TULSA, Okla. — As Tulsa cultivates a network of entrepreneurs, a non-profit organization is expanding its resources to support local women start-ups.
Endeavor works with successful companies looking to grow their businesses even further and one of their programs will focus on women-led businesses in Tulsa.
“Tulsa is speaking to the world right now and people need to listen because the next set of big companies are going to come out of Tulsa, "Canem Arkan, managing director of Endeavor Tulsa said.
Endeavor, a globally based non-profit, mentors and provides capital resources to help fast-growing entrepreneurs create lasting enterprises.
“We really want to support that ScaleUp company because there are a lot of resources for our start-up companies, but once you achieve a certain level of success, there’s really nothing for you. You’re sort of left on your own,” Arkan said.
Arkan said endeavor works with companies that average seven to ten million in revenue. She said 98 percent of them are led by men, which is why they created Endeavor's ScaleUp Program, to pave the way for women-led start-ups to scale up too.
“Part of our work is to encourage women to say, your business is going to scale and make a difference and we want you to be part of this program,” Arkan said.
The George Kaiser Family Foundation is giving Endeavor a $150,000 dollar grant each year for the next three years to fund successful enterprises led by Tulsa women.
The program will introduce women entrepreneurs to a network of people who are already at the level they are aspiring to operate.
“The companies that have product-market fit that are doing these incredible things already, but just need an extra push and need some you know, not local mentorship but not local peer to peer connection but national or global, which is what Endeavor can provide," she said.
Arkan said she would like to see Tulsa, Northwest Arkansas, and Kansas City collaborate to help businesses grow and compete with larger cities.
The deadline to apply for ScaleUp is next Tuesday, February 15th. For a link to the application, click here.
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