Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology

What Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology does

Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) is a state government agency established in 1987 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Its mandate is technology-based economic development for the state, executed primarily through competitive grant programs that fund research and commercialization by Oklahoma-based companies and research institutions. OCAST does not develop or sell commercial technology products; rather, it serves as a non-dilutive capital provider, channeling state appropriations into projects spanning healthcare, technology, and manufacturing. A representative recent transaction is the $497,500 grant awarded to Soaak Technologies in November 2024 for AI-driven biodigital sound therapy solutions and Oklahoma job creation.

OCAST's business model is institutional rather than commercial. It receives annual appropriations from the Oklahoma state legislature and redistributes capital via competitive RFP processes, with grant sizes and contract terms varying by project scope and merit (multi-year contracts are referenced). The go-to-market motion is sales-led in the sense that OCAST actively evaluates proposals and awards funding, but its "customers" are grant applicants rather than paying buyers, and its revenue stream is government appropriations rather than commercial sales. Distribution is domestic-only, routed through state-government press channels and economic development networks. Jennifer McGrail serves as Executive Director.

Underlying technology at OCAST is administrative: RFP processing, merit evaluation, and grant-disbursement workflows. The agency has no disclosed proprietary technology stack, AI/ML models, patents, or commercial software products. Its strategic posture is increasingly tied to Oklahoma's statewide AI enablement agenda, including participation in broader state-government AI initiatives, though OCAST's direct AI capability remains non-existent — its AI relevance is purely as a funding intermediary to AI-adjacent portfolio companies.

Name

Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology

Website

https://oklahoma.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

10,001+ employees

Short description

OCAST is an Oklahoma state agency founded in 1987 that funds technology research and commercialization through competitive grants to Oklahoma-based companies and research institutions, operating on legislative appropriations rather than commercial revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oklahoma City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. State Appropriated Funding: OCAST receives annual appropriations from the Oklahoma state legislature which are then distributed as grants to Oklahoma companies and research institutions developing innovative technologies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) is a state government agency that distributes competitive grants to Oklahoma-based companies and research institutions for scientific research and technology development. The agency evaluates proposals and awards non-dilutive funding to support innovation, technology commercialization, and job creation within the state.

Product overview

The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) is a state agency that funds research and development through grants to Oklahoma companies and researchers. It does not appear to offer a commercial product; rather, it operates as a funding and advancement organization that provides grants to support innovation. Based on the available source data, OCAST's activities include awarding grants to technology companies such as Soaak Technologies for AI-driven sound frequency therapies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OCAST Competitive Technology Grants

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 31 million minutes of services delivered globally by a single grant recipient (Soaak Technologies)

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Soaak TechnologiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCAST awarded a $497,500 grant to Soaak Technologies to support its biodigital sound therapy solutions and job creation in Oklahoma. The company offers AI-driven sound frequency therapies addressing various health needs.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Ohio Third Frontier: Ohio's state technology-based economic development program providing grant funding to accelerate commercialization — directly comparable in mission and grant-distribution mechanics to OCAST.
• State Science & Technology Institute (SSTI): A national non-profit that supports and represents state-level science and technology agencies like OCAST, providing peer networking and best-practice research for state S&T economic development programs.
• Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech): A quasi-public state agency that drives technology-based economic development in Massachusetts through grant programs, cluster initiatives, and R&D funding — directly analogous to OCAST's mandate in Oklahoma.
• Ben Franklin Technology Partners: A Pennsylvania-based state-funded network that provides non-dilutive capital, incubation, and commercialization support to technology companies, structurally similar to OCAST's grant-distribution model.
• Connecticut Innovations: Connecticut's quasi-public venture capital and technology funding authority, providing early-stage capital and support to in-state tech companies — analogous to OCAST's role in Oklahoma.
• Empire State Development (New York): New York's primary economic-development agency, administering state innovation, R&D, and tech-commercialization grant programs for in-state companies — a comparable state-level tech-economy mandate.
• Innovate Alabama: Alabama's state-led tech and innovation initiative funding startups and research commercialization, mirroring OCAST's technology-based economic development role in a regional peer context.
• Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC): Indiana's public-private economic development corporation that funds innovation and tech-based job growth programs, comparable to OCAST's state-level economic-development mandate.

Broad incumbents

• National Science Foundation (NSF): Federal agency funding scientific R&D and technology commercialization across the U.S., including in Oklahoma; functions as a larger, broader funder overlapping with OCAST's grant-making role.

Regional players

• Missouri Technology Corporation: Missouri's state-supported tech-based economic development organization funding startup innovation, serving as a regional peer with comparable state-grant-distribution activity to OCAST.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/107633705932918
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/state-of-oklahoma

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments11 records

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Frequently asked questions about Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology