So we are going remote…to Argentina!

After 6.5 amazing and formative years in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on August 1st, we in the Basch family have packed our bags and moved to Cordoba, Argentina to do a remote year. It’s been so busy getting the family adjusted that I’m just now getting this letter out.

Many of you might be wondering, “Why leave Tulsa?” After all, we were able to join an incredible community and there is so much momentum in Tulsa right now. Exemplified by the fact that Tulsa Innovation Labs just landed a massive federal tech hubs grant and the NYU Tulsa campus was just announced, both in the last two months! Meanwhile, Atento Capital, in partnership with the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF), has deployed over half a billion dollars into early-stage startups and venture funds. We’ve invested in 35 funds and 66 companies, with around a quarter of those companies based in Tulsa. We’ve launched nine organizations focused on talent attraction, retention, and building an innovation economy.

I’m proud that my colleagues at Atento and GKFF and I have launched initiatives that have made a difference for Tulsa, including:

1. Tulsa Remote: We’ve brought over 5,000 people to Tulsa, including spouses and kids?—?over 1% of Tulsa’s population!
2. Tulsa Innovation Labs: TIL has raised over $120 million in grants and private capital, launched 12 initiatives, and positioned Tulsa as a tech hub for equitable and trustworthy autonomous systems (drones!).
3. Atlas School: Over 175 students have graduated from this coding school to date, with another 125 in the program, addressing Tulsa’s tech talent gap.
4. Build in Tulsa: Over 400 entrepreneurs have gone through Build in Tulsa’s accelerator programs, raising over $10 million in capital.
5. Atento Capital: There were fewer than 5 venture-backed startups based in Tulsa when we started in 2020, and over 30 today.

While the last seven years in Tulsa have included some exciting wins, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. I reached my physical limits when I had three minor strokes last year. Atento looked at becoming multi-geographic into Northwest Arkansas, which proved too difficult to execute without compromising the quality of our work. While we are in the business of investing in startups, knowing many will fail, the public closure of Juno Medical’s Greenwood location brought heartache to our team, Juno’s patients, and Juno’s team. I learned lessons that I have taken with me to Argentina and for the rest of my career.

So why Argentina? On a macro level, Argentina is attempting a national turnaround from inflation, government corruption, and significant fiscal debt–some of the same challenges that the US and many other countries are up against. Should Argentina be successful in its extreme turnaround, it could be a model for other countries.

Just as Tulsa became a place for me to learn about and experiment to create local change, Argentina presents a chance for me and Atento to think more globally. How do the challenges faced by communities in Argentina compare to those in America? What truths about human nature, social systems, and change can we reveal by bridging these far-away places? To date, Atento Capital has invested in two companies (Bioeutectics and ByBug) from Argentina, and relocated the founding teams to Tulsa to help with their go to market. Might there be a larger opportunity in helping Latin American companies land in Tulsa?

I recently made my first trip to the White House as part of a delegation of US investors and Latin American ambassadors to strategize with President Biden’s administration about early stage Pan-American investment, which the White House notes has significant geopolitical value as China expands its investments around the world. This experience gave me confidence in the idea to invite some of the most interesting companies from Latin America to consider a US headquarters in Tulsa. An idea I believe is worth exploring!

Most importantly, this is a special time for our family. My wife Romi is from Cordoba, the bustling university and manufacturing town where we have relocated, and much of her family still resides there. I recently turned 40, and realized I have spent my entire adult life with work as my #1 priority. In thinking about building myself to last, I am excited to explore a more balanced, healthy, and family-oriented existence here, as is the custom in Argentina.

Not many people are aware of this, but in certain very particular circles, Cordoba is considered to be the Tulsa of Argentina. After all, it is landlocked, with a river running through it. Its economy is manufacturing-based and the people are laid back and absolutely wonderful. People cook large quantities of meat outdoors on the weekends, and there is a burgeoning startup scene. There aren’t as many direct flights as one might wish, but they are adding them, and the airport is accessible and easy to use. Which has led to zero cultural adjustment for the Baschs thus far! Though I have yet to hear a song “Living on Cordoba Time.”

Our two young children, Leo and Olivia, are soaking up time with their grandfather, aunt, uncle, and cousins, making new friends, and building their language skills by attending local schools in Spanish. Our third child, due on Halloween, will be born near our Argentinian family. Learning Spanish, navigating a new culture, and understanding a different economic landscape is already pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Even as we take this time in Argentina, my heart remains with Tulsa. I’ll be returning at least quarterly to check in. I’ll continue my board work within the Atento portfolio, and spend much of my time ideating, developing, and executing game-changing ideas for Tulsa on behalf of Atento Capital and GKFF. We are keeping our house in Midtown and are renting it furnished, in hopes of returning in a few years.

As I prepare for this new adventure, and as I think about the even more difficult times for our family and friends in Israel, Ukraine, and so many other places, I’m reminded of a concept in Judaism called “Tikkun Olam”?—?to repair the world, to leave it better than we found it. That’s what we’ve been trying to do in Tulsa, and it’s what I hope to continue doing in Argentina and beyond.

To my Tulsa friends, family, and colleagues at Atento, GKFF, and beyond –your support, your passion, and your dedication to purpose-driven work have made these past 6.5 years truly special. I am excited and grateful to still be part of it, even if from 5,000 miles away for now. As our family sets up shop in Cordoba, participating in some of the best asados to be found, please let me know if you find yourselves on this side of the globe. I have found the unrelenting energy and optimism here, regardless of what might be happening economically or geopolitically, to be good for the soul.

A mis futuros amigos en Argentina, if you know of founders looking for a US home base, Tulsa might surprise you. Feel free to pass my information along, and I would be happy to discuss why.

Chandler from Friends, Sylvester Stallone from Tulsa King, and Mike Basch from Atento have all referred to Tulsa as “the Paris of Oklahoma.” Buenos Aires has been called the Paris of South America. Come visit us–but in Cordoba, the Tulsa of Argentina! ;)

Until then, hasta la vista. You can find me in my new home in Argentina. Vamos!