"The success of AXIS is based on its ability to connect the business community to all of these physical spaces and resources. The connections between industry and the classroom truly facilitate opportunity beyond imagination." - Cara Evans, Director of AXIS
The Oklahoma Venture Forum (OVF) Awards lunch was a great way to start the summer for AXIS.
It was fulfilling for me, as I was recognized for my time as chair of the statewide organization. Additionally, two of our incubator clients won awards, and Allison Watkins, founder of our client Watkins Conti Products, was approved as a new board member.
Lindsey Miller, founder of Content Journey – a content creation and digital marketing company – was named Oklahoma Incubator Tenant of the Year for her spinoff company, My Marketing Assistant. Miller has been in the AXIS incubator since 2021 and has co-founded or invested in several startups that are making a difference. This includes Vida Bars – which makes shampoo and conditioner bars for curly hair while focusing on environmental and social impact – and All Counseling, a platform that connects people to mental health professionals.
Oliver Shafaat, the founder of AXIS client Sci-Lume Labs, placed third in Most Promising New Venture at the OVF awards. Sci-Lume, an innovative company that is working on a biodegradable synthetic clothing fiber, has participated in multiple accelerators now and was recently featured in the International Fiber Journal. It also shared its latest Bylon fiber samples at the Global Fashion Agenda Summit in Copenhagen.
Additional AXIS client successes include the awarding of research grants, many pitch opportunities, participation in programs like i2E’s E3 and Bridge2, selection as Gener8tor cohort members, and successful capital raises. Perhaps one of the most exciting client successes was the FDA 510(K) clearance of a medical device. Watkins Conti Products’ Yoni Fit Bladder Support is now available to female patients suffering from Stress Urinary Incontinence that are looking for a non-surgical solution. It has been so exciting to see Allison take the national stage and make such a difference in so many women’s lives.
And while these successes certainly demonstrate the value of these ventures and reflect well on AXIS, they also show the value of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Edmond and the OKC metro. Francis Tuttle Technology Center – where AXIS is based – is proud to partner and collaborate with so many resource providers that contribute to client and student success.
It is this combined effort that provided the pathway for 38 companies to launch from the AXIS small business incubator over its 10-year existence. AXIS will celebrate seven companies completing the incubator program at an outreach event at 5:30 p.m. on June 26 at the Edmond Chamber of Commerce. These “graduates” include Ninja Technologies, Rivers and Roads, Productive Technologies, ERA Solutions, Dolce Vita ITS, Content Journey, and Critical Fault.
The event is open to the public and will share the services and impact that AXIS has in the Francis Tuttle district and in the Oklahoma startup community. Past clients like Standards IT, which continues to make waves in its field, is an incredible example of how these companies can mature in communities like Edmond.
Founders and small businesses interested in utilizing the resources available through AXIS are invited to attend the event or schedule a tour of the incubator located on the Francis Tuttle Danforth Campus. It becomes clear while touring the facility that Danforth was designed to foster innovation, as it is not only the home of AXIS but also hosts spaces for prototyping, brainstorming, collaboration, and education with a focus on entrepreneurship.
If a business is ready to occupy a physical space and wants to be in the incubator program, it will have an opportunity to pitch its company to the AXIS Advisory Committee, which serves as the selection board. This group comprises commercial bankers, venture capitalists, founders, accountants, attorneys, and ecosystem builders. Not only does this group approve AXIS applicants, but they also serve as resources and mentors for AXIS clients. If a business is not quite ready for incubation, there are options for self-employment training, small business consulting, business planning, and other educational offerings through AXIS.
Understanding the time and energy it takes to build a business is important for entrepreneurs of all ages. It is important to reach out to the younger generations in a state like Oklahoma, where so many of our major employers and innovative technologies were built by homegrown talent.
AXIS partners with the Micropolitan Library, higher ed institutions, and organizations like i2E to provide young entrepreneur programming, support student pitch competitions, and mentor students in Career Tech Student Organizations like DECA, Skills USA, and Business Professionals of America. A major benefit of AXIS being located on the Danforth campus is its proximity to the full-time Entrepreneurship program led by Abby Williams. Recently, Williams connected with local leaders like Stride Bank to provide real capital to student founders as they pursue the launch of the venture ideas they came up with in the classroom.
It’s not only the young who are making a difference in Oklahoma’s economy. There are many retired military who have incredible ideas, as well as other adults who are looking to make a difference at each life stage and bring their expertise and innovation to life through industry verticals like biotech, aerospace and defense, manufacturing, life sciences, cybersecurity, ag tech, and more. The connections between industry and the classroom truly facilitate opportunity beyond imagination.
The success of AXIS is based on its ability to connect the business community to all of these physical spaces and resources. The connections between industry and the classroom truly facilitate opportunity beyond imagination.
Relationships born through the entrepreneurial ecosystem have a lasting impact. AXIS will continue to serve as the connection point that allows startups, small businesses, and business professionals to thrive.