Skip to content
i2E
  • Programs
    • For Startups
      • E3
      • Bridge2
      • OCN
    • For Students
      • Entrepreneur’s Cup
    • For Corporations
    • For Investors
  • Client Portfolio
  • About
    • Our Values
    • Meet Our Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Corporate Partners
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Programs
    • For Startups
      • E3
      • Bridge2
      • OCN
    • For Students
      • Entrepreneur’s Cup
    • For Corporations
    • For Investors
  • Client Portfolio
  • About
    • Our Values
    • Meet Our Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Corporate Partners
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Media
Search

Fab Lab Tulsa provides tools

Get in Touch

By Rex Smitherman

Copyright © 2012, The Oklahoma Publishing Company

“Just starting out.”

In entrepreneurship, those are three magical words full of optimism, promise and potential.

While there are many stages in the entrepreneurial path where support is critical, there is nothing more important to creating a durable innovation economy than helping aspiring entrepreneurs get off to a robust start.

The more targeted and specific that help is, the better. That’s the idea behind Hardesty Center for Fab Lab Tulsa.

Fab Lab Tulsa is a nonprofit entity that, in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), provides a diverse collection of the latest in computerized design, fabrication and assembly equipment in one community location.

MIT developed the Fab Lab concept, which has been deployed in more than 100 locations. Fab Lab Tulsa is one of the first in the Midwest.

The center serves people participating in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, providing services that range from fun programs to promote mathematics, engineering and science education for high school students to hosting user forums for individuals who are deep into using 3-D modeling tools such as Sketchup or 123D.

Fab Lab Tulsa also is a remarkable resource for entrepreneurs who want to create a product (as opposed to an iPhone app). The center provides training and access to the state-of-the art machines needed to build a finely honed prototype, including laser cutters, ShotBot and MakerBot tools, and a menu of software that would make design engineers at Boeing smile.

“Hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment has been donated,” said Mark Lauinger, i2E venture adviser in Tulsa. “Fab Lab Tulsa is a great resource to fabricate mechanical prototypes. Entrepreneurs can do things here that they can’t do anywhere else.”

And when Tulsa-based entrepreneurs gain traction from their prototypes and are ready to progress to the next phase of “starting out,” The Forge, Tulsa’s Young Professionals business incubation program, stands ready to help.

“The most successful incubators nurture companies by focusing first on their products and services,” Lauinger said. “The Forge provides valuable business services as a fast start for entrepreneurs who are beginning to build a company. This is a great on-ramp and proving ground for creating more successful small businesses.”

With resources such as these, Oklahoma continues to build a cohesive entrepreneurial ecosystem that helps companies that are “just starting out” grow into companies that add jobs and create wealth.

Rex Smitherman is interim president and CEO of i2E Inc., a nonprofit corporation that mentors many of the state’s technology-based startup companies. i2E receives state appropriations from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology. Contact Smitherman at [email protected].

DID YOU KNOW? Small businesses make up 80 percent of all businesses in Tulsa County.

Click here to read the article at newsok.com

 

 

More News

Loading...
Blog, Featured, News
12.16.24

MidAmerica and i2E Announce Award Winners

Read more
Blog, Featured, News
11.21.24

i2E & Plains Ventures Surpasses $100M Milestone in Total Investments

Read more
Blog
09.30.24

i2E Receives 2024 Excellence in Economic Development Award from IEDC

Read more
Blog
06.18.24

Bridge2 Demo Day Returns, Highlighting Promising Oklahoma Startups

Read more
Blog, Entrepreneur's Cup Featured, Entrepreneur's Cup News
05.13.24

Student Entrepreneurs Triumph at 20th Anniversary Entrepreneur’s Cup, Winning $158,000 in Prizes

Read more
Default Featured Image
Blog, Entrepreneur's Cup News
04.24.24

Beyond the Cup: Tracking Success Stories from the Entrepreneur’s Cup Series – Jessica Kinsey

Read more
Default Featured Image
Blog, Entrepreneur's Cup News
04.23.24

Beyond the Cup: Tracking Success Stories from the Entrepreneur’s Cup Series – Nathan Fountain

Read more
Default Featured Image
Blog, Entrepreneur's Cup Featured, Entrepreneur's Cup News
04.23.24

Beyond the Cup: Tracking Success Stories from the Entrepreneur’s Cup Series – Srijita Ghosh

Read more
Default Featured Image
Blog, Entrepreneur's Cup Featured, Entrepreneur's Cup News
04.18.24

Beyond the Cup: Tracking Success Stories from the Entrepreneur’s Cup Series – MaxQ

Read more
Blog, i2E
01.30.24

i2E Celebrates Success of Inaugural Bridge2 Demo Day

Read more
Blog, i2E, News
12.18.23

i2E and MidAmerica Industrial Park announce award winners for high school entrepreneurship program

Read more
Blog, i2E
12.13.23

Entrepreneur’s Cup Marks 20 Years: Reimagined Competition and Brand – Same Entrepreneurial Spirit

Read more
i2E

Oklahoma City Office

201 Robert S Kerr Ave, Suite 600
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
+1 (405) 235.2305

Tulsa Office

12 N. Cheyenne Ave, Suite 112
Tulsa, OK 74103
+1 (918) 582.5592

  • Client Portfolio
  • About Us
  • Media
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • Funding
  • Venture Advisory

© 2025 i2E Privacy Policy

Follow us:

Linkedin Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

Programs

  • For Startups
    • E3
    • Bridge2
    • OCN
  • For Students
    • Entrepreneur’s Cup
  • For Corporations
  • For Investors
  • For Startups
    • E3
    • Bridge2
    • OCN
  • For Students
    • Entrepreneur’s Cup
  • For Corporations
  • For Investors
  • Client Portfolio

Services

  • Access to Funding
  • Venture Advisory Services
  • Events
  • Contact
  • About
  • Our Values
  • Our Team
  • Board of Directors
  • Corporate Partners
  • Media
i2E