Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series about tech activity and trends in Tulsa.
Welcome to another edition of Tech Bytes in Tulsa. This edition features a number of fascinating developments in Tulsa’s rapidly-growing tech ecosystem.
Tulsa Innovation Labs in partnership with Black Tech Street and others that make up the Tulsa Hub for Equitable and Trustworthy Autonomy (THETA), have just been awarded a $51 million Federal grant to invest in innovation along several industry and business vectors that will have significant economic, educational and job-creating impact. In this award, Tulsa will join an exclusive group of only 12 U.S. cities as a designated tech hub and be a tremendous boost to existing and future development of the local and regional tech ecosystem.
Regent Bank’s holding company, Regent Capital Corp., has invested as a limited partner in two of Oklahoma’s most prominent venture capital firms, FortySix Venture Capital (46VC) and Cortado Ventures. These equity investments are designed to stimulate the rapidly growing tech ecosystem and provide much needed equity capital to tech startups and founders in greater Oklahoma in areas like HealthTech, Energy Tech, Cyber Security, FinTech and Aerial Mobility.
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Two rapidly growing Tulsa tech startups have raised new venture funding rounds: Volt Systems has raised a $3 million seed investment round led by Mercury, with participation from Atento Capital, Uncorrelated Ventures, Stout Street Capital, and Yellow Rocks. Titan Intake has raised a $1.3 million seed investment round from 46VC and others.
Scissortail Wealth Management has announced a new tech investment fund offering. The team at Scissortail coordinated with 46VC to create a private venture capital fund for the firm’s clients. The fund is available exclusively through Scissortail Wealth Management and is managed by Tracy Poole and the 46VC team.
PhyCap Fund launches as a HealthTech focused venture capital fund by and for physicians working to develop innovative solutions for the healthcare industry. PhyCap Fund, an abbreviation for Physician’s Capital, will be managed by 46VC and will be composed of physicians and health-affiliated institutions as limited partners providing a nationwide network of subject matter experts that have real skin in the game.
On the local tech event scene, The Startup World Cup comes to Tulsa on Sept. 6 at 36 Degrees North, where local tech startups will enter this regional pitch competition for $1 million first prize at the Grand Finale in Silicon Valley later this year.
Details can be found on the 36 Degrees North website,
36n.co/startup-world-cup.
As well, Oklahoma VC firm Cortado Ventures just announced that its next MidCon VC Summit will be held in Tulsa in the spring of 2025.
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— After 30-plus years in Silicon Valley, Peter Mullen returned to Tulsa, his hometown, to help grow the tech ecosystem. He currently serves as director of Venture & Tech Banking for Regent Bank.