Innovation News

Tulsa Innovation Labs is proud to announce that it has been named a honoree of Fast Company’s 2025 World Changing Ideas Awards for Tulsa’s Tech Hub designation. This global award honors bold and transformative efforts that tackle the world’s most pressing issues.

Tulsa’s Tech Hub secured $51 million of funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) last year, positioning the region as a national leader in developing secure, autonomous systems for industries like aviation, defense, manufacturing, and energy. This project aims to leverage existing strengths of the region to drive innovation in industry, improve national security, and create economic opportunity for the future.

“Receiving the Tech Hub designation and funding was a defining moment for our city. Since then, we’ve been hard at work with our partners to bring these transformational ideas to life. This recognition reflects the power of our regional collaboration and commitment to advancing opportunity in our city that will have global impact” said Tulsa Innovation Labs Managing Director Jennifer Hankins. “This is a proud moment for Tulsa.”

This recognition comes at a pivotal moment for Tulsa, as momentum continues to build around the city’s emergence as a national—and increasingly global—hub for innovation. With major investments in advanced mobility, a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, and rapid advancements in autonomous systems, Tulsa is gaining a reputation as the “Drone Capital of the World.” The success of the Tulsa’s Tech Hub not only strengthens that identity, but also signals to the world that the region is a serious contender in shaping the future of tech.

This year’s awards, featured on fastcompany.com, showcase 50 winners across 12 categories and 50 additional winners across industries, for a total of 100 outstanding projects. A panel of Fast Company editors and reporters selected the winners from a pool of more than 1,500 entries and judged applications based on their impact, sustainability, design, creativity, scalability, and ability to improve society.

“The World Changing Ideas Awards have always been about showcasing the art of the possible,” says Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “We’re proud to recognize the organizations and leaders that are making meaningful progress on the biggest issues of our time.”

About Tulsa Innovation Labs

Tulsa Innovation Labs fuels economic opportunity in our region through innovation -- by connecting resources, ideas and people. We bring unique partners together to identify opportunities in our community and design solutions, like programs that train the next generation of our workforce, attract and develop new businesses and support industry needs as they transition to an innovation-driven future.  

About Fast Company

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.