Foundation Friday: Spotlight on Bay Area Entrepreneurs in the Semifinals

The NBA Foundation, partnering with the Golden State Warriors and the Kapor Center, is proud to present the 2025 All-Star Pitch Competition. Generously sponsored by Amplitude, this event offers Bay Area entrepreneurs the chance to secure funding and receive valuable guidance from esteemed business leaders within the NBA community.

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.”

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: RézmeEve Idusuyi: CreditCliqDamien McDuffie: Black TerminusBakari Grant: WellnestLeandrew Robinson: Poster ChildArthur Garcia: TrezPeter Njongwe: Oben Health 

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: 

First place: $75kSecond place: $50kThird place: $25k

Get tickets

here

to watch the Final Competition live!