Ahmed Diabate - AI Hackathon & Tech Investment Democratization

Overview

A strategic conversation between Gary and Ahmed exploring an AI hackathon during NBA All-Star Weekend in LA, evolving into a broader discussion about democratizing tech investment for athletes/celebrities and creating lasting community impact through technology. The conversation reveals multiple business opportunities at the intersection of entertainment, technology, and civic engagement.

Key Topics Discussed

1. Personal Updates & Context

Ahmed opened with family updates about his parents' Istanbul trip:

• Parents spent a week shopping for their house being built in Ivory Coast
• Found great deals on luxury goods and furniture for shipping container transport
• Mother excited about Louis Vuitton, Roma, and other luxury brands availability

Gary's recent activities:

• Completed three-month AI-first development bootcamp
• Four-month consulting for AI-focused school system
• Recently baptized and working with a pastor mentor on spiritual matters
• Ready to return to commercial realm

Ahmed on Gary's AI school work: "Sounded really cool. Kind of like revolutionary, really."

2. AI Hackathon Vision for NBA All-Star Weekend

Ahmed presented his concept for an AI hackathon during All-Star Weekend (February 2025):

Core Vision:

• Bridge between AI technology and underserved communities
• Demystify AI and showcase practical tools
• Create lasting community impact beyond the event
• Leverage NBA platform for technology adoption

Initial Categories Considered:

• Fan experience enhancement
• Fantasy sports and gaming
• Content creation

Ahmed's motivation: "What can I do for the community that could actually have impact? ... The NBA all star week would be a great bridge for AI."

3. Gary's Strategic Pivot - Civic Technology Focus

Gary proposed a powerful reframe toward civic technology:

Key Insight: "I got an internship at my local city government because I built a better city government website for them in a weekend."

Civic Tech Opportunities:

• Rebuilding local government websites with AI
• Creating rec league game trackers
• Improving DMV and government service interfaces
• Open data initiatives for community developers

Gary on the approach: "These AI coding tools, just because it speeds up sort of basic development... government utilities feel like the perfect medium."

4. Celebrity & Corporate Engagement Strategy

Celebrity Value Proposition:

• Athletes show up as their donation (name, image, likeness value)
• Good photo ops with guaranteed PR support
• Introduction to tech investment opportunities
• Non-controversial community impact

Corporate Benefits:

• Tech companies get government relationship building
• Impact budget deployment without polarization
• Cultural partnership opportunities
• Talent pipeline development

Ahmed on cultural influence: "ASAP Rocky started wearing the meta glasses... I see a long ass line of kids from Harlem waiting for these meta glasses. That's the adoption."

5. Network Leverage & Resources

Ahmed's extensive network for execution:

Government Connections:

• Sister-in-law: Head of communications for influential LA city councilwoman
• Direct access to city government officials

Youth Pipeline:

• Sister: Heads youth job sourcing program
• Partnerships with Netflix, Nike, Stussy
• Cohort training and placement programs

Tech Industry:

• Brother-in-law at Google (former DEI, now people operations)
• Connection to NBA partnership person at Google

6. "Rich Kleinman as a Service" - Democratizing Tech Investment

Discussion of systematic approach to athlete/celebrity tech education:

The Problem:

• Most athletes lack tech investment guidance
• Only rare examples like Kevin Durant (Rich Kleinman) or Nas (Anthony Saleh)
• Missing out on potential 100x returns available in tech vs real estate

The Solution Vision:

• Systematic tech investment education
• Satellite events at major gatherings (All-Star, Grammys, Super Bowl)
• Rookie onboarding programs for leagues
• Ongoing mentorship and deal flow

Gary on the opportunity: "Every single NBA player should at least be considering putting a lot of their money into tech investments."

7. Cerebral Valley & Partnership Dynamics

Ahmed shared experience with Cerebral Valley (AI hackathon company):

Initial Interaction:

• Founder dismissive until NBA mentioned
• Immediate interest shift when NBA connection revealed
• Ahmed uncomfortable with energy and transactional approach

Ahmed's assessment: "I didn't really fuck with his energy... I saw the shift after I said NBA."

Gary's counsel: "That doesn't feel like the right energy of a partnership if he's just trying to build a relationship with the NBA."

8. Scalable Event Formula

Vision for replicable model:

Target Events:

• NBA All-Star Weekend
• Super Bowl
• Olympics
• Major music festivals
• Grammy Awards

Formula Components:

1. Major commercial event brings attention/celebrities
2. Tech companies provide tools and mentorship
3. Local youth build civic technology solutions
4. Government provides data and implementation paths
5. Lasting community infrastructure improvements

Ahmed on lasting impact: "It's not like, okay, the NBA came and they poured a bunch of money into a scholarship program... It's like the NBA came here. They provided resources and visibility. And then now we have a better DMV website."

9. The Intuit Dome - Future Stadium Context

Ahmed described the Clippers Arena as perfect venue:

• Everything operates through Intuit app
• Facial recognition for tickets and payments
• App-guided seat finding
• Pre-order merchandise for pickup
• "Stadium of the future" experience

Ahmed's vision: "I kind of want to do something in that spirit of just like futurism and being techno optimistic."

10. Business Philosophy & Partnership Approach

Ahmed on partnership criteria:

• Values authentic energy and connections
• Seeks lasting community impact
• Wants to build sustainable networks
• Focus on democratization over exclusivity

Gary on business approach:

• Separating profit from impact initiatives
• Building businesses to fund humanitarian efforts
• Creating multiple revenue streams
• Focus on win-win scenarios

Gary's evolution: "I realize I don't need everything I do to have a faith component. I can make a lot of money and then use that to fund like a church."

Key Quotes

On community building:

Ahmed: "You have to kind of build the world that you want to live in... We have more resources than we've ever had."

On tech adoption barriers:

Ahmed: "Every article, every VC and PE firm... are all talking about AI. And I feel that... I live in effectively South central LA... the NBA all star week would be a great bridge."

On celebrity tech investment:

Gary: "Every single NBA player should at least be considering putting a lot of their money into tech investments... You're not going to hundred X your salary investing in real estate."

On lasting impact:

Ahmed: "This weekend that is cool... supposed to be cool and fun... but it also has like a lasting impact on the community from the community."

On partnership selection:

Ahmed: "I'm an energy guy. I didn't really fuck with his energy... I saw the shift after I said NBA."

On civic technology opportunity:

Gary: "Improving the efficiency of government websites... feels so uncontroversial... It's a great story."

On athlete investment gaps:

Ahmed: "So Kevin Durant had Rich Kleinman. Nas had Anthony Saleh... all these athletes, artists... that seem kind of like tech savants have a person that's like, 'Hey, no, you should be doing this.'"

Action Items & Next Steps

1. Follow-up call scheduled for October 23, 2025
2. Research boardroom advisor program - Ahmed to gather intel on Kevin Durant's initiative
3. Refine messaging - Focus on civic tech and community impact angles
4. Stakeholder mapping:
   • Connect with LA city officials through sister-in-law
   • Engage youth organizations through sister
   • Explore Google partnership through brother-in-law
5. Develop partnership structure for potential collaboration
6. Create pitch deck emphasizing lasting community impact

Strategic Insights

Multi-stakeholder Value Creation

The conversation revealed a sophisticated understanding of creating value for multiple stakeholders simultaneously - celebrities get PR and investment opportunities, tech companies get government relationships and cultural credibility, youth get mentorship and career paths, and communities get improved infrastructure.

Cultural Bridge as Business Model

Ahmed and Gary identified a clear gap in the market: serving as cultural bridges between tech companies and entertainment figures. This "Rich Kleinman as a Service" model could be systematized and scaled across multiple industries and events.

Civic Tech as Trojan Horse

Using civic technology as the focus provides a non-controversial entry point that can unite diverse stakeholders while building relationships that enable future business opportunities.

Relationship Dynamics

The conversation demonstrated strong strategic alignment between Gary and Ahmed. Ahmed brings deep entertainment industry connections and community organizing experience, while Gary provides tech expertise and strategic vision. Both share commitment to authentic partnerships and community impact, rejecting purely transactional relationships. Their complementary skills and shared values suggest strong potential for collaboration.

Conclusion

This conversation evolved from a specific hackathon proposal into a broader vision for democratizing tech investment and creating lasting community impact through strategic event partnerships. The AI hackathon serves as a proof of concept for a larger business model that bridges entertainment, technology, and civic engagement. With Ahmed's extensive network and Gary's strategic insights, they've identified multiple scalable opportunities at the intersection of celebrity culture, technology adoption, and community development.