I've seen founders dreams bloom before my eyes. I've seen lightbulbs go off in our future CEOs and adult CEOs alike. I've seen tears of frustration at the lack of progress and tears of joy when the right funding comes at the right time.
I've seen founders dreams bloom before my eyes. I've seen lightbulbs go off in our future CEOs and adult CEOs alike. I've seen tears of frustration at the lack of progress and tears of joy when the right funding comes at the right time. I've argued for the importance of funding Black founders and I've fought for the relevance of my hometown in the middle of the country. I've mourned a historic racial tragedy while doggedly advocating for a hopeful inclusive future.
Thanks to the founders, funders and partners who have believed in us, Build in Tulsa has done some good work in five years. We've impacted more than 700 entrepreneurs, provided nearly 20 million in funding and facilitated about 35,000 hours of training and coaching.
It hasn't been easy. We haven't always gotten it right. But our commitment to the work has never wavered.
Leading Build in Tulsa is the hardest, most rewarding job I've ever had. It's been a lot of long days and sleepless nights. There have been moments I didn't know if it would survive, let alone succeed. It has tested and challenged me in ways I could never have predicted. But it has also brought such a sense of pride and joy and hope. It has been the pleasure of my career to watch our founders, my team, and our city dream unabashedly. I'm so grateful to have played a small part in hundreds of entrepreneurial journeys. Proud to have pumped nearly 20 million dollars into founders who often thought no one would believe in them enough to write a check.
Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us on June 2nd. We were honored to be recognized by the City of Tulsa with a mayoral proclamation. Proud of the founders from Lamik Beauty, Write Sea and Boddle, who shared some of their founder journey at our celebratory luncheon. We were thrilled to welcome almost 500 people to our community block party on Greenwood, where our founders showcased their products, local talent took the stage, and we supported 36 local businesses.
While we celebrate the milestone, we're not resting on our laurels. We know there's still plenty of work to do. We continue to champion the journeys of Black founders and other underrepresented entrepreneurs. We're committed to funding their ideas at the earliest stages and beyond.
To underscore that commitment, we will invest $50,000 in five Build in Tulsa companies poised to scale. And we will be announcing a new program soon committed to accelerating more founders who are too often overlooked.
Now more than ever the world needs entrepreneurs, the problem-solvers, the innovators. So I invite you once again to build with us. If you're a founder looking for community, a professional with expertise to share, a funder who wants to support real impact, build with us.
And even if Tulsa isn't the right place for you, keep building and build with us.