Duane Johnson Recognized as USA TODAY Leader of Change

Duane Johnson, co-founder of Tuloko and Carlson MBA grad, was selected along with twenty-nine others as a leader of change; the next John Lewis. USA TODAY is highlighting these national and local activists across the country who embody the modern-day push for change Read the article on Duane Johnson and the 30 leaders of change.

Tuloko won the Impact Division of the 2012 MN Cup and is named after the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, home to what used to be a “Black Wall Street”. As one of the largest databases of black businesses in the country, Tuloko’s goal is to provide a connection from businesses to suppliers and to assist black entrepreneurs when it comes to procurement, making the work of black business ownership a little bit easier.

It wasn’t easy work, however. To take his start-up off the ground, Johnson had to find creative sources of funding, including seed money from an incubator in South America. He explained that last year, venture capitalists spent less than 1% of their $130 billion on black-founded start-ups, an issue that many black entrepreneurs have to deal with.

Read more about Johnson’s company and his work.