Innovation News

Q1 brought major momentum for Tulsa's innovation ecosystem across autonomy, energy, and talent development. Read the highlights in this quarter's newsletter.

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Move Over, Silicon Valley: Meet the Surprising Southwest Companies Reinventing the Classroom

The Tulsa region is becoming a magnet for innovative startups and tech talent—not by trying to be another Silicon Valley, but by leaning into what makes us unique. TIL’s Managing Director explains our competitive advantage in this piece by Inc. Magazine. Read it here.

Rose Rock Bridge 2026 Cohort Underway

Tulsa’s pilot deployment studio for energy technology kicked off its 2026 cohort process. With 50+ applicants that align with corporate partners’ innovation priorities, the RRB team is now selecting its next cohort for announcement in May. Learn more about RRB & the 2026 cohort process.

Building Tulsa's Tech Talent Pipeline: Inside the T3 Internship Program

As Tulsa's innovation and technology ecosystem rapidly expands, many companies face a common challenge: finding qualified talent to fill critical roles. At the same time, students pursuing degrees in tech-led fields are searching for meaningful, paid opportunities to gain real-world experience toward their careers. The Tulsa Higher Education Consortium's T3 internship program is solving both problems at once.

SAFE-T Project Developments Accelerate Tulsa’s Autonomy Momentum

Tulsa continues its position as global autonomy leader with the latest developments from the SAFE-T project, an effort to create a first of its kind drone air traffic control system supporting the growth of safe, scalable drone operations. Skyway Range announced the selection of AirWise Solutions, High Lander, and OneSky to collaborate in Tulsa to establish and test a system designed for repeated operations of Beyond Visual Line of Site (BVLOS) drones and autonomous systems. Read more here.

The Age of Autonomy is Being Built Here: AUVSI CEO Joins 100+ Leaders to Outline Tulsa's Place in the Future of Autonomous Systems

Tulsa Innovation Labs hosted leaders from AUVSI to discuss opportunities for the region to be a leading, global hub in autonomous technology innovations.  

"Our collective efforts reflect a region no longer asking whether advanced industries even belong here in the first place, but focused on how we will support and how we will grow those things not just for ourselves, but into national and global assets," said Jennifer Hankins, TIL Managing Director.  Read the Full Recap.

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Good News, Tulsa! Here are some recent headlines we’re excited about: 

• WSJ: How Oklahoma Landed America’s First Aluminum Smelter in Half a Century

• Swiss firm partners with Osage Nation to build pioneering drone lab in Oklahoma

• TIL’s Malachi Blankenship: What can March Madness teach us about innovation?

• Oklahoma's aerospace industry evolves as drone technology takes off

• AUVSI’s Michael Robbins on Why Regional Autonomy Hubs Are Critical to U.S. Drone Leadership

• TIL’s Lawrence Ganti: Giving Tulsa students a clear path from curiosity to career

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Join Our Team! We’re hiring for the following roles:  

🏢 Director of Business Attraction
🤝 Director of Industry Relations
🧠 Manager, Market Intelligence

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Welcome + New Roles at TIL

In Q1, we officially welcomed Kian Kamas to the TIL team as Head of Strategy + Initiatives! Over a decade of her leadership and vision in civic and economic development sectors have left a real mark on our city, and now, she’s bringing that expertise to TIL. In this role, Kian oversees our ongoing strategic initiatives in the region, and helps identify and address emerging resource gaps in service of Tulsa’s growth as an innovation hub.  

We also celebrated two of our current team members stepping into new roles at TIL:  

• Abisoye Ajayi is now Manager of Workforce & Talent. In this role, she will connect community-based organizations, schools, and employers to develop shared workforce strategies. She will track placement rates, wage progression, and retention to ensure an effective and responsive workforce ecosystem. Learn more about working with Abisoye in her new role: Abisoye Ajayi on Building Bridges and Driving Impact at Tulsa Innovation Labs

• Mak Cochran is now Manager of Place & Infrastructure. In this role, she will lead projects that improve physical infrastructure and spaces in Tulsa to drive business growth and make the region a better place to live. If you're curious about TIL's approach to place & infrastructure projects, connect with Mak to learn more about her vision! Examples of past or ongoing TIL Place & Infrastructure projects: Tulsa Port of Inola wastewater treatment facility, Skyway Range UAS test site, Microsoft Co-Innovation Lab  

We look forward to continued momentum in Q2—stay tuned and subscribe for more updates on Tulsa's growth as an innovation hub.