Tulsa Designated As Tech Hub, Eligible For Millions In Federal Funding

A group of organizations led by Tulsa Innovation Labs is now eligible for up to 75 million dollars in federal funding. The money would further develop local industries in tech like cybersecurity and autonomous drones.

Tulsa isn’t necessarily well known for being a city of tech innovation, but this new designation by the White House changes that.

With an address from President Biden, Tulsa is officially considered a tech hub.

"The fact that the federal government just officially gave Tulsa the designation of Tech Hub is massive," said Tyrance Billingsley II.

He runs Black Tech Street, an organization dedicated to making historic Greenwood a modern-day leader in technologies like cybersecurity.

"Our work is to essentially broker partnerships with different orgs, whether they be large companies or the federal government, to help bolster opportunities that will help black Tulsans break into the tech workforce," said Billingsley.

Black Tech Street and other Tulsa businesses, schools, and organizations make up a group led by Tulsa Innovation Labs.

"We are tasked with developing a strategy for transforming Tulsa's Economy into one that's more ready for the 21st Century," said Director Jennifer Hankins.

She says with this designation, they are now eligible for up to $75 million in federal funding, which would help them reach their goal of bringing 200,000 tech jobs to Tulsa in the next decade.

"60 or so thousands of those will be women, and an additional 39,000 black, Latino, and Native American people will now have access to these jobs through the pathways that this funding can help create," she said.

Hankins says out of the 31 other cities designated tech hubs, only 5 will receive a major grant, but she feels good about Tulsa's odds.

"I don't think this is out of reach for us," said Hankins.