Nearly $2 billion of economic impact and an international award later, Tulsa-based Gradient is now billing itself one of the world’s top entrepreneurship support organizations.
Dozens of people gathered inside the downtown innovation hub Thursday as officials discussed its impact over the past year. The organization, formerly known as 36 Degrees North, generated $1.76 billion in economic impact last year and supported 493 businesses through its programs. Those companies generated 4,400 jobs within the Tulsa region.
“Those are not artificial numbers. Those are not estimates,” Gradient CEO Devon Laney said. “Those are actual real numbers. Those are real businesses with real jobs and real impact.”
Thursday’s stats come shortly after the International Business Innovation Association gave Gradient two awards: Best Tech & Science Entrepreneurial Support Organization of the Year and Best Entrepreneurial Support Organization Overall.
It’s been 10 years since Gradient launched. Now, Laney said, Tulsa can call itself home to the largest state-certified incubator in Oklahoma and the sixth-largest in the nation. The hub houses more than 40 companies in its building at 12 N. Cheyenne Ave.
Laney said he expects the programming over the next decade to “look different” but the mission will remain the same.
“The people are at the heart of what we do, and being a place that provides the connections that helps them navigate all of the challenges and the ups and downs, and finding the resources at the right time, and finding the connections … none of that will change,” Laney said.
Three company founders spoke about how Gradient helped them scale, organize and cultivate their respective companies.
LearnCraft
Timothy Moser is the founder at LearnCraft, an education business teaching adults Spanish as their second language.
Working in Gradient’s space gave him access to dozens of other founders who helped him make consequential decisions on things like staff size, marketing and navigating the AI boom.
“Having spent that whole year talking with other founders and workshopping, things are much better,” Moser said. “Now I have a tighter but healthier team. We’re moving in the right direction, and I have engagement from the people around me in the company to help build the future of language learning.”
Activ Energy
Matt Cantrell is the CEO of Activ Energy, an oil and gas company working to utilize nanoparticle technology to uncover more oil wells.
At Gradient, Cantrell said Activ was able to secure $10 million in their first round of seed funding. He anticipates the company will grow between 10 to 25 times more in 2026.
“Gradient created a collaborative setting that helped us find the right people and form relationships that are based on alignment,” Cantrell said. “This is important for communities like Tulsa and states like Oklahoma. Founders don’t just need funding. They need community. They need collaboration.”
CerTracker
Shadrach Igwe, co-founder of CertTracker, a compliance manager for health care organizations, originally planned for his company to simply be an app. But, after consulting with several organizations, he and his wife knew they had the opportunity to create something bigger.
Now, CerTracker is on track to make $1 million this year with the help of Gradient’s incubator program.
“In building a business, you need a door open,” Igwe said. “Gradient is the biggest door opener you can have. You need a partner that can open the doors. You need a partner that can help you scale.”
Ismael Lele is a Report for America corps member and writes about business in Tulsa for The Oklahoma Eagle. Your donation to match our Report for America grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting this link.
