Tulsa Nonprofit Helping Women Of Color In Tech Turn Ideas Into Profit Through 15-Week Program

A Tulsa nonprofit is helping women of color in the technology industry turn their ideas into products that make money.

The group, Build in Tulsa, is wrapping up a 15-week program with national and international experts to help business founders make more money and build generational wealth.

Come November, 10 smart locker storage systems could be around Tulsa for people to store their belongings on the go.

"So, think about going to a concert at the BOK and you can't take your purse in, or if you go to the new wave park at Zink Lake and you just have all this stuff and you're not by your car,” said Ashley Yearby, a Tulsa native and the founder of STB Technologies.

Yearby said she is excited to have her hometown be the first to try her product, called Secure the Bags.

Yearby is among a small group of women of color in this year's cohort of the W.E. Build Program, funded by Build in Tulsa, a nonprofit that aims to close the wealth gap through tech and entrepreneurship.

"I've been able to bring on additional revenue, grow my team, and just have a better knowledge of the startup ecosystem,” said Yearby.

Ashli Sims, managing director of Build in Tulsa, said participating founders get $25,000 for their business, plus help with accounting, marketing, and a mental health coach.

"We want them building in Tulsa, so we have incentives to make sure that their programs, their businesses are building in Tulsa, whether that's hiring here, purchasing a factory here,” said Sims.

The women also get to work with international experts like Jonathan Mentor, founder of Successment.

Mentor lives in the Dominican Republic and has spent the last two months in Tulsa working with the program.

"We immediately generated revenue within my two weeks here,” said Mentor. “I think this cohort, in general, has a lot of potential to really change the economy of Tulsa. "

Yearby said she feels ready to take the next step with her business.

"Just makes it a little more exciting to go out because I know I have the tools now,” said Yearby.

This is the second year of the program, and Build in Tulsa plans to bring it back every year.

Applications for the next cohort will be available in 2025.