Build in Tulsa Techstars Accelerator Announces Inaugural 2022 Class
Aug 12, 2022
Techstars is delighted to announce the inaugural class of the Build In Tulsa Techstars Accelerator, run in partnership with Build In Tulsa, an organization with a mission to build the infrastructure for Black multi-generational wealth creation through tech and entrepreneurship.
After months of sourcing, screening, and interviewing, we have selected 12 of the most promising startups with a diverse array of industries ranging from Digital, Health, Social Networks, Artificial Intelligence, Environmental Tech, E-commerce, Travel, and Property Technology.
The class also demonstrates Techstars and Build In Tulsa’s commitment to invest in diverse-led teams with the majority of the companies being founded and led by Black CEOs.
Over the next 12 weeks, our objective is to help the founders rapidly scale their operations, customers, and access to capital, with the help of an amazing mentor network and our partner organization, Build in Tulsa, building on the legacy of Black Wall Street. The class will showcase their progress in a Demo Day the week of November 3, 2022.
Tulsa has a small, rapidly growing and supportive startup community ecosystem, which we know our founders will continue to benefit from and contribute to long after the program concludes.
The Build in Tulsa Techstars accelerator is funded by the George Kasier Familly Foundation and the Charles & Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies.
About Techstars The Techstars worldwide network helps entrepreneurs succeed. Founded in 2006, Techstars began with three simple ideas—entrepreneurs create a better future for everyone, collaboration drives innovation, and great ideas can come from anywhere. Now we are on a mission to enable every person on the planet to contribute to, and benefit from, the success of entrepreneurs. In addition to operating accelerator programs and venture capital funds, we do this by connecting startups, investors, corporations, and cities to help build thriving startup communities. Techstars has invested in more than 2,900 companies with a combined market cap of more than $189B. www.techstars.com
About Build in Tulsa The mission of Build in Tulsa is to close the racial wealth gap in America by catalyzing the creation of multi-generational Black wealth through tech and entrepreneurship. Rooted in the legacy of Black Wall Street, Build in Tulsa is committed to providing opportunity for minority entrepreneurs who have historically been denied resources and funding. Build in Tulsa is partnering with several accelerators including ACT Tulsa, Lightship Foundation, and Techstars designed to meet underrepresented Black and Brown entrepreneurs wherever they are in their business development journey. Build in Tulsa provides a suite of services including training and workshops to get founders accelerator-ready, mentoring and networking events to introduce entrepreneurs to each other as well as strategic partners, and connecting entrepreneurs to potential sources of capital. Build in Tulsa is also addressing some of the barriers that many Black entrepreneurs face by providing free coworking space, cost of living assistance, funding for technology and other microgrants.
Here are the companies that make up the Build In Tulsa Techstars Class of 2022:
CASSIE | Virginia Beach, VA |
Green Air Filtration for the Pandemic Generation: CASSIE is an IoT (Internet of Things) operating system and physical hardware for air quality monitoring and disinfection. CASSIE utilizes state of the art patented disinfection technology which uses less energy thereby saving consumers money.
Groovv | New York, NY | Phoenix, AZ | Fort Collins, CO |
Groovv provides retirement access to the 60 million+ independent workers across the United States. What differentiates Groovv from other retirement providers is that our platform allows gig workers, freelancers and independent contractors to seamlessly participate in retirement planning.
human | Nashville, TN |
human’s mission is to change the future of how people find their person, initially for love/romance with future applications underway. human is the first dating platform powered by advanced AI that predicts a user's best potential match based on actual behavior enabling meaningful connections.
KEXY | San Diego, CA |
KEXY is a multi-sided platform that allows restaurants and bars to conduct their inventory and ordering tasks 85% faster thereby curating a more efficient way to facilitate commerce between their supply chain.
Lerch | Cincinnati, OH |
Lerch is your event concierge ordering app. With Lerch, one can increase their concession and merchandise sales through line elimination and increasing customer satisfaction and spending.
NGHBR | Bali, Indonesia |
NGHBR is a professional network facilitating in person connections based on your location in real-time.
Plannly | Scottsdale, AZ |
An intelligent benefits platform that adapts to an individual's lifestyle and recommends the best-personalized health and wellness solutions.
Shopl | Atlanta, GA |
Shopl is a universal online shopping account and checkout which lets users seamlessly checkout across multiple retailers, as well as discover, track, and manage your purchases in a singular location.
SocialPreneur Lab Inc. | Tulsa, OK |
SocialPreneur Lab is an edtech and fintech platform that allows kids (ages 11+) to become entrepreneurs, raise startup capital, and sell products online all within one seamless platform.
SolarWind Innovations Inc. | Tulsa, OK |
SolarWind takes all the complexities of going solar and packages it into an easy to use platform for installers, customers, and utility providers using blockchain technology to automate the solar sales process between installers and customers.
SquadTrip | New York, NY |
SquadTrip is a SaaS platform that makes booking and payments easy for group trips.
Workbnb, Inc | Reno, NV |
Workbnb is a B2B SaaS travel startup with the mission to accelerate the proliferation of workforce rental homes and improve the lives of millions traveling for work in the United States.