Grow the Game Inc.

What Grow the Game Inc. does

Grow the Game Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2020 by Jake Cerota and Ashton Hopp that serves college basketball student managers and graduate assistants. Its core offering is the Manager Connection program, which provides a free membership community for student managers, supplemented by the GA Pathway for graduate assistants seeking careers in college basketball, Professional Development Cohorts, a Summer Zoom Series, and activations at the NABC Convention and Nike EYBL Summer Sessions. The organization also operates a Brand Ambassador program and administers scholarships totaling more than $40,000 since inception.

The organization's partnerships extend its reach into institutional and commercial basketball ecosystems. An official partnership with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) provides access to the college basketball coaching community, while a partnership with Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) enables activations at EYBL Summer Sessions and engagement with elite high school basketball. Technology and content partnerships with Hudl and JustPlay give members access to industry-standard basketball video and recruiting tools.

Grow the Game operates a donation-funded non-profit business model. Membership is free, and operations are supported through tax-deductible donations enabled by its 501(c)(3) status, granted in October 2022. The organization employs 23 people and reinvests donor funds into programming and scholarships. Revenue mechanics are entirely philanthropic rather than commercial — there is no pricing model, subscription, or product revenue — which constrains growth to the cadence of fundraising and partner contributions.

Name

Grow the Game Inc.

Legal name

Grow the Game

Website

https://gtghoops.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Grow the Game Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2020 that provides free professional development, community, and scholarships to college basketball student managers and graduate assistants, funded by donations and supported by NABC, Nike EYBL, Hudl, and JustPlay partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Athletic Professional Development Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Athletics Fundraising, Sponsorships & NIL Support (EDALAIAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ), Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

Keywords

• Student manager development
• Basketball mentorship programs
• Nonprofit professional development
• Graduate assistant placement
• Sports career coaching

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Reliance solely on donations from supporters to fund operations and scholarships. Accepts PayPal donations through dedicated donation portal.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts. T-shirt priced at $30.00 (sale) / $31.99 (original).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Grow the Game is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides free professional development, mentorship, networking, job placement, and scholarship programs to college basketball student managers and graduate assistants. Its core programs include the Manager Connection mentorship program, the GA Pathway graduate assistantship matching service, multi-week Professional Development Cohorts, a Summer Zoom Series webinar program, and free access to NABC Convention events. Revenue comes from donations and small merchandise sales, with all member services provided at no cost.

Product overview

Grow the Game Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates as a unified professional development platform for college basketball student managers and graduate assistants. The core offering consists of interconnected programs: the Manager Connection (mentorship), GA Pathway (job placement), Professional Development Cohorts (DOBO Bootcamp, Coaching, Film/Analytics, and NBA Scouting), Summer Zoom Series (webinars), and NABC Convention Events. The company also offers merchandise (Grow the Game T-Shirt) and runs a Brand Ambassadors program. A notable partnership with Nike EYBL extends operations to youth basketball events. All programs are provided free of charge to members, funded through donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Manager Connection Mentorship program pairing college basketball student managers and graduate assistants with industry professionals and former student managers. Mentees receive new mentors every other month during the season and 2 mentors per month during the off-season.
• GA Pathway Graduate Assistant Pathway program that aids student managers in their search for open graduate assistantships by matching qualified candidates with universities that have vacancies.
• Summer Zoom Series Weekly virtual webinar series featuring guest speakers (men's and women's college basketball coaches) with Q&A sessions followed by 1-on-1 networking breakout rooms.
• Professional Development Cohorts Intensive multi-week programs including DOBO Bootcamp (Director of Basketball Operations training), Coaching Cohort, Film/Analytics Cohort, and NBA Scouting Cohort, led by industry leaders and incorporating partner technology such as Hudl Sportscode and JustPlay.
• NABC Convention Events Annual partnership with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) providing student managers free access to the NABC Convention, featuring speaker panels, networking opportunities, lodging, and scholarship announcements.
• Scholarships Financial assistance programs for student managers including NABC Convention access scholarships and lodging accommodations, with over $40,000 in scholarships provided to date.
• Grow the Game T-Shirt Official branded merchandise t-shirt available for purchase through the online shop at $30.00 sale price (original $31.99).
• Nike EYBL Partnership Program Program run with Nike Elite Youth Basketball League in which select Grow the Game members oversee game operations at EYB events while receiving professional development and networking opportunities at premier youth basketball events.

Quantifiable outcome

• $40,000+ in scholarships provided to student managers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Grow the Game partners with Nike EYBL to manage game operations across all EYB events. Select Grow the Game members oversee game operations at prestigious youth basketball events while receiving professional development and networking opportunities.
• Kansas Men's BasketballminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaborated with Kansas Men's Basketball Head Student Manager Andrew Korta on a transformative fundraising campaign for student manager Jayson Mburu, raising $25,000 for tuition.
• National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020In March 2022, Grow the Game and NABC announced a formal partnership to advance professional development and networking of student managers. Grow the Game provides free access to the NABC Convention for members and hosts annual events at the convention venue.
• Howard Men's BasketballminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Howard Men's Basketball to help student manager Aniya Majors-Rivera raise $5,000 to complete her education and graduate.
• JustPlay SolutionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for Grow the Game's first in-person event at the 2022 Men's Final Four in New Orleans.
• HDIminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for Grow the Game's first in-person event at the 2022 Men's Final Four in New Orleans.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Women's Sports Foundation: Nonprofit advancing women's sports participation and leadership; comparable as a sports philanthropy and development organization offering scholarships, leadership training, and community programs.
• Positive Coaching Alliance: National 501(c)(3) developing the character of youth and high school athletes through coaching and partner programs; comparable as a sports-focused youth development nonprofit that delivers free educational resources to a sports constituency.
• Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA): Professional coaches' association analogous to NABC but for women's basketball; relevant as a comparable trade body that supports student-manager-adjacent professional development within college basketball.
• V Foundation for Cancer Research: Major sports-affiliated nonprofit funding grants and scholarships; comparable in operating model as a sports-rooted 501(c)(3) that channels donor dollars into programmatic impact and scholarships.

Direct peers

• Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation: Sports-focused nonprofit serving youth athletes through funding and development programs; comparable mission model of using sports as a vehicle for education, mentorship, and scholarship funding.
• Athletes for Hope: 501(c)(3) connecting professional and collegiate athletes with charitable causes and providing programming; comparable as an athlete-focused nonprofit that builds community and educational programming around college and pro sports participants.

Emerging players

• NCSA (Next College Student Athlete): Platform helping student-athletes with recruitment and college sports career pathways; comparable in serving college sports participants with educational and career resources, though focused on recruiting rather than student-manager career development.
• NIL Collective Organizations (industry cohort): Booster-driven collectives that aggregate donor funding to support college athletes' NIL opportunities; comparable in the donor-aggregation and college-athletics fundraising model, though focused on NIL rather than career development.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gtghoops
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gtghoops

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grow the Game Inc.