Product Pitch Night is Build in Tulsa's eight-week training program for founders building physical products. Founders work with coaches to get their product ready for market, then pitch for a share of $18,500 in non-dilutive funding at a live event on November 12.
Product Pitch Night is Build in Tulsa's eight-week training program for founders building physical products. Founders work with coaches to get their product ready for market, then pitch for a share of $18,500 in non-dilutive funding at a live event on November 12.
Non-dilutive means the funding is not paid back, carries no interest, and Build in Tulsa takes no ownership in the company.
Applications close August 21 at 11:59 PM CT.
Funding and manufacturing conversations turn on the same set of questions, such as who the customer is, what the product costs to make, and whether the price holds up against that cost. They also include which manufacturer can produce it in the quantities the business needs, and what the numbers look like at ten times the current volume.
A founder who walks in with those answers is in a different position than a founder who assembles them in the room. What separates the two is preparation and access to people who have done it before. The eight weeks provide both.
Product Pitch Night founders work through those questions with coaches, then rehearse the pitch three times before the event.
By Pitch Night, a founder's company has:
Founders building a business around a physical product — something a customer can hold, use, or install. A robot, a device, a piece of equipment, a bottled beverage, a formulated skincare line.
Software can be part of the product, like a device's companion app. A company built around a software platform alone is not eligible. Confirming that requirement first saves time on an application that would not move forward.
What We Look For
Solo founders and teams of up to three can apply. One person delivers the pitch.
The program fits a wide range of physical products: robotics, drones, mobility and aerospace, energy and cleantech, advanced manufacturing, and inventions with a patent or a patent pending. Beauty, wellness, food, and beverage products built on real formulations, an FDA pathway, or protected intellectual property fit here, and so do medical devices. That list is examples, not limits. If you are building a physical product with room to grow, apply.
Not eligible: founders living outside Oklahoma; cannabis, tobacco, alcohol, and adult entertainment businesses; registered nonprofits; and anyone employed by, or with immediate family employed by, Tulsa Community Foundation or George Kaiser Family Foundation entities.
Eight workshops, September 22 through October 15. Sessions run in the evening in person and midday virtually.
Three to five one-on-one coaching sessions, matched to what the company needs.
Pitch practice. Founders run the pitch in person at Build in Tulsa headquarters on October 27 and October 29, then complete a full dress rehearsal on November 11. Pitch practice and Pitch Night are in person and required.
At the event, each founder delivers a five-minute pitch with a slide deck and takes three minutes of questions from the judges.
Founders pitch for a share of $18,500, decided live on November 12:
Every dollar is non-dilutive. No repayment, no interest, no ownership taken.
Physical products carry costs that arrive before revenue does. Tooling, materials, and a first production run are paid for before a single unit sells. Most capital available at that stage is priced in ownership. Non-dilutive funding covers the same costs and leaves the founder's stake intact, which is why the funding at Product Pitch Night is structured this way.
Build in Tulsa is hosting a virtual info session covering the eight-week structure, what each workshop builds, eligibility, and how applications are reviewed, with live Q&A at the end.
🗓 August 18, 6:00 PM CT — virtual
➡️ Register: https://www.buildintulsa.com/events/info-session-product-pitch-night-2026-virtual
➡️ Apply: https://www.buildintulsa.com/program/product-pitch-night-application
🗓 Applications close: August 21, 11:59 PM CT
📋 Program details: https://www.buildintulsa.com/program/product-pitch-night-powered-by-build-in-tulsa
Selected founders are notified September 11.
Key dates
Build in Tulsa is dedicated to closing the wealth gap in America by creating multi-generational wealth through tech and entrepreneurship. Inspired by the legacy of Black Wall Street, we provide underrepresented founders with the skills, capital, and community they need to thrive. Through accelerators, mentorship, and direct support, we are building a more inclusive and equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem.