gener8tor collaborating with local partners to launch gBETA Accelerator for Oklahoma City startups
gener8tor program accelerator welcomes fourth cohort
Oklahoma City, Okla. – Global venture firm and startup accelerator, gener8tor, in partnership with Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, Inasmuch Foundation, Cameron Ventures, Full Sail Capital, Square Deal Capital, Oklahoma State University, University of Oklahoma and Love’s Travel Stops, kicked off its fourth gBETA Oklahoma City cohort April 13. The gBETA accelerator focuses on early-stage companies working in Oklahoma City.
gBETA Oklahoma City is a free, seven-week, no-equity accelerator program that provides startup founders with intensive concierge coaching and access to its national network of mentors, customers, corporate partners and investors. The programs are designed to set a path for startups to participate in equity-based accelerator programs and investment opportunities.
gener8tor recruited startups locally for the gBETA program in an effort to support homegrown companies in Oklahoma City.
“It has been exciting to watch the impact gBETA has already had in Oklahoma City in such a short time,” said Jeff Seymour, executive vice president of economic development for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. “We are proud to partner with them because of their focus on impacting every community in Oklahoma City. This fourth cohort has some exciting companies that we can’t wait to learn more about.”
Together, gener8tor, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Inasmuch Foundation, Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma, Love’s, Full Sail Capital, Square Deal Capital and Cameron Ventures aim to bring economic diversity and job growth to Oklahoma City.
“I’m so excited about this traction filled cohort,” said Elizabeth Larios, gBETA Oklahoma City director. “I’ve seen the incredible economic impact of the previous gBETA programs in Oklahoma City and I’m excited to see what will come forth from this cohort.”
At the end of the gBETA program, startup founders will pitch their companies to investors, community partners and the public at a showcase event on June 13, 2023.
Startup companies and founders interested in learning more about gBETA’s programming and resources or applying to a future program are encouraged to visit the gener8tor gBETA website.
OKC Spring Accelerator 2023 Cohort
Helion Illumination enables first responders to better utilize their drone assets by providing versatile lighting systems to assist in search and rescue, firefighting and law enforcement needs. Helion Illumination provides the first universal lighting system with both a spot and wash light option capable of performing under a wide range of operations from general operational safety to overall efficiency enhancement. Helion Illumination is currently running Beta trials with the OKC Police Department and Norman Police Department and has two more users on the waitlist to become Beta testers.
Helion Illumination
CEO: Harrison.Best@helionillumination.com CTO: Ethan.Brown@helionillumination.com COO: Sam.Moore@helionillumination.com
Paldara develops platform hydrogel coatings for medical devices using bacteriophage to prevent up to 99 percent of associated bacterial infections, including antibiotic resistant infections. Paldara’s goal is to bridge the gap between addressing antibiotic resistance while preventing patients from getting sick in the first place. Paldara's platform hydrogel coating is the first drug-delivery mechanism optimized for use with bacteriophage. Our PCT, filed in August 2022, protects against any hydrogel drug-delivery mechanism using microencapsulated bacteriophage classified under Siphoviridae, Myoviridae and Podoviridae.
Paldara
CEO: William Colton, williamcolton@paldara.com COO: Jacob Miller, Jacobmiller@paldara.com
Sugar Security offers a Cybersecurity testing platform for IT, software and security companies. We combine open-source security tests with cutting-edge AI and cloud technology served through an easy, point-and-click web interface. Our cost-effective solution outperforms competitors and streamlines cybersecurity testing for businesses lacking time or expertise. Sugar Security transitioned from a $200,000 consulting business to a growing B2B SaaS platform with 48 pilot users, 72 newsletter subscribers and three paid subscribers generating $750 MRR.
Sugar Security
CEO: Logan Evans, logan.evans@sugarsecurity.com
Shelter Share mobilizes individuals seeking shelter from severe weather or other natural disasters to find nearby shelters in a given area before it’s too late. Shelter Share is available to download on IOS and Android platforms. Since their inception in May of 2022, Shelter Share has had 162 downloads and more than 60 users.
Shelter Share
Founder/CEO: Robert Washington, robertw4info@gmail.com
Weku revolutionizes residential electricity in the United States by offering homeowners unlimited access to clean energy for a flat rate of $50 per month. Weku achieves this by empowering corporations to meet their environmental, social and governance objectives through strategic and rapid returns on investments in sustainable infrastructure, enabling them to positively impact their communities through solar and battery installations on residential properties. Weku successfully installed 100 kilowatts of solar capacity, maintains a growing waitlist of 130 eager homeowners, is partnered with the U.S Department of Energy through the Community Clean Energy Coalition and is currently finalizing a partnership with the University of Tulsa to launch a 387-kilowatt pilot project.
Weku
Founders: Roy Sowah | CEO: roy@weku.ai Archibald Ocloo-Lee | COO: archie@weku.ai
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About gener8tor
gener8tor is a global venture firm and accelerator network that supports startups, founders, workers, employers, artists and musicians across race, place and gender. gener8tor partners with companies, governments, universities and nonprofits to operate programs in more than 41 communities across 22 states and two countries. Fast Company named gener8tor one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2021 and 2022.
About gBETA
gBETA is a non-equity accelerator that facilitates the growth of early-stage companies through a network-driven program. This accelerator supports five startups per cohort and requires no fees for startups and takes no equity. Since launching in 2015, gBETA accelerator alumni have raised more than $605 million in capital and created more than 3,900 jobs across the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit gener8tor.com/gbeta.
