Free coworking space, morning yoga and more than 20 educational sessions are headed to Gradient's 120,000-square-foot Tulsa headquarters this month as the nonprofit startup incubator marks its 10th anniversary during Global Entrepreneurship Week. Sessions will cover automation, sustainability, finance and culture, with guest speakers including Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols, STARTedUP Foundation founder Don Wettrick and producers from the Hulu series The Lowdown.
According to The Journal Record, Tulsa's lineup includes more than 20 sessions during Global Entrepreneurship Week, which the outlet reports runs November 16 through 22. Gradient's own event page lists the same November 16-22 window and notes that all events are free and open to the public, though attendees will need to RSVP. A Gradient press release distributed via EIN Presswire, however, states the organization will open its doors November 16 to 20 for the week, a discrepancy in the published dates that has not been resolved.
That date conflict extends to the anniversary celebration itself. The Journal Record reports Gradient will celebrate its 10th anniversary on the Garden Deck during the final evening of events, consistent with a week running through November 22, while the EIN Presswire release says the week closes with a 10-year celebration on the Garden Deck on November 20.
A Decade of Startup Support in Tulsa
Gradient describes itself as a nonprofit entrepreneur incubator that provides resources to entrepreneurs at every stage of building a business, and the organization currently houses 40 startups at its Cheyenne Avenue venue, per the same Journal Record account. The nonprofit recently announced $1.76 billion in regional economic impact over the past five years, and earlier in 2026 the International Business Innovation Association named Gradient the top Global Entrepreneur Support Organization, the outlet reports.
Gradient's own figures add further context on its recent track record. The organization's 2025 impact report says that in 2025 alone, Gradient supported 500 businesses that brought more than 4,000 jobs to Tulsa. That same report notes that in its ninth year as Tulsa's official host of Global Entrepreneurship Week, Gradient earned a No. 2 national ranking and hosted over 30 events.
Town Hall, Classes and Statewide Benefits
Oklahoma State Rep. Ronald Stewart and Tulsa City Councilor Laura Bellis are scheduled to lead an open town hall during the week, according to the Journal Record's reporting. Devon Laney said building a business-friendly community is a team effort, the outlet notes, underscoring the civic partnerships woven into the week's programming.
Gradient partners with Tulsa Tech to offer free classes on patents and using LinkedIn to increase sales, and the incubator holds more than 200 events a year beyond Global Entrepreneurship Week itself, per the same report. Businesses in Gradient's programs receive some statewide benefits, including the ability to potentially avoid Oklahoma business tax for up to 10 years, the Journal Record reports. The nonprofit also receives funding from venture funds including the Oklahoma Life Science Fund, and the Oklahoma Workforce Commission provides $1 million to Gradient, according to the same account.
Global Reach, Local Stage
Global Entrepreneurship Week itself is a far bigger phenomenon than any single Tulsa venue. Gradient's event page describes it as bringing together 10 million dreamers, builders and doers across 200 countries, a scale that organizers say Tulsa's local sessions are designed to connect to. This year's theme, Entrepreneurs Thrive Here, frames the week as an invitation for Gradient's global recognition to come home and for Tulsa residents to take part directly, with free coworking space available each day of the event.
