Women-owned Cherokee companies receive investments to support growth | News [Video]

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Cherokee Nation announced 10 women-owned Cherokee companies recently received investments to help businesses grow.

Cherokee Nation, in a partnership with The University of Tulsa (TU) invested $10,000 into each of the companies to help Cherokee businesses thrive.

“The Cherokee Women’s AcceleratHER Fellowship, supported by the ayana Foundation, empowers businesses led by Cherokee women, the announcement said. It includes a 12-week program and provides long-term support to launch, build and scale early-stage businesses.

“Native American women represent the lowest rates of business entrepreneurship across all groups,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “This fellowship is an excellent means of beginning to address such an unacceptable statistic, while also pursuing the longtime mission of the tribe and its businesses of investing in the success of every Cherokee citizen.”

The announcement said that according to Crunchbase data, which has tracked the trend since 2015, only about 14 percent …