For more information, contact:
Taleya Mayberry
Program Director
ACT Tulsa
918.720.2228
[email protected]
For Immediate Release
ACT Tulsa Invests $1.2 Million into Black and Latinx Founders
The Tulsa-based accelerator launches Cohort II with eight tech-enabled startups
Tulsa, OK (March 9, 2022) – ACT Tulsa launched Cohort II three weeks ago, fresh off of the
success of their inaugural cohort. Powered by their partners, the Tulsa-based accelerator has
now invested $1.2 million of capital into early-stage startups founded by Black and
Latinx founders in the last year.
Eight companies made it into Cohort II with industries ranging from Art Tech, Aviation
Tech, CPG, FemTech, SaaS, and more.
The companies in Cohort II are Boxtown, Budget Collector, CLLCTVE, Emfluencer,
King’s Wings, ONYX, Trameter, and Undelay. Three of the companies are from
Tulsa and five companies choose to move to Tulsa for the program.
“The money and resources help accelerate progress, but the contacts and networking
opportunities are huge, too,” said Leon Fowler, founder of Emfluencer. “As a Tulsan, it’s
amazing that I get to return to my city and help the community that I grew up in.”
Due to the inequities involved in funding for Black and Latinx founders, ACT Tulsa continues to
be highly focused on bridging the equity gap in the historic Greenwood district and Black Wall
Street.
“Anyone can give you money, but not everyone can give you access,” said Safir Monroe,
founder of UnDelay. “Being able to get meetings with high-level executives within a couple
weeks – those connections are huge and very important for our acceleration.”
And acceleration is what the program is all about. The program starts with three months of
incubation followed by three months of implementation.
“Nobody is doing what [ACT Tulsa] is doing,” said Victoria Polk, co-founder of Trameter.
With ACT Tulsa providing $70,000 in investment to each company equity and interest free, it
relieves founders from the stress of fundraising to focus on building a structurally solid company.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all because every company is different,” said Taleya Mayberry,
Program Director of ACT Tulsa. “ We need to take an individual approach for entrepreneurs to
get the support they need and many other critical resources.”
Beyond resources like game-changing capital, founders can expect to get tactical programming,
advisor matching, performance coaching, skill development workshops, intensive one-on-one
sessions, and more.
“ACT Tulsa is huge for me – It has allowed me to quit my full-time job so I can work on my own
business one hundred percent,” said Jarran Davis, founder of Boxtown. “I’m excited for this
journey with ACT, they offer many opportunities as well as personal growth as a business
owner.”
Personal development is also a key ingredient for startup success. Founders can get valuable
business and personal insights from their proprietary assessment tool, the ACT Assessment.
“Their funding and investor pool access has a recipe for success for all of us,” Davis said. “I
accept the challenge.”
To learn more about ACT Tulsa, visit www.acttulsa.com
About ACT Tulsa
ACT Tulsa is a joint venture between ACT House and i2E. ACT Tulsa’s investment partners
include: Biolchini Family Foundation, Cortez Family Foundation, George Kaiser Family
Foundation, Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Swank Family Foundation, and VAST Bank.
ACT Tulsa’s community partners include: 36 North, Black Tech Street, Build In Tulsa, and
TEDC.
About i2E
Over our 22-year history, i2E’s nationally recognized services have provided business expertise
and funding to more than 745 of Oklahoma’s emerging small businesses. With more than $90
million of investment capital under management, we are focused on serving Oklahoma
companies in all phases of the business life cycle, from startups looking for their first round of
capital to established businesses seeking funding to expand their markets or products. i2E, Inc,
receives state support from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and
Technology, and is an integral part of Oklahoma’s Innovation Model.
About ACT House
ACT House is the global platform for team formation and startup creation, by helping innovators
find their Founder DNA, build teams and accelerate their companies through accelerator
programs. With offices in Tallahassee, FL and now Tulsa, OK, through the years ACT House has
partnered with companies like Microsoft, John Deere, NexCubed, and higher ed institutions to
accelerate innovation ecosystems by transforming entrepreneurs.
For Media Inquiries:
Charity Marcus
Avenu PR
[email protected]
