The Tulsa Global District will soon be home to Oklahoma's first business incubator dedicated to immigrant entrepreneurs.
This new historic public-private partnership aims to revitalize the 21st and Garnet neighborhoods and increase opportunities for entrepreneurship.
City leaders said the Tulsa Global District is Tulsa's most culturally diverse community, with more than 80 languages spoken and 25 countries represented.
The city said a study of Tulsa County's immigrant communities found that entrepreneurship was much higher than the non-immigrant population.
The new incubator in Santa Cecilia Square will be staffed with staff who will hold workshops and assist immigrant entrepreneurs with matters such as obtaining permits and financing, according to leaders involved.
The City of Tulsa invested $1 million and Tulsa County $120,000, both of which were COVID-19 relief funds.
The George Kaiser Family Foundation has donated $1.4 million through Elevate East, a new program that funds initiatives in East Tulsa.
Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum said the incubator was a long time coming.
“When people trust our city, we want them to find here the success they wanted when they left home. And business incubators like this make that happen. “We believe that this is an important part of the process,” Bynum said.
Construction of the business incubator is scheduled to begin this summer.
The current store in Santa Cecilia Square will remain there during the renovation.
