Endeavor Expands to Tulsa, Launching ScaleUp Program for Female Founders
Endeavor is expanding into Tulsa with the mission of selecting and supporting Tulsa-based growth-stage founders. Endeavor will also be launching a program to accelerate the fastest-growing female-led start-ups through a program called ‘Endeavor ScaleUp.’
Endeavor has offices in Sao Paulo, Istanbul, Lagos, and 37 other markets and supports over 1,300 entrepreneurs across a variety of industries with access to capital, radical mentorship, and talent-based programming. In addition to peer networking, and demand-driven, tailored advisory services, Endeavor will be able to support its selected Entrepreneurs with Endeavor Catalyst, a rules-based venture fund, currently raising Fund IV, estimated to be $200MM.
Endeavor’s efforts in Tulsa will be supported by the Northwest Arkansas office, which launched in 2019. The Tulsa expansion efforts are made possible by the George Kaiser Family Foundation.
“Endeavor will provide the most promising founders in our region opportunities to further scale their startups into thriving business, contributing to the work George Kaiser Family Foundation is doing to support entrepreneurship and continue to make Tulsa a vibrant and inclusive city where opportunity is abundant,” said Ben Stewart, Senior Program Officer for the GKFF.
The team will build a local Board and mentor network including founders and entrepreneurial leaders who have successfully scaled their businesses in Tulsa, and partner with entrepreneurial support organizations and investors local to the Tulsa region, including 36 Degrees North, Tulsa Innovation Labs, and Atento Capital. Endeavor’s presence in Tulsa first took shape in March of 2020 meeting with and supporting local companies like True Digital and Ten Nine Technologies, as they participated in the first stage of Endeavor’s selection process.
“Endeavor’s mentor was honestly one of the most helpful meetings I have had as an entrepreneur,” said Paige Johnson, Founder, and CEO of Ten Nine Technologies “Their network is full of insights about bringing new tech-forward and crafting strategies for business development.”
“As an organization of, by, and for entrepreneurs, it’s important that each Endeavor office be guided by founders in the community and operated with the tenacity of a start-up,” elaborates Endeavor Northwest Arkansas Managing Director, Canem Arkan. “With the team we’re assembling, as well as the support of community partners, Tulsa and Northwest Arkansas will join forces to set a precedent for what regional collaboration can look like.”
Daniel Briggs, a native to Tulsa with experience working with fintech startups and larger financial institutions, will lead day-to-day operations in Tulsa. Daniel is an engaged member of 36 Degrees North and will represent the team in regional discussions as the organization grows.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Endeavor team as we help support growing companies in the region,” Briggs said, “Endeavor will fill a needed gap for Tulsa companies looking to scale.”
Endeavor’s ScaleUp program is hosted in ten of Endeavor’s 40+ markets, with the common goal to equip founders who have achieved strong product-market fit and proven high growth potential with the resources and confidence they need to take their companies to the next level. In Tulsa, ScaleUp will be exclusively focused on supporting high-impact female founders as part of a six-month, non-dilutive program anchored around founder-to-founder mentor connections with growth-stage entrepreneurs in Endeavor’s global network.
Individualized strategic growth workshops will be used to create personalized roadmaps for each founder or founding team, inform mentorship pairings, and curate advisory sessions with subject matter experts over the course of the program. Founders will also benefit from monthly workshops with their local cohort, designed and implemented in partnership with an executive coach to help them navigate their evolving role as a leader.
ScaleUp will be accepting applications until Feb. 15, 2022, with the program set to launch in June 2022. Entrepreneurs can learn more and apply here.
About Endeavor
Endeavor helps the fastest-growing entrepreneurs create lasting enterprises by providing the resources they need to scale without dilution. This includes access to a world-class mentor and peer network, entrepreneur-friendly capital, global markets, and talent programs. Founded in 1997 as a non-profit, Endeavor’s long-term mission is to dramatically improve the entrepreneurial ecosystem wherever it operates by selecting and supporting founder-led companies that scale. Endeavor Global now supports over 1,300 entrepreneurs across a variety of industries in 40 markets, with access to capital, radical mentorship, and talent-based programming. The Northwest Arkansas office launched in 2019 and now operates regionally with a second office and ScaleUp program in Tulsa, Oklahoma.