In this episode of Innovate That, Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell interviews Katy and Aria, the founders of WristWorld, an augmented reality puzzle RPG using wristbands.  WristWorld is an innovative Oklahoma company, but it just happens to have been created, founded and run by high school students.  With young Oklahomans like Katy, Arya and their team leading the way, innovation in Oklahoma has a very bright future.  Learn more at http://wrist.world

What happens when two engineers who love data come together with an idea to be able to determine a person’s susceptibility to disease and how certain treatments might affect their body based on their genetic makeup? 

AJ Rosenthal joins Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell to discuss how a question from his young son led to he and business partner Warren Gieck pursuing bioInformatics and launching their company General Genomics, Inc. 

The global water crisis claims about 3.4 million people every single year. That’s because 2.1 billion people lack access to clean water and on top of that 34% of the world’s population lack improved sanitation facilities.  

However, Water4, an Oklahoma nonprofit has made it its mission to make those statistics a thing of the past. Water 4 believes that this crisis cannot be solved with charity alone, but rather action, education, and implementation of clean water standards on the ground in these affected areas. That’s why they take the solution to the communities affected and partner with them to maintain their own clean water systems which helps to create a water infrastructure that is sustainable. And they do this with parts manufactured in Oklahoma City. 

Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell talks with CEO and President of Water 4, Matt Hangen to learn more.  Its quite a story of how a local nonprofit is using innovation to change the world and give people in other countries a chance at entrepreneurship. 

In this episode, the Lt. Governor talks with Sharon Harrison and Michael Grant about workforce development in Oklahoma. Their Workforce OMA committee was created to identify and drive initiatives for manufacturer’s workforce challenges in the state of Oklahoma. Listen in to learn about the program and hear how it is helping out this important Oklahoma industry. 

In this episode, Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell talks with Craig Shimasaki of Moleculera Labs. Dr. Shimasaki is an author, entrepreneur, and great spokesman for the Oklahoma Innovation Model. Learn about what precision medicine is, how his company is researching possible future COVID treatments and listen to his advice to fellow biotech entrepreneurs. The biotech industry benefits the State of Oklahoma because of companies like Moleculera Labs. 

Welcome to 2022! In this episode Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell sits down with Katy Boren, the CEO of the Oklahoma City Innovation District. They discuss the past, present and future of the district and highlight the game changing vision of this area just east of downtown OKC. Learn more at https://okcinnovation.com/.

In this installment the Lt. Governor talks with Bradley Davis, the founder and CEO of Podchaser. Bradley discusses his company, the path of a startup business and the differences between states and their process for investing in early stage businesses. Listen to learn why Bradley chooses to call Oklahoma his home and to find out what advice he would offer to any up and coming entrepreneur. 

In this episode the Lt. Governor welcomes Jennifer Ellis to the show. Jennifer is the CEO of Cosmetic Specialty Labs which is located in Lawton, Oklahoma. This company offers turnkey manufacturing for cosmetics and over the counter drugs. Listen in to learn about their history, what it is like producing products for clients and about some of the benefits the State of Oklahoma can offer new and existing businesses.  

In this episode, Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell talks to Jay Martin, founder of Martin Bionics. Together they discuss his latest innovation which was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the best inventions of 2020. They also discuss the impact OCAST and the innovation model has had on his company and industry and the importance of utilizing resources that are offered to innovators in the State of Oklahoma.

We are also happy to announce our new sponsor, The Oklahoma Business Roundtable. This great organization has partnered with OCAST to bring you this episode. Thank you for listening!  

Part 2 of our conversation with with Heather McDowell of OCAST, Jenny Cothran of The Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance and Jessica Stewart of the New Product Development Center. This episode talks about the future of industry in Oklahoma, the growing role of women in manufacturing and how the innovation model benefits the people of our state.