OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) — Cortado Ventures is launching a $10 million angel fund dedicated to Oklahoma‑based startups, positioning the vehicle as early, catalytic capital for founders building technology‑driven companies. The firm is explicitly calling on Oklahoma’s oil‑and‑gas talent to stay, build and help power the state’s next wave of innovation.
The timing follows two high‑profile headquarters moves to Houston. Devon Energy plans to combine with Coterra Energy and headquarter the combined company in Texas while maintaining a significant presence in Oklahoma City. Expand Energy—the company formed from Chesapeake Energy’s 2024 merger—also plans to relocate its headquarters to Houston by mid‑2026, with Oklahoma City remaining an important operating hub.
Cortado General Partner Susan Moring said the fund is designed to back engineers, operators and builders who are ready to create what comes next in Oklahoma. “While headquarters may move, the talent that built this city does not have to,” she said.
The fund will focus on companies at the intersection of software and the physical economy, including automation, advanced manufacturing, AI, energy‑transition technologies, aerospace and defense.
Oklahoma City has a broader platform for founders than it did a few years ago. The Verge OKC, a nonprofit formed with support from Flourish OKC, Inasmuch Foundation and Cortado, connects entrepreneurs to workspace, programming and a “no‑wrong‑door” intake into mentors, resources and capital. The metro is also emerging as a tech market. A 2024 analysis ranked Oklahoma City among North America’s “up‑and‑coming” tech talent markets and estimated roughly 22,000‑plus tech workers in the region.
