Why MYAVANA Chose Tulsa

At MYAVANA, place matters. History matters. And the future we’re building demands both.

In an unexpected yet divinely aligned turn of events, we were presented with the opportunity to open our next innovation lab in Tulsa—an invitation that felt less like chance and more like confirmation of our next chapter in the hair industry. MYAVANA has grown into a global leader in beauty technology, and I was genuinely surprised to recently see us ranked #8 among the Top 10 beauty tech companies in the world—proudly standing as the only Black woman–owned company on that list. Expanding beyond Atlanta has always been part of our trajectory, but what I didn’t anticipate was how this expansion would lead us back to the very roots of our industry. Tulsa, and specifically historic Greenwood, is sacred ground for beauty and Black entrepreneurship—once home to thriving beauty businesses, including the legacy of Madam C.J. Walker. It is with deep pride and gratitude that we are launching our first beauty tech innovation lab in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in partnership with Build In Tulsa—honoring the past while building the future of beauty technology.

Backed by a strategic investment from the George Kaiser Family Foundation, this partnership brings science-backed hair care innovation, supply-chain transformation, and workforce development to a city rooted in Black economic legacy. We were able to expand our Beauty Tech Fellowship Program with 24 college students from Langston University, Spelman College, and more to bring a new talent pipeline into the beauty industry through the STEM fields. Tulsa represents more than expansion—it represents reclamation, resilience, and the future of Black-owned wealth creation through cultivating our genius and the next generation.

Tulsa is where we chose to plant our first lab outside of Atlanta because it embodies the intersection of legacy, innovation, and opportunity that aligns with our long-term vision for the Black-owned beauty industry. Home to the last historic Black Wall Street blueprint, Tulsa represents both the promise of Black economic power and the responsibility to rebuild what was disrupted.

We are excited to partner with local Tulsa ecosystem organizations and entrepreneurs to catalyze inclusive economic growth, spark innovation in the beauty industry through AI and personalized hair care technology, and create pathways to generational wealth through the beauty industry. Together, we are anchoring Tulsa as a world-class hub for beauty-tech manufacturing, workforce development, and industry transformation.

This lab is not just about technology—it’s about re-engineering the supply chain of the Black beauty industry. For decades, Black consumers have driven the beauty market financially while Black-owned businesses still struggle to sustain operations and long-term growth. We continue to lose ground on equity and ownership, infrastructure, and scale. MYAVANA’s work in Tulsa directly addresses that imbalance by building digital and physical systems that connect manufacturers, stylists, retailers, distributors, educators, and entrepreneurs into a cohesive, community-owned ecosystem where we can thrive through group economics and strong execution with industry leaders and proven operators.

Our strategic goals in Tulsa are clear:

• Fuel economic growth through supply chain innovation and job creation
• Establish Tulsa as a global hair industry hub
• Create generational wealth for beauty entrepreneurs of color
• Develop talent pipelines through education, internships, and workforce programs

By leveraging AI-powered hair science, cooperative business models, and resilient supply networks, we are creating a future-proof economic ecosystem—one that allows Black-owned companies not just to participate, but to lead. 

This is not an experiment. This is a blueprint—and Tulsa is where it continues.

Come witness this historic shift in the industry at our upcoming demo day on Feb 3rd: https://luma.com/a4k3tcb8