ACT House
ACT House is a Tulsa-based startup accelerator and venture platform that provides non-dilutive $70K funding, team-formation methodology, and follow-on venture capital to Black and Latino-led startups across the U.S.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersTallahassee, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ACT House does
ACT House LLC is a privately held startup accelerator and venture platform founded in 2020 and headquartered at 100 S Cincinnati Ave in Tulsa, Oklahoma (with an additional office in Tallahassee, FL). The company operates a four-product, sequentially integrated program suite built around its proprietary ACT Model — a team-formation methodology that classifies founders into three archetypes (Architect, Creative, Techie). The four products are: (1) ACT Assessment, a free 15-minute self-service evaluation that maps founders to archetypes and serves as top-of-funnel; (2) ACT Pre-Accelerator (Build Day X), a free 24-hour hackathon format used for founder discovery; (3) ACT Accelerator, a 6-month program for Black and Latino-led startups providing $70,000 in non-dilutive capital (0% interest, 0% equity), with 3 months in-person in Tulsa and 3 months hybrid; and (4) ACT Ventures, a venture investment arm deploying $250K-$750K checks from a $33.3M fund into diverse, change-making startups.
The business model combines philanthropy-funded accelerator deployment with fund-management economics. The ACT Accelerator program is funded by a coalition of Tulsa family foundations (Biolchini, Coretz, George Kaiser Family Foundation, Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Swank Family Foundation, Zarrow Foundation) and corporate partners including Vast Bank, plus a joint venture with i2E (Oklahoma's $90M+ AUM innovation partner). The $70K accelerator investment is structured as a 1x-payback note triggered by revenue or capital-raised milestones, recycling capital into an evergreen fund. ACT Ventures represents the dilutive capital layer, with check sizes of $250K-$750K into portfolio companies and a target fund of $33.3M (Fund 2, announced February 2024). The customer base is pre-revenue to early-revenue Black and Latino-led startups nationally; 45-50 companies have been funded across 5 completed cohorts (Cohort 6 in progress), with portfolio outcomes including Boddle Learning (5M users, 1M+ MAU), Bootup ($1M revenue in 7 months), Good Girl Chocolate (35+ Whole Foods stores), and SkinCheck (1M+ lesions scanned).
ACT House firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ACT House
- Legal name
- ACT House LLC
- Website
- https://act.house
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ACT House is a Tulsa-based startup accelerator and venture platform that provides non-dilutive $70K funding, team-formation methodology, and follow-on venture capital to Black and Latino-led startups across the U.S.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ACT House industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Startup Accelerator and Venture Capital Services
- NAICS
- Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Venture Studios / Company Builders (FSANAAAH), Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)
Keywords
Where ACT House is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tallahassee
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
ACT House business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Accelerator Program Investment Returns: ACT House invests $70,000 in each accelerator startup with 0% interest and 0% equity. The 1x payback of $70,000 is triggered by revenue/capital raised milestones, returning capital to the evergreen fund for reinvestment.
- ACT Ventures Fund Investments: $33.3M fund size with $250k-$750k average check sizes investing in diverse startups. Returns generated through equity investments in portfolio companies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | ACT Accelerator - $70K Non-Dilutive Investment |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | ACT Assessment |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Build Day X Pre-Accelerator |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
ACT House product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ACT House operates an integrated startup accelerator and venture platform serving Black and Latino-led founders. Its core offerings are a 6-month equity-free accelerator providing $70,000 of non-dilutive capital to selected startups, a 24-hour pre-accelerator innovation bootcamp, a proprietary founder team-fit assessment tool, and a venture capital fund ($33.3M) writing $250K–$750K checks into diverse portfolio companies.
Product overview
ACT House is a startup accelerator and venture platform offering a four-part integrated program suite: (1) ACT Assessment — a foundational team/personality evaluation tool that identifies founder archetypes and optimal team composition; (2) ACT Pre-Accelerator (Build Day X) — a 24-hour innovation bootcamp for rapid idea validation and team formation; (3) ACT Accelerator — a 6-month equity-free accelerator providing $70K capital, tactical programming, and workspace to Black & Latino-led startups; and (4) ACT Ventures — an investment vehicle deploying $250K-$750K into portfolio companies. The programs are sequential and interconnected, with the ACT Assessment serving as the gateway to all other offerings, and the Accelerator feeding companies into the Ventures arm.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ACT Assessment: A 15-minute evaluation that helps founders uncover their skills, talents, communication style, and appetite for risk to build better teams.
- ACT Pre-Accelerator
- ACT Accelerator
- ACT Ventures
- Build Day X
Products and services
- ACT Assessment A 15-minute self-serve evaluation tool that helps founders uncover their skills, talents, communication style, and appetite for risk, providing a common language for team formation and optimization using the ACT Model.
- ACT Pre-Accelerator (Build Day X)
- ACT Accelerator A 6-month intensive accelerator program for Black and Latino-led startups offering $70,000 in non-dilutive capital (0% interest, 0% equity), with 1x payback triggered by revenue/capital milestones, in-person in Tulsa for the first 3 months and hybrid thereafter.
- ACT Ventures A venture investment arm that sources founders using proprietary team assessment tools, providing capital ($250k–$750k average check sizes from a $33.3M fund) and founder support to diverse, change-making startups.
Quantifiable outcome
- $70K non-dilutive investment vs $35K average for Black/Latino founders
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use ACT House
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ACT House technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
ACT House partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- i2EcoreJoint venture partner for ACT Tulsa Accelerator. i2E is Oklahoma's innovation partner with 22+ years of experience and $90M+ under management. Provides business expertise and funding for Oklahoma emerging businesses.
- Build in TulsacoreKey ecosystem partner providing $3,000 housing stipends per company, organizes Black Venture Summit, hosts Demo Day celebrations, and connects founders to the Tulsa startup ecosystem.
- 36 Degrees North IncubatorcoreProvides free office space for accelerator companies in downtown Tulsa. Removes barriers to entry for founders relocating to Tulsa.
- Black Tech StreetcoreNetwork partner in Tulsa's innovation ecosystem focused on Black tech entrepreneurship in the historic Greenwood district.
- MicrosoftminorCorporate partner for ecosystem acceleration and innovation programs.
- John DeereminorCorporate partner for innovation ecosystem development.
- NexCubedminorPartner for startup ecosystem acceleration and innovation initiatives.
- BrainstationcoreHost partner for Build Day X hackathons in Miami during Art Basel. Provided venue and collaborated on hackathon programming.
- Tech Equity CollectivecoreGoogle Initiative partner for Build Day X hackathons, bringing tech equity focus and diverse participant recruitment.
- Black Ambition PrizecorePartner for 'No Pressure' pitch competition, co-hosting events and providing prize funding.
- Florida Power & LightminorEvent partner supporting Miami activations during Art Basel season.
- Center for Black InnovationminorPartner for Miami events and Black entrepreneurship ecosystem support.
- AdidasminorPartner for Miami 'No Pressure' pitch competition, providing judges and event support.
- LVMHminorPartner for Miami events providing judges and industry expertise for pitch competitions.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ACT House competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Visible Hands: Accelerator and venture fund focused on founders of color and women, providing capital, mentorship, and community. Direct competitor for the same founder pipeline and capital sources.
- NewMe Accelerator: Accelerator and platform specifically focused on Black and Latino founders, providing capital, mentorship, and community — the closest direct peer in mission, target demographic, and operating model.
- Backstage Capital: Venture firm specifically funding startups led by underrepresented founders (women, people of color, LGBTQ+). Comparable mission and target founder pool, though operates more as a traditional VC than an integrated accelerator.
- i2E: Oklahoma-based business expertise and funding organization with $90M+ under management. Co-venture partner on ACT Tulsa Accelerator — direct operational peer in Oklahoma's innovation ecosystem and a partner-comparable entity.
- Black Ambition: Pharrell Williams' nonprofit initiative supporting Black and Hispanic founders through pitch competitions and capital. Listed as an ACT House partner for 'No Pressure' pitch competitions — operates in the same demographic and capital-deployment space.
- Build in Tulsa: Tulsa-focused ecosystem builder supporting Black entrepreneurs and the historic Greenwood district. Major ACT House partner providing housing stipends, Demo Day hosting, and ecosystem connections — operates in the same founder development space.
Broad incumbents
- Y Combinator: Largest and most established startup accelerator globally; increasingly targeting underrepresented founders through partnerships and themed programs. Sets the standard against which all diversity-focused accelerators compete for founder mindshare.
- Techstars: Global accelerator network with thematic and diversity-focused programs. Cox Enterprises Social Impact Accelerator powered by Techstars is explicitly mentioned in ACT House's early funding history, making it the most directly comparable incumbent in the accelerator + venture model.
- Plug and Play: Global innovation platform and accelerator with corporate partnerships across multiple verticals. Comparable as a large-scale, multi-program accelerator with both startup services and venture activity.
Emerging players
- Google for Startups Black Founders Fund: Google's corporate program providing $100K-$150K non-dilutive grants specifically to Black-led startups in the US. Tech Equity Collective (a Google Initiative) is already an ACT House Build Day X partner, making this a directly adjacent ecosystem player.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ACT House social profiles
Digital presenceACT House financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ACT House leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
ACT House subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
ACT House funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ACT House M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ACT House
What does ACT House do?
ACT House operates an integrated startup accelerator and venture platform serving Black and Latino-led founders. Its core offerings are a 6-month equity-free accelerator providing $70,000 of non-dilutive capital to selected startups, a 24-hour pre-accelerator innovation bootcamp, a proprietary founder team-fit assessment tool, and a venture capital fund ($33.3M) writing $250K–$750K checks into diverse portfolio companies.
Is ACT House a public or private company?
ACT House is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was ACT House founded?
ACT House was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ACT House based?
ACT House is headquartered in Tallahassee, United States, in the North America region.
How does ACT House make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Accelerator Program Investment Returns are the primary driver. The others are ACT Ventures Fund Investments.
Who are ACT House's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Visible Hands, NewMe Accelerator, Backstage Capital, i2E, Black Ambition and Build in Tulsa. Broad incumbents are Y Combinator, Techstars and Plug and Play. Google for Startups Black Founders Fund is listed as an emerging player.
Does ACT House have an API?
No public API is recorded for ACT House.
What industry is ACT House in?
ACT House's product category is Startup Accelerator and Venture Capital Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated), with a secondary code of FSANAAAH, Venture Studios / Company Builders. Its NAICS code is 81399 and its SIC code is 8742.