On the ladder of success, 36 Degrees North certainly is approaching the top rung.

And the climb hasn’t taken long.

Known as Tulsa’s basecamp for entrepreneurs, startups and remote workers, 36 Degrees North launched in 2016 with one location in the Tulsa Arts District. 

Since then, the nonprofit organization has expanded to three sites, serving more than 2,500 members and reporting an economic impact of about $1.13 billion. 

By the start of 2025, it also is set to open a $38 million Entrepreneurial Hub that will consolidate all its venues into a historic building downtown. 

None of it would have happened without the foresight of the group’s founders, said Devon Laney, the nonprofit’s CEO since August 2019. 

“I give a ton of credit to those initial folks who came together to create 36 Degrees North,” he said. “It showed a level of alignment in the community around entrepreneurship and a commitment to entrepreneurship as a piece of the overall economic development strategy. 

“I was very fortunate not having to come in and start at zero. We were able to take that solid foundation and grow from there, which is a very fortunate position to be in.”

Blazing a trail

Eight years ago, the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF), Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation (LTFF), Tulsa Regional Chamber, Tulsa Technology Center and the OSU Riata Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship were among the organizations that teamed up to create the original 36 Degrees North, whose Summit Partners now include the Frank Murphy Family Foundation.

“In 2013, LTFF commissioned a gap analysis to understand where Tulsa's ecosystem was lacking in support,” LTFF Board Chair Elizabeth Frame Ellison said. “The 2013 report acknowledged Tulsa was rich in entrepreneurial resources but lacked a physical space to connect startups with people and organizations that could help them launch and scale.”

The flagship hub is housed in the former Universal Ford Motor Co. Building, built in 1917. Camp II, 36 Degrees North’s second location, opened in 2017 at 302 N. Reconciliation Way. 

“…It has been incredibly rewarding to watch the ecosystem grow from a humble meetup called Cultivate 918 to an ever-expanding space in the heart of downtown Tulsa occupied by folks who relocated as part of the Tulsa Remote program, new businesses pitching at 1 Million Cups, and collisions of entrepreneurs commiserating and learning from one another at weekly happy hours,” Ellison said. “Small businesses are the lifeblood of our community. I am thankful 36 Degrees North can be a resource to add to the resiliency of Tulsa.”

The center’s name – 36 Degrees North – is derived from the latitude line that runs through Tulsa and links landmarks and cities such as the Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, Nashville, Tenn., and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

“To participate in the creation of something as innovative as 36 Degrees North was gratifying to the Tulsa Regional Chamber,” said Chamber President and CEO Mike Neal. “36 Degrees North enriches thought, cultivates relationships and provides roadmaps to the resources necessary for becoming an entrepreneur. We salute what the organization has become and look forward to its blossoming even more in its new, one-stop hub downtown.”

Jeff Stava is chief program officer of GKFF.

“George Kaiser Family Foundation recognizes the importance of fostering and sustaining entrepreneurship within Tulsa, and we share 36 Degrees North’s commitment to creating equitable pathways to start and scale businesses,” Stava said. “The results of 36 Degrees North have been remarkable, but our future is even brighter.

“Together with our partners, we’re building the future of entrepreneurship by developing a 112,000 square-foot, industry-leading, Entrepreneurial Hub in downtown where our diverse community of entrepreneurs, remote workers and startups will converge to catalyze innovation and propel economic growth across the region.”

Not just a coworking space

36 Degrees North serves the community with access to capital and mentorship, a diverse community of founders and innovators, and a state-certified tech incubator program that opened in 2021 at One Technology Center.

“When 36 Degrees North started, it was really the only ‘coworking’ place in Tulsa,” Laney said. “As the organization has grown and evolved, it’s not just about the coworking. It’s about the resources. It’s about the relationships. It’s about the community. It’s about identifying the needs of people, helping them connect with resources and then teaching them how to utilize those resources in a way that propels their growth.

“If you just want a place to open your laptop and send some emails, there are tons of coffee shops to do that in. But if you’re looking to grow your network, grow your idea into a business, grow your existing business, grow your relationships, 36 Degrees North will connect you in a way that enables you to do that.”

In 2023, 36 Degrees North served more than 445 companies representing more than 47 industries. Those companies sported about $147.2 million in total sales and launched 44 new products, the organization’s data shows.

“We have members who work for Mozilla,” Laney said. “We have founders who have exited their startups. But we also have people who are working on their business, with no employees yet, just doing it on the side and hoping they can get enough traction that it will become their only job.”

New and improved facility

The new facility at 12 N. Cheyenne will be in a structure that formerly housed Oklahoma Tire and Supply Co. (OTASCO) and has been vacant for more than 20 years. 

It will encompass about 115,000 square feet, including 3,000 square feet set aside for a café/bar that will be open to the public, not only members, Laney said. 

Architectural highlights include a five-story atrium and two glass elevators topped by a skylight. 

Tulsa’s new facility will be among the largest in the nation, according to Laney, rivaling entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs) in cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, Austin and Birmingham. 

“I don’t want people to think that every community has something like this; they don’t,” he said. “The fact that we’ve been able to pull together the resources and partners to do this and that the community has stepped up to support us speaks to the greater vision of Tulsa. But it also speaks to the heart of Tulsa and the history of Tulsa being an entrepreneurial town.”

The new hub will be a driver for new jobs, companies and economic diversification, Laney said.

“Our job is to be kind of like an ER (emergency room),” he said. “You will come in the door, and we will triage you. And then we will get you the right resources you need. It will allow people to interact who normally wouldn’t interact.

“When you bring all that together and create those opportunities for investors to interact with founders, for remote workers to interact with other remote workers, that’s when things really begin to take off…There’s power in density. You have to create that density and provide opportunities for interaction.”