Female Founders Pitch Night Recap (April 2025)

Tulsa, OK — The founder of a new tech platform aimed at making the move to another country easier walked away with the top prize at Build in Tulsa’s 12th Female Founders Pitch Night. Eight women-led startups competed for $36,000 in prizes with ideas ranging from better event planning technology to community development to vision-assist technology.

Thanks to the generous support of Target, George Kaiser Family Foundation, and Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, founders presented their companies to an audience of peers, investors, and community leaders, highlighting emerging solutions across multiple industries. The event continues Build in Tulsa's mission of accelerating underestimated founders and building an inclusive economic future.

Judges:

• Kristina Wadley, OCAST
• Ashley Yearby, Secure the Bags
• Andrada Pantelimon, Rose Rock Bridge

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Award Winners:

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1st Place ($20,000):

Kemi Bolatito founder of Scooly Technology impressed the judges with her AI-powered platform simplifying international student and immigration journeys. Born from her own immigration experience, Scooly aims to transform relocation by connecting users to verified experts and financial services, all on one accessible platform.

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2nd Place ($10,000) & Audience Choice Award ($1,000):

Rene Bramlett founder of Eygide 360 introduced AI-driven smart eyewear to empower the visually impaired. Inspired by her personal journey living with glaucoma, Bramlett’s wearable tech promises independence and accessibility for millions living with vision uncertainty.

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3rd Place ($5,000):

Shacole Hamlett founder of PlanBrite captured third place with her AI-powered event production platform. After years of managing major activations at the Super Bowl and Coachella, Hamlett developed PlanBrite to automate event documents and workflows, giving producers their time back.

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Other Incredible Founders Who Pitched:

• Nicole Halper founder of Proofed & Proven: An AI-powered ghostwriting platform helping change makers turn their expertise into published books.
• Bria Francisco founder of Collective Impact: A software platform empowering Community Development Organizations to streamline grant management and neighborhood investment.
• Stephanie Cheney & Claire Tomm cofounders of Flourish Pros: AI-driven growth platform for creative entrepreneurs like photographers.
• Melissa Williams founder of Pulse: An AI-powered app tracking and improving relationship health.
• Leah Saucedo, Abigail Chow, and Alan Meyer cofounders of Tally Receipts: A sustainable fintech platform digitizing receipt management.

All eight teams completed more than 25 hours of training and coaching to compete in the pitch night, learning concepts like the business model canvas and ideal customer profiles along with pitch deck best practices and design. Founders were also provided with group coaching as well as one-on-one business coaching. Each founder brought bold ideas and deep passion to the stage, showcasing the strength of women innovators leading Tulsa's next wave of entrepreneurship.

Through events like this, Build in Tulsa continues to carry forward the legacy of Black Wall Street and invest in the next generation of business leaders.

Female Founders Pitch Night will be back in 2026. 

For more about Build in Tulsa programming visit Build in Tulsa’s Programming page. 

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Missed The Event? Watch It Here.