Foundation Friday: Highlighting Bay Area entrepreneurs who reached semifinals

Seven finalists were selected to move on to the Final Competition taking place on Feb. 13 at the Moscone Center.

Jerry Jiang, for NBA.com

Updated on December 13, 2024 7:25 PM

All-Star Pitch Competition Finalists from the semifinals pose for a picture. From left to right: Peter Njongwe, Jodi Anderson, Bakari Grant, Damien McDuffie, Eve Idusuyi, Arthur Garcia, Leandrew Robinson.

Within the background of the NBA All-Star Game, the NBA Foundation aims to inspire innovators with the necessary tools, resources and financial support while increasing access to funding opportunities.

The NBA Foundation, in collaboration with the Golden State Warriors and the Kapor Center, is hosting the 2025 All-Star Pitch Competition. This event, sponsored by Amplitude, will provide Bay Area entrepreneurs with funding and opportunities to gain insight and advice from influential business leaders across the NBA family.

When asked what makes programs like this important, Nikki Lasley, head of DEI at Amplitude, said it’s about finding diverse entrepreneurs and adding opportunities for people to see their dreams and ideas come to life.

“I’m so glad that Amplitude is playing a part in that,” Lasley said.

The NBA and NBA Foundation are passionately dedicated to empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs.

“The Bay Area has long been a hub of innovation, a fact evident in the impressive pitches of the ten entrepreneurs who competed in the semifinals,” said Ruth Jurgensen, NBA Foundation executive director.

“As we look ahead to the final round at NBA All-Star, I’m excited to see how the seven finalists, all local innovators, will bring their best as they vie for significant capital investment on one of the NBA’s more marquee stages.”

Since 2022, the NBA Foundation has granted more than $250,000 to emerging entrepreneurs of color in NBA markets. Studies show that only a small percentage of start-up funding in the tech world reaches diverse-led companies.

“It is critically important for us to invest locally in the Bay Area Community,” said Nicole Lacob, board president of the Warriors Community Foundation.

“We are proud to work with the NBA Foundation to provide economic opportunity to these very talented entrepreneurs who are making an impact.”

The semi-finals for the All-Star Pitch competition were held on Dec. 4.

Event recap

The semifinals were held Dec. 4 at Chase Center and E-40, Nicole Lacob, Baron Davis and Sherri McMullen were among the judges (all of them have connections to the Bay Area and California).

Ten early-stage startups based in the San Francisco Bay Area pitched their businesses in front of a panel of judges featuring business leaders and celebrities. The pitches were three minutes long and the judges had five minutes to ask any questions. Only seven finalists could move on to the NBA Foundation’s All-Star Pitch Competition Finals in February.

Leading up to All-Star weekend, the Kapor Center will provide weekly information sessions for hands-on coaching, learning from industry leaders, and receiving technical assistance to turn their visionary ideas into reality.

Here are the finalists:

Jodi Anderson: Rézme
Eve Idusuyi: CreditCliq
Damien McDuffie: Black Terminus
Bakari Grant: Wellnest
Leandrew Robinson: Poster Child
Arthur Garcia: Trez
Peter Njongwe: Oben Health

Bay Area native and rap icon E-40 was one of four judges.

What’s at stake

The 2025 All-Star Pitch Competition will take place on Feb. 13 at Moscone Center, serving as the tip-off to All-Star Weekend. The seven finalists will compete for a total of $150,000 in cash prizes.

Here is the breakdown for the cash prizes: