Gradient and its family of entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses have generated $1.76 billion in regional economic impact during the past five years, the nation’s sixth largest innovation hub announced Thursday.
In 2025 alone, Gradient:
- Supported 493 businesses
- Created 4,421 jobs created
- Generated $198 million in sales
- And secured $121 million in funding
Contained in Gradient’s 2025 Impact Report, the nearly $2 billion figure coincides with the organization’s 10-year anniversary and marks a period of significant growth and momentum for the nonprofit as it continues to strengthen Tulsa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and expand its national presence.
Justin McLaughlin, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, is a Gradient board member who formerly served as its chair.
“Congrats to Gradient on its 10-year anniversary and the phenomenal economic impact it continues to make on the region,” McLaughlin said. “Gradient has made Tulsa a nationally and globally recognized innovation hub, and the Tulsa Regional Chamber appreciates the groundbreaking work it does daily for our business community.”
Gradient CEO Devon Laney also announced Thursday that Gradient has received two global awards from the International Business Innovation Association, including the Global Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year (top overall honor) and the Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year (in Technology).
“During those 10 years, we’ve seen so much more than just companies starting and businesses being built,” Laney said. “We’ve seen people take on ideas, take risks, turn those ideas into businesses.
“If you think about this as an intentionally designed space, it brings together individuals. It creates density. It creates proximity to resources and infrastructure. All those things are essential for growth, and that’s why we believe that Gradient is the place where things actually happen.” 
Gradient hosted 476 events in 2025.
“Thousands of people work through those doors,” Laney said. “Every single one of those moments, from a conversation in the hallway to a connection at an event like this to a breakthrough at one of our programs...all those things add up. And they add up to stronger companies, greater opportunity and a more resilient and dynamic Tulsa. I’m very, very proud of what’s been built here.”
The incubator houses more than 40 companies. Three Gradient founders spoke at Thursday’s news conference, including Matt Cantrell, CEO of Activ Energy, a multi-state company that is in discussions to bring a major manufacturing facility to Oklahoma.
“No company gets to where they are alone,” Cantrell said. “Every founder knows that the entrepreneurial journey can be lonely. It can be uncertain. It can be full of pressure and second-guessing.
“You need the right people around you. We need an environment that sharpens us, and that’s where Gradient mattered to me.”
For more information, visit www.joingradient.com or contact [email protected] or [email protected]