Build in Tulsa

Join us for the October First Friday Founders Market and spend the evening shopping local, discovering Tulsa entrepreneurs, and supporting the people building what’s next in our city.

🗓 Friday, October 2
⏰ 6:00–9:00 PM
📍 Tulsa, OK
Link: https://www.buildintulsa.com/events/first-friday-founders-market-2026

🔨 The Founders:
⚫ Jordan Massingill hand-mixes seasonal botanical tea blends at Tender Moon Tea Company and hosts workshops where people build a blend of their own.

⚫ Chaska French-Jackson invented the Chaska Air Styler, a patented 3-in-1 tool that dries, straightens, and curls all hair types, now sold on her website, TikTok Shop, and Amazon.

⚫ Kayla Grace (.books) runs Kinara Bookstore, a Tulsa pop-up bookshop centered on writers who rarely get the spotlight, with book clubs and a sponsorship program supporting the Oklahoma Prison Book Collective.

⚫ Siduri Purnell hand-makes finger-knitted blankets through Something By Sid, the faith-based business she started in November 2025.

⚫ Bria Francisco built Collective Impact after more than 12 years in community development, giving housing authorities, community development corporations, and local governments one system for finding funding, tracking compliance, and reporting on affordable housing.

⚫ LaToya Larkin draws on 25 years in culinary and restaurant operations to build Mise en Cost, a platform that helps small food businesses and packaged-food brands cost their recipes and price for profit.

⚫ Tyler Thrasher, a self-taught chemist and artist, recently opened what he calls the world's first glowing flower shop right here in Tulsa.

⚫ Keicha Bond makes cold-pressed juices, herbal wellness blends, and plant-based creations at Scorpio Moon Juicery.

Shop local. Meet founders. Build community.

Nearly 8,000 founders, investors, and ecosystem builders came together at Black Tech Week in Cincinnati. But for Krisheena, the most valuable takeaways weren't about the size of the room—they were about what founders can take back to their businesses.

In her latest piece for Build in Tulsa, Krisheena breaks down the lessons that stayed with her:

🔁 Customer feedback: Let it influence what you build, remove, and prioritize.
🤝 Community: Build with customers, not simply around them.
🧩 Product focus: Solve the core problem before adding more features.
🧭 Leadership: You don't need every answer to lead with clarity and make informed decisions.
🏗️ Systems: Build operational and financial systems before growth makes them essential.

These are the kinds of observations that make being in the room valuable. Not just the conversations happening on stage, but the ideas that stick with you and change how you approach the work afterward.

Read the full Black Tech Week recap:
https://www.buildintulsa.com/bitblog/what-black-tech-week-taught-us-about-building-high-impact-ecosystems

Meet the 2026 W.E. BUILD Cohort. 🚀

These six founders are building bold companies, creating opportunity, and contributing to Tulsa’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem.

This year’s cohort includes:

Marilyn Harrell — Co-Founder + CEO, Crotch Cosmetics
Kristen Dunning — Founder + CEO, Gently Soap
Bria Francisco — Founder + CEO, Collective Impact
Jai (Jerrica) Fletcher — Founder + CEO, PawGone Good
Triyumfia Houmbie Fulks — Founder + CEO, CodeAlgo, Inc.
Jasmin Foster — Founder + Owner, Be Rooted

Through W.E. BUILD, these entrepreneurs will gain access to the guidance, connections, and resources designed to help them strengthen their businesses and scale with confidence.

We’re excited to welcome this new cohort and follow what they build next.

Join us in celebrating the W.E. BUILD Cohort 2026.

Edna Martinson of Boddle and Brooke Hill of Swella are now part of The First 200, the first public national archive of Black women who have raised more than $1 million in a single venture capital round.

Edna’s qualifying round was a $3 million seed raise for Boddle, an education technology company reaching millions of young learners. Brooke secured a $1.4 million pre-seed round for Swella, a technology-enabled company modernizing the braiding experience for textured hair.
Both founders came through ACT House, a Build in Tulsa partner program that pairs Black and Latino founders with non-dilutive capital, hands-on support, and direct investor connections.

Two founders from the same Tulsa accelerator earning a place on this national list shows what becomes possible when strong businesses have access to the right capital and networks.

🔗 Read the full story:
https://www.buildintulsa.com/bitblog/two-build-in-tulsa-founders-just-made-the-first-200

There’s more to building a business than the business itself. It takes people who believe in the idea, ask the right questions, open doors, and show up along the way.

That’s what you’ll find at W.E. Build Launch. Meet the 2026 W.E. Build cohort, hear the stories behind the businesses they’re building, and connect with the people who make Tulsa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem stronger.

If you’re an investor, mentor, community leader, corporate partner or simply someone who wants to know what’s being built in Tulsa, come be in the room.

September 4 | 4 PM
124 Reconciliation Way, Tulsa, OK

Register now: https://www.buildintulsa.com/events/w-e-build-launch-2026

A new cohort. New ideas. New businesses to watch.
On September 4, Build in Tulsa will introduce the 2026 W.E. Build cohort at W.E. Build Launch.

Join us to hear directly from this year's founders, learn about the companies they're building, and connect with the investors, mentors, partners, and community leaders helping create the conditions for their growth.

September 4 | 4 PM
124 Reconciliation Way, Tulsa, OK

Admission is free. Come meet the founders and get an early look at what's being built through W.E. Build.

Reserve your spot and join us for the launch: https://www.buildintulsa.com/events/w-e-build-launch-2026

What does entrepreneurship look like when you can experience it firsthand? 👀

Find out at the W.E. Build First Friday Market on September 4.
The 2026 cohort will bring their companies out from behind the scenes for an evening of founder showcases, product demonstrations, shopping, conversation, and connection. 🛍️✨

For investors and potential partners, it’s a chance to discover emerging companies. For mentors and ecosystem leaders, it’s an opportunity to build relationships with founders. And for anyone curious about entrepreneurship, it’s a chance to experience the work for yourself. 🤝🏾

September 4 | 6 PM
Build in Tulsa | 124 Reconciliation Way

Come see the ideas, products, and companies shaping what’s next.
Get your ticket: https://www.buildintulsa.com/events/w-e-build-first-friday-market-2026

For Dr. Ashley Dash, founder of ResumeATM and a 2024 W.E. Build participant, the program became part of her journey to grow both personally and professionally.
Now, a new group of founders is beginning that journey.

Join Build in Tulsa on September 4 for the 2026 W.E. Build Launch at 4 PM to meet this year's cohort, hear about the businesses they're building, and connect with the community supporting their growth.
Then, come back at 6 PM for the W.E. Build First Friday Market, where the founders will showcase their businesses, demonstrate their products, and connect directly with the Tulsa community.

W.E. Build Launch
September 4 | 4 PM
124 Reconciliation Way
Reserve your spot for the Launch:https://www.buildintulsa.com/events/w-e-build-launch-2026

W.E. Build First Friday Market
September 4 | 6 PM
124 Reconciliation Way

Reserve your spot for the Founders Market:https://www.buildintulsa.com/events/w-e-build-first-friday-market-2026

Admission is free. Come meet the founders, celebrate where they've been, and see where they're headed next.