Tulsa Is Investing in Entrepreneurs. But Not These Entrepreneurs.

Walk through the farmers market. Browse Mother Road. Drive through Kendall Whittier or the Global District. Visit a fabrication shop or a food production facility. Tulsa's product businesses — from artisan makers to advanced manufacturers — are already building something real.

​And they're doing it without the ecosystem support that other business sectors take for granted.

​Tulsa has invested seriously in entrepreneurship. Most of it built with tech in mind. But the entrepreneur making and selling a physical product doesn't fit that model. The capital isn't structured right. The space isn't built for production. Nobody's organizing this sector — across the full spectrum from craft to advanced manufacturing — so it can advocate for what it actually needs.

​Tulsa is at a key moment. The product businesses are here. The question is whether the ecosystem — the funders, developers, program directors, and policymakers in this room — is going to build the infrastructure they deserve before the window closes.

​If you make a physical product: This session is for you. Come hear what communities that got this right actually did — and what's possible here.

​If you fund, develop, or support entrepreneurs: The product businesses in Tulsa are not struggling because the entrepreneurs aren't talented enough. They're hitting a ceiling because the ecosystem wasn't built for them. This is your chance to understand what needs to change.

​You'll leave this session with a clear picture of what Tulsa's product business ecosystem needs, what's already working, and what you can do about it now — not in a year.

Learn about programs around town.
Stay afterwards and connect with others over lunch.

Format: Talk by Ilana Preuss, Q&A, and a facilitated panel with Tulsa product business owners, real estate leaders, and entrepreneur support organizations.
In collaboration with Mother Road Market | Lobeck Tayor Family Foundation, Fab Lab|University of Tulsa, Tulsa County Library, Recast City, Mass Collaboration

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