36 Degrees North opens Camp II
The sister site to 36 Degrees North, Camp II, officially opened in Tulsa’s Arts District.
The “Basecamp for Entrepreneurs” in Tulsa opened the additional 9,000-square-foot facility as a kickoff to Tulsa’s Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Mayor G.T. Bynum helped cut the ribbon on the new facility Monday alongside the organizations staff and key partners including Tulsa Regional Chamber staff.
The week-long dive into innovation hosted an array of speakers, announcements and events directly supporting the region’s entrepreneurs.
Located at 302 E. Mathew Brady St. the additional space features 12 fully-furnished offices, two conference rooms and a kitchen — all of which is designed for companies with between three to 10 employees.
The new location is in addition to innovator space at 36 Degrees North’s Basecamp at 36 E. Cameron St. and The Forge at 125 W. 3rd St.
Events throughout the GEW week included a Chamber-sponsored panel on entrepreneurial thinking in small business management, a discussion on how to "Demystify" City Hall with city staff, and a crash course at The Forge in making the leap from "thinking about it" to actually launching a business.
Ahead of GEW, the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation (LTFF) released its annual State of Entrepreneurship report. Research conducted by LTFF stay indicated significant increases in female ownership among Tulsa startups. In 2017, 55 percent of entrepreneurs indicated their company is at least 50 percent women-owned, up from 40 percent in 2016.
The report also showed increased mentoring activity among Tulsa entrepreneurs, with 70 percent responding they had a mentor in 2017, a significant increase from 46 percent in 2016 and 36 percent in 2015.
The foundation also announced a dollar-for-dollar match of up to $250,000 for donations to Kiva Tulsa loans. In its inaugural year in Tulsa, Kiva ss a microfinancing tool for entrepreneurs that offers no-interest loans for innovative ventures. Once loans are repaid, money is then reinvested in a new startups.
