18 investors investing in Oklahoma founders in 2026

Oklahoma raised $892M across 68 deals in 2025. Energy tech took 40% of that capital, which makes sense given the state's oil and gas expertise. The rest went to B2B SaaS, healthtech, and aerospace tech. OKC and Tulsa split most of the activity, with smaller pockets in Stillwater and Norman around the universities.

The ecosystem is maturing fast. You've got energy companies spinning out venture arms, family offices from oil wealth moving into tech, and actual VC firms setting up Oklahoma offices. Five years ago you'd fly to Dallas or Austin for every investor meeting. Now you can close a $3M seed round without leaving OKC.

Quick list

Why Oklahoma for fundraising

Oklahoma's venture scene grew up around energy tech and stayed there. If you're building software for oil and gas, renewables, or industrial operations, you'll find domain expertise and capital here that doesn't exist in SF or NYC. Investors in OKC and Tulsa actually understand subsurface data, well operations, and energy trading.

The state closed $892M in 2025, up from $640M in 2024. Energy tech dominated but B2B SaaS is growing fast, especially from Paycom and Love's alumni starting companies. Your burn rate runs 50-65% lower than Austin. Senior engineers cost $95-120K versus $160K+ in coastal cities. Office space in OKC's Innovation District runs $18-25/sq ft.

The challenge is limited late-stage capital. Most Oklahoma funds write $1-5M checks. For Series B and beyond, you're pitching Dallas, Houston, or SF funds. Oklahoma investors also heavily favor profitable business models over growth-at-all-costs. They want to see revenue and clear unit economics before investing. That's the energy industry influence - these investors are used to capital-intensive businesses that generate cash.

Picking the right Oklahoma investor

Local presence separates real Oklahoma investors from funds that list OK in their geography but never visit. Cortado, i2E, and Atento have actual offices and show up to local events. Out-of-state funds that invest here usually focus on energy tech and fly in quarterly.

Portfolio companies tell you what they actually fund versus what they claim. Check if they've backed Oklahoma startups in the past 18 months. Many funds list energy tech but haven't done an Oklahoma deal since 2022.

Check sizes range widely. Pre-seed runs $250-750K, seed is $1-3M, Series A hits $3-8M in Oklahoma. Energy tech rounds run larger due to hardware and infrastructure costs.

Local network matters if you need enterprise customers. Oklahoma investors can intro you to Devon Energy, Chesapeake, Williams Companies, or Paycom decision-makers. That's valuable if you're B2B and need reference customers. Upload your deck to Ellty and send trackable links to Oklahoma investors before meetings. You'll see who actually reviews your materials versus those collecting decks. OKC investors typically respond within 3-5 days if interested.

Follow-on capacity is limited past Series A. Plan to raise your Series B from Dallas, Houston, Austin, or coastal funds. Few Oklahoma investors can lead $15M+ rounds. They'll participate in follow-ons but you'll need an outside lead.

How to find and approach Oklahoma investors

Research local deals through Oklahoma Venture Forum newsletter and The Journal Record. Those sources track every meaningful round in the state before it hits national databases. Crunchbase misses 30-40% of Oklahoma deals.

Leverage local ecosystem through 36 Degrees North in Tulsa, Starspace46 in OKC, and the i2E accelerator. All three programs connect founders to local investors and run pitch events. Oklahoma State's Riata Center and OU's Tom Love Innovation Hub also broker introductions.

Build relationships first at Tulsa Startup Week each fall or OKC's monthly 1 Million Cups. Don't cold email Oklahoma investors - the community is relationship-driven and tight-knit.

Share your pitch deck through Ellty with unique tracking links for each investor. Oklahoma funds take 7-10 days to review decks on average, slower than major hubs but reflects thorough diligence. You'll know who's actually interested based on which pages they study.

Attend local events like Oklahoma Venture Forum quarterly meetings, 36 Degrees North pitch nights, and Heartland Summit. Those events drive more deals than cold outreach. Ground your strategy in the core GDPR principles for document sharing, even if you’re not based in Europe.

Connect with portfolio founders through LinkedIn or local Slack groups. Oklahoma's startup community is small enough that three introductions get you to anyone. Portfolio founders will tell you which investors actually help versus those who just write checks and disappear.

Organize due diligence in an Ellty data room before serious conversations. Oklahoma investors expect clean cap tables and financial models. Many prefer Delaware C-corps but some local funds are fine with Oklahoma LLCs.

Understand local pace - Oklahoma deals close in 75-90 days for seed rounds, 90-120 days for Series A. That's faster than Mississippi or Alabama but slower than Austin. Investors here won't rush term sheets but they move quicker than you'd expect for a secondary market.

Oklahoma-specific considerations

Energy tech gets funded easiest in Oklahoma, obviously. If your software touches oil and gas, renewables, or utilities, you'll find domain expertise and capital here that's hard to access elsewhere. Aerospace and defense tech also perform well due to Tinker Air Force Base and aerospace manufacturing presence.

B2B SaaS is growing but investors want to see Oklahoma-specific advantages. Paycom and Love's alumni get funded easily. Everyone else needs stronger traction. Consumer products struggle unless you've got significant revenue. Oklahoma investors learned expensive lessons funding consumer startups in 2015-2018.

Expect investors to focus heavily on capital efficiency and path to profitability. The energy industry background means they're comfortable with longer sales cycles and capital-intensive businesses, but they want clear unit economics. Burn $1M/month without revenue and you're out. Plan for 18-24 months to profitability, not 4-5 years.

18 top investors in Oklahoma

1. Cortado Ventures

Oklahoma City's most active early-stage fund, backing local founders who've worked at Paycom, Love's, or Devon Energy.

• Recent Deals: Paycom alum's HR tech $4.5M Series A (2025), OKC B2B SaaS $2.8M seed, Tulsa logistics software $1.9M
• LinkedIn: Ben Dyer
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, HR tech, logistics software, fintech
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Office Location: Oklahoma City, OK
• Website: cortadoventures.com

2. i2E

Oklahoma's primary innovation and venture development organization, most active pre-seed and seed investor in the state.

• Recent Deals: Tulsa energy software $2M seed (2025), Norman healthtech $1.5M, OKC cleantech $1.2M
• LinkedIn: Stack Muldrow
• Sector Focus: energy tech, healthtech, advanced materials, software
• Stage Focus: pre-seed, seed
• Office Location: Oklahoma City, OK
• Website: i2e.org

3. Atento Capital

Tulsa-based fund focused on energy tech, industrial software, and data analytics for oil and gas.

• Recent Deals: Oil and gas data analytics $3.2M (2025), Tulsa energy software $2.5M, industrial IoT $1.8M
• LinkedIn: Atento Capital
• Sector Focus: energy tech, oil and gas software, industrial IoT, data analytics
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Office Location: Tulsa, OK
• Website: atentocapital.com

4. Valliance Bank Ventures

Oklahoma City bank's venture arm backing fintech and financial software across the region.

• Recent Deals: OKC fintech $1.8M seed (2025), regional banking software investments
• LinkedIn: Valliance Bank
• Sector Focus: fintech, banking software, payments, B2B SaaS
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Office Location: Oklahoma City, OK
• Website: valliancebank.com

5. Prairie Fire Ventures

Oklahoma City fund investing in aerospace, defense, and enterprise software startups.

• Recent Deals: Aerospace software $2.5M co-lead (2025), OKC defense tech $1.9M, enterprise SaaS $2.1M
• LinkedIn: Prairie Fire Ventures
• Sector Focus: aerospace tech, defense software, enterprise SaaS, cybersecurity
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Office Location: Oklahoma City, OK
• Website: prairiefirevc.com

6. Canaan Partners

Silicon Valley firm with dedicated energy tech practice that actively invests in Oklahoma's energy startups.

• Recent Deals: OKC energy tech $8M Series A (2025), Oklahoma cleantech investments, renewables software
• LinkedIn: Rayfe Gaspar-Asaoka
• Sector Focus: energy tech, cleantech, industrial software, climate tech
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, growth
• Office Location: Menlo Park, CA (active in OK energy)
• Website: canaan.com

7. Blue Sage Capital

Tulsa-based growth equity firm investing in B2B software and business services companies.

• Recent Deals: Tulsa B2B SaaS $1.5M seed (2025), regional software companies, Oklahoma growth investments
• LinkedIn: Blue Sage Capital
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, business services software, vertical SaaS
• Stage Focus: seed, growth, expansion
• Office Location: Tulsa, OK
• Website: bluesagecapital.com

8. Tandem Capital

Dallas-based healthcare-focused fund that regularly invests in Oklahoma medical and healthtech startups.

• Recent Deals: Norman healthtech $3M Series A (2025), OKC medical device investments, Tulsa health IT
• LinkedIn: Tandem Capital
• Sector Focus: healthtech, medical devices, health IT, digital health
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
• Office Location: Dallas, TX (covers OK)
• Website: tandemcap.com

9. LKCM Headwaters

Fort Worth fund investing in lower-middle-market B2B software and tech-enabled services including Oklahoma deals.

• Recent Deals: OKC logistics tech $4M co-investment (2025), Tulsa enterprise software, regional B2B SaaS
• LinkedIn: LKCM Headwaters
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, logistics tech, tech-enabled services, enterprise software
• Stage Focus: growth, expansion
• Office Location: Fort Worth, TX (invests in OK)
• Website: lkcmheadwaters.com

10. Mercury Fund

Houston-based energy tech investor that actively sources Oklahoma energy and industrial software deals.

• Recent Deals: Oklahoma energy storage $6M (2025), OKC cleantech investments, energy software rounds
• LinkedIn: Adrian Fortino
• Sector Focus: energy tech, cleantech, energy storage, industrial IoT
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: Houston, TX (active in OK energy)
• Website: mercuryfund.com

11. XYZ Venture Capital

San Francisco fund that backed Paycom founder's new venture and maintains Oklahoma dealflow through alumni networks.

• Recent Deals: Paycom founder's new venture (2025), OKC SaaS companies from proven founders
• LinkedIn: Ross Fubini
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, HR tech, enterprise software, fintech
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Office Location: San Francisco, CA (OK dealflow)
• Website: xyzvc.com

12. Savanna Fund

Oklahoma City fund making early-stage investments in local software and tech-enabled service companies.

• Recent Deals: Multiple OKC software investments (2025), early-stage Oklahoma B2B companies
• LinkedIn: Savanna Fund
• Sector Focus: B2B software, tech-enabled services, vertical SaaS
• Stage Focus: pre-seed, seed
• Office Location: Oklahoma City, OK
• Website: savannafund.com

13. EnergyCap Partners

Tulsa-based investors focused on energy efficiency software and sustainability tech for commercial real estate.

• Recent Deals: Energy efficiency software strategic investment (2025), sustainability tech rounds
• LinkedIn: EnergyCap
• Sector Focus: energy efficiency software, sustainability tech, proptech, climate tech
• Stage Focus: seed, growth
• Office Location: Tulsa, OK
• Website: energycap.com

14. Mastech Capital

Tulsa investment firm backing manufacturing tech, industrial automation, and supply chain software.

• Recent Deals: Oklahoma manufacturing tech investments (2025), industrial software rounds, supply chain tech
• LinkedIn: Mastech
• Sector Focus: manufacturing tech, industrial automation, supply chain software, IoT
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A, growth
• Office Location: Tulsa, OK
• Website: mastech.com

15. OG&E Energy Solutions

Oklahoma Gas & Electric's corporate venture arm investing in grid tech, energy software, and utilities innovation.

• Recent Deals: OKC energy tech investments (2025), grid software, demand response technology
• LinkedIn: OG&E Energy
• Sector Focus: grid tech, energy software, utilities tech, demand response
• Stage Focus: seed, strategic investments
• Office Location: Oklahoma City, OK
• Website: oge.com

16. Dobson Companies Ventures

Tulsa family office from telecommunications wealth, backing Oklahoma founders across multiple sectors.

• Recent Deals: Various Tulsa and OKC startup investments (2025), local founder backing
• LinkedIn: Dobson Companies
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, telecom tech, infrastructure software, varied
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Office Location: Tulsa, OK
• Website: dobsoncompanies.com

17. Stakeholder Labs

Oklahoma City pre-seed and seed fund investing in local software startups and tech-enabled businesses.

• Recent Deals: Multiple OKC pre-seed and seed investments (2025), early-stage software companies
• LinkedIn: Stakeholder Labs
• Sector Focus: B2B software, vertical SaaS, tech-enabled services
• Stage Focus: pre-seed, seed
• Office Location: Oklahoma City, OK
• Website: stakeholderlabs.com

18. Energy & Minerals Law Foundation

Oklahoma City organization making strategic investments in legal tech and minerals management software.

• Recent Deals: Minerals management software strategic investment (2025), legal tech for energy sector
• LinkedIn: Energy & Minerals Law Foundation
• Sector Focus: legal tech, minerals management software, energy sector tech
• Stage Focus: seed, strategic investments
• Office Location: Oklahoma City, OK
• Website: emlf.org

Start tracking your Oklahoma investor outreach

These 18 investors closed deals in Oklahoma during 2025-2026. Before you start reaching out to OKC and Tulsa funds, set up proper tracking.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create a unique link for each Oklahoma investor. You'll see exactly which slides they view and how long they spend on your financials. Oklahoma-based founders often find local investors spend significant time on team backgrounds and unit economics while skipping market size projections. Energy-focused investors dig deep into technical specifications if you're building infrastructure or hardware.

When Oklahoma investors request additional materials during diligence, share an Ellty data room instead of scattered email attachments. Your cap table, financial model, customer contracts, and technical documentation in one secure place with complete view analytics.

Common questions

Do I need to be based in Oklahoma to raise from Oklahoma investors?

Not strictly required, but physical presence helps significantly. Most Oklahoma funds prefer companies with offices in OKC or Tulsa or plans to hire locally. Remote teams can raise here if they're in energy tech or have strong Oklahoma connections.

How does Oklahoma compare to Texas for fundraising?

Oklahoma has maybe 10% of Texas's available capital but also far less competition. Dallas and Austin have 50x more startups pitching. Oklahoma works well for seed and Series A if you don't need $20M+ rounds. For growth stage, you'll likely pitch Texas anyway.

What's the average seed round size in Oklahoma?

$1.5-3M for software companies, $2-5M for energy tech and hardware startups. Pre-seed typically runs $500K-1M. Series A ranges from $3-8M depending on sector and traction.

Should I raise locally or go straight to Dallas/Austin?

Raise locally for seed if you're pre-revenue or under $1M ARR. Oklahoma investors will back you earlier than Texas funds and provide valuable local connections. Once you hit $2M+ ARR and need $10M+ rounds, bring in Texas or coastal investors.

Do Oklahoma investors expect in-person meetings?

Yes, especially for lead investors. Initial calls work over video but expect to fly to OKC or Tulsa for serious conversations. Quarterly board meetings are typically in-person. The relationship-driven culture here requires face time.

What industries get funded most in Oklahoma?

Energy tech dominates, followed by B2B SaaS (especially from Paycom/Love's alumni), aerospace tech, and healthtech. Industrial software and logistics tech also find interest. Consumer products rarely get funded without strong traction.