OKC’s Thunder Launchpad business accelerator visits Tulsa
TULSA — An Oklahoma City Thunder business initiative visited Tulsa on Wednesday to sample the city's entrepreneurial community.
In partnership with StitchCrew, co-founded by Erika and Chris Lucas, Thunder Launchpad seeks to boost tech investment in the state.
Its first 12-week accelerator program, which is designed to help founders conceive, design and scale their innovations, featured 18 people from 10 companies, Erika Lucas said.
"Through the accelerator program that we run, we have founders from all over, including Tulsa," Lucas said. "It's important that we come over here and get to know what the Tulsa startup scene looks like so we can tell the founders that the Thunder Launchpad is open for them as well."
On Wednesday, Thunder Launchpad learned more about some of Tulsa's biggest philanthropic arms, including the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation. The Oklahoma City group also visited Consumer Affairs, 36 Degrees North and Tulsa's Basecamp for Entrepreneurs and also led a workshop called "How to Pitch to Investors."
"It's all about learning from other entrepreneurs, how they started, how they grew, how they pivoted and a little bit about where they are right now," Erika Lucas said of the trip.
Karlis Kezbers is director of business intelligence and ticket strategies for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Having discovered the power of the Thunder brand, he wants to use it to better the community.
"In working with Erika and Chris and StitchCrew, we've reached a great partnership to try to stimulate economic development and entrepreneurship," Kezbers said. "We'll thrilled with the first 12 weeks of this batch.
"We're excited to get going on the one that's going to happen in the fall and just help the community and the state of Oklahoma become a destination to not only start your business but to put an anchor down and grow it here."