ACT House.
The state-certified Incubation Program that 36°N is running out of the space serves high-growth, tech-enabled startups with access to in-house programming, venture capital partners, one-on-one mentorship, and tax benefits upon completion of the yearlong program.
During their time in the program, startup founders have access to regular founder-to-founder sessions, are mentored by leaders in Tulsa's tech ecosystem, are held accountable to company goals, and meet regularly with the incubator program director to determine their path to growth. The 36 Degrees North Incubator is intentionally designed to provide flexible office space, high-tech conference rooms, a lively tech-focused community, and modern gathering spaces for member companies to build their teams and host meetings.
“The grand opening of this technology-focused, state-certified incubator is a great example of innovative economic development that will continue to promote growth of startup companies right here in Oklahoma,” Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell said. “This is a big win for entrepreneurs and growing businesses in our state.”
The 36 Degrees Incubator is a product of a unique partnership between 36°N and the City of Tulsa. In December of 2020, 36°N received $1.25 million in COVID-19 relief funding to help strengthen Tulsa’s economy as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic by growing new businesses that diversify our economic portfolio and create a more resilient community. This unique partnership between 36°N and the City of Tulsa allows the dollars that 36°N pays in rent to go back toward pandemic relief and recovery and be redistributed to other initiatives.
"We are excited for this partnership with 36 Degrees North to help local entrepreneurs succeed and be part of Tulsa's ongoing growth,” Mayor Bynum said. “Having a business incubator at City Hall will not only give startups the opportunity to network, engage in mentorship and create innovative ideas, but it will allow for the creation and retention of jobs within our city.”
The 36°N Incubator is currently 60 percent occupied by local startups, venture capital firms, and other resource providers.
Enhatch, one of the tenants at the Incubator, develops software applications powered by artificial intelligence to streamline every element of the surgical experience. Their technologies utilize advanced analytics to evaluate and mitigate potential risks in the surgical planning process.
"Being part of the new Incubator at 36 Degrees North in the City Hall building will truly support the growth in front of us while giving the team a world-class office space,” said Peter Verrillo, CEO of Enhatch. “As we continue to expand in Tulsa, exciting, new opportunities like this keep impressing us. We look forward to positively contributing to the 36 Degrees North community."
Other tenants in the Incubator include edtech platform, Boddle Learning. Boddle is a math learning tool for kindergarten through sixth grade students that uses artificial intelligence to adapt content to the learning levels of each individual student. The company was recently selected as one of the inaugural finalist winners of a cash prize from Black Ambition, an initiative launched by Pharell Williams to provide a bridge to success for entrepreneurs of color.
The space not only houses startups but gives them the unique opportunity to office alongside resource providers like accelerators and venture capitalist firms. ACT House, a global platform for team formation and startup creation, launched its accelerator ACT Tulsa in July, giving $70k investments with 0 percent equity and interest to black and brown-led startups.
A partner in the effort of ACT House is another incubator resident, i2E, which is a private not-for-profit corporation with a mission to invest in entrepreneurs and help build successful high-growth companies in Oklahoma.
“Tulsa is an environment teeming with excitement, engaged residents, and driven innovators that are focused on building in Tulsa, “said Dominick Ard’is, CEO of ACT House. “It’s great to be amongst many startups and ecosystem builders, building upon and furthering the spirit of innovation that derived from Greenwood.”
Before the opening of this incubator space, 36°N had two coworking locations in the Tulsa Arts District that offers its 1,200+ members a combined 20,000 square feet of coworking space along with programming and networking opportunities to help grow their small businesses.
According to its 2020 Economic Impact Report, 36°N has had more than $375 million in economic impact on the Tulsa region since 2017. In 2020, 36°N served 349 member companies that created or retained 1,575 jobs and generated sales of $66.5 million. Additionally, the companies at 36°N secured over $15 million in external funding, with 70 percent of that funding coming from venture capital investment.
“It’s incredible to see data confirming the programs we offer and the entrepreneurs we serve are playing a significant role in the economic development strategy for the Tulsa region,” said Devon Laney, CEO of 36°N. “We are thrilled to launch this incubation program that will continue to grow and strengthen Tulsa’s entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem.”
For more information about the 36°N incubator and to apply for the program, visit: www.36n.co/incubation-space
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About 36 Degrees North
36 Degrees North is Tulsa’s basecamp for entrepreneurs, innovators, and startups, providing the high-quality workspace, helpful resources, and diverse community needed to build growing companies and drive economic impact in Tulsa.
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