Co-Founders + All People Powered Presents:
Live Concert & Pitch Contest
Saturday, APRil 11 | 2PM
The boundary between art and entrepreneurship dissolves as the Co-Founders Live Concert & Pitch Competition transforms the Henry J. into both a concert hall and investment stage. This first-of-its-kind event fuses live performances from the acclaimed hip-hop musical Co-Founders with a live startup accelerator that will award $30,000 in funding to first-time entrepreneurs—on stage, in front of an audience! Think Soul Beat meets Shark Tank powered by Oakland creativity and community ambition.
format
Championed by Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee after seeing Co-Founders (twice!) during its sold-out 2025 world premiere at American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), this one-day-only event will bring the fictional "All People Powered" accelerator to life; offering once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to investors traditionally overlooked by Silicon Valley, translating culture into capital, and directing funding toward first-time entrepreneurs who are shaping a more inclusive and innovative future.
Early-stage Bay Area entrepreneurs are invited to apply to the All People Powered Accelerator, with the top 10 applicants being narrowed to 3 winners by the selection committee. All three winners will go through a multi-week program of mentorship and pitch refinement designed by Hiiiwav (co-creators of Oakland Tech Week), before pitching their startups to a panel of notable judges, competing for investment funding awarded on the spot, live at the Henry J! Between pitches, the audience will experience live musical performances featuring songs from Co-Founders, alongside special Bay Area musical guests who embody the region's rich hip-hop, soul, and R&B traditions.
about
Co-Founders is an original hip-hop musical that follows Oakland coder, Esata, as she navigates Silicon Valley's startup world while fighting to save her community from displacement. Blending Bay Area hip-hop with soul, gospel, funk, jazz, and innovative visual technology, the show explores who gets to build the future—and at what cost.