This is the story of W.E. Build: how it came to be, why it exists, and what's next for the 4th Cohort Launching in September 2026.
For the last decade, I’ve built female founder initiatives everywhere I’ve worked — from the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute to NYDesigns to now Build in Tulsa.
I center women in tech.
I center women in CPG.
I center women in manufacturing.
And I do it because I was her.
I was the founder building late at night. The founder who had the vision but not the structure. The founder who needed accountability, guidance, and community — not just capital.
Sis, W.E. Build is the accelerator I wish I had.
In 2021, Build in Tulsa saw an opportunity to apply for funding through Goldman Sachs’ One Million Black Women Initiative, whose mission is to accelerate wealth creation for Black women and their communities. We were granted funding in 2022 and launched Cohort 1 in 2023 with a clear belief:
If we want diverse women to scale companies, we cannot ask them to choose between their business and their life.
So we built differently.
W.E. Build was designed as a holistic accelerator from day one.
Through support from Goldman Sachs, George Kaiser Family Foundation, Charles and Lynn Shusterman Family Philanthropies, Lesher Family Foundation, Google, and Cortez Family Foundation, we created an accelerator that provides:
We’ve invested over $2.25M into accelerating diverse women founders, including more than $625,000 in business awards and $240,000 in direct founder support like stipends and wellness services.
Because capital alone does not close the wealth gap. Infrastructure does. Many of our founders are mothers. Caregivers. First-generation wealth builders. Women carrying invisible labor. If we wanted them to focus on scaling, we had to remove friction.
Across three cohorts, W.E. Build has supported 27 founders.
Cohort 3 showed what happens when capital meets accountability:
Beyond revenue, 100% of founders reported greater clarity in articulating their value proposition. Nearly all expanded their professional networks. And 86% of non-Tulsa founders considered relocating or deepening their ties to Tulsa.
That’s not just business growth. That’s ecosystem building.
W.E. Build Cohort 4 is continuing to honor the legacy of the 27 who have graduated from this program and we’re elevating the experience.
We have shifted focus on deploying a traction-focused, performance-based accelerator for diverse women founders who are already in the market and ready to scale — particularly in tech and scalable CPG sectors.
We are seeking founders who:
This cohort is hyper-focused on achieving 25% growth in revenue, customers, or contracts over 12 weeks.
Not vibes.
Not theory.
Growth.
Cohort 4 will sharpen:
This is a rigorous, full-time accelerator. Founders commit 35–40 hours per week. They submit weekly KPIs. They engage in structured sales labs and customer discovery sprints.
Because our data is clear: the strongest outcomes come from founders who are already selling and willing to operate with discipline.
We believe wealth creation for diverse women founders happens when we combine:
Capital + Sales Discipline + Financial Education + Holistic Support + Ecosystem Access
When founders receive those inputs, they produce measurable outputs:
Which leads to long-term outcomes:
And ultimately: multigenerational wealth. That is the mission.
In 2023, female-founded companies received less than 3% of venture capital funding. Black women received less than that.
We cannot wait for capital systems to correct themselves.
So we build our own pathways.
W.E. Build is more than an accelerator. It is a sisterhood. A performance lab. A growth engine. A wealth-building platform.
If you’ve been building late at night…
If you’ve made revenue but know you’re leaving money on the table…
If you’re ready to grow 25% in the next three months…
We built this for you.
And we’re saving you a seat in Cohort 4.
Applications are open and apply by March 27, 2026.
