Nearly $20 million invested in underrepresented businesses. More than 700 entrepreneurs assisted. About 270 jobs created.
Those were some of the achievements Build in Tulsa highlighted Tuesday during its five-year anniversary event. Since its 2021 launch, the nonprofit says it has offered full-service entrepreneurial support for underrepresented groups, leading to more than $14 million in revenue.
“We coach our Black founders and underrepresented founders, Hispanic, Latino, Latinx, Native American, all of that benefits everyone,” Ashli Sims, Build in Tulsa’s managing director, told The Eagle. “The skills are the same, (but) the resource gaps tend to be similar for underrepresented groups.”
Sims said Black people and women only receive about 2% of all venture capital funding.
To help increase that number, the nonprofit offers several programs like “Build Up,” which goes over the fundamentals of starting a business; “First Friday Founders Market,” which showcases local small businesses; and “Blueprint,” which focuses on building tech prototypes and pitch competitions where founders can win up to $10,000 to build their businesses.
Kora-Lynah Abelard, founder of Orijin, a Caribbean-inspired skincare brand, moved to Tulsa from Florida last year as part of the W.E. Build program, a three-month accelerator for women entrepreneurs.
Abelard said she’s committed to staying in the city for at least another year and has found a unique community thanks to Build in Tulsa.
“What I think Build in Tulsa does really well is that they invest just as much in you growing in your business as growing you as a founder and as an entrepreneur and as a person,” she told the Eagle.
“A lot of times it’s really kind of about the bottom line, about the business alone at the detriment of you as a human, and I feel like this place does a really great job of finding a balance between the two,” Abelard explained.
Moving forward, the organization will give $50,000 each year to five Tulsa-based startups that have come through their network. Recipients will be chosen through a competitive application-based process.
“We want to spend the next five years deepening that work and really helping founders move from (being) solopreneurs, founder-only companies to true economic engines for the community,” Sims said. “Which means they’re employer-based businesses, they’re hiring more people, they’re increasing their revenue in a way that will sustain those businesses and sustain employees.”
Build in Tulsa will conclude its anniversary with a community block party in the Historic Greenwood District from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Disclosure: Ashli Sims serves on the community advisory committee for The Oklahoma Eagle and Tulsa Flyer. Build in Tulsa receives financial support from the George Kaiser Family Foundation. GKFF also provided financial support for The Oklahoma Eagle and Tulsa Flyer. News decisions at The Oklahoma Eagle are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
Ismael Lele is a Report for America corps member and writes about business in Tulsa for The Oklahoma Eagle. Your donation to match our Report for America grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting this link.
