Ask me about Ballers.

This is a story about my dear friend, Frank Denbow, and his new company, Ballers. 🏀

It’s also a personal announcement that I’m excited and proud to share: I’m one of Ballers’ most recent investors. I put that disclosure up front, because I think that’s the proper thing to do as an investor (🤷‍♂️ I'm new to this). I’ll also be transparent and vulnerable by sharing that, after a few rough years for my bank account, I'm currently in more debt than I thought I’d ever be in since paying off my student loans almost a decade ago. Marty, my financial advisor - the sweet and supportive guy he is - may have advised against putting cash into an early-stage startup (had I asked first), especially knowing the generally accepted statistics around the likelihood of any given startup’s success. But, I didn’t ask him, and I really didn’t hesitate after having the idea to invest in Frank+Ballers. Here’s why…

I've known Frank for ~16 years. We met during my early startup days, when I was leading Developer Relations at SendGrid, and he was organizing Startup Weekend in New York City.

[Side note: SW was founded by another good ol’ friend, Andrew Hyde, and was eventually acquired by Techstars. I worked with Andrew at TS in 2009, and that’s where I started my whole startup journey.]

I sponsored Startup Weekend NYC on behalf of SendGrid and spent the weekend supporting the entrepreneurs and getting to know Frank and his co-organizers. From ~2010-2014 I got involved with dozens of Startup Weekends across the US and in other countries. Frank's was always a special instance of the event. I attributed that to his leadership, his innate ability to foster community, and the way he moves through the world with genuine warmth, friendliness, and generosity.

I've watched Frank build several companies, communities, and events over the years. Whenever possible, I've been a customer, sponsor, supporter, and (I’m very grateful to say) a friend. I've seen his resilience, through challenges he’s faced along his professional and personal paths alike. And I’ve witnessed his triumphs, during which he’s never lost his humility. Whenever and wherever we’ve intersected, if there was an opportunity to support him, I jumped at it. This investment is another iteration of that.

To be clear and not overly hype myself, I should add that Frank has selflessly supported me throughout our relationship, too. He understands reciprocity and practices it with impressive commitment and consistency.

Now, let’s talk about Ballers.

I grew up in Indiana, where basketball is life. Even as a shorty white boy who had to dribble on a coal dust and gravel driveway, I truly believed I could make it to the NBA one day (until 8th grade, when I realized my sport was wrestling). After falling out of touch with the sport for a few decades, I reconnected with it as a resident of the Bay Area. I recognized that, though I never got to see Michael Jordan play in person (a childhood dream), seeing Steph Curry play for my home team Warriors was adult Tim’s chance to witness historical greatness on the hardwood. In 2022, during the Dubs’ most recent (and maybe most unlikely) championship run, basketball found its way back into my life.

Recently, I learned from Frank that basketball has been an important part of his life in deeply meaningful ways, which led him to create Ballers. I'll let you hear that story from him — he's been open about it and obviously tells it better than I could. For me, knowing how the sport has impacted him in positive ways made the decision to invest even easier.

What is Ballers?

On the surface it's simple. Record yourself playing basketball on your phone, and the app tracks your stats (eg, shot attempts vs shots made) and automatically generates a highlight reel at the end of your game or practice session.

Ballers gives anyone with a smartphone the kind of data and video that only professional athletes have historically had access to. It's for pickup games, youth leagues, high school and college teams — all the millions of people who love to ball but have never had access to this kind of technology. Computer vision and AI have only recently become powerful and affordable enough that a founder like Frank can build on top of them without an NBA team's budget. It took an entrepreneur with the right ingenuity and vision to see that, and build it into something anyone can use...and lots of people are gonna want.

The app is still in development (almost there!) and will be available on iOS and Android. While the product gets ready for game time, Frank’s been hustling. I’ve seen his dedication first-hand, since he moved to The Bay a few months ago. I’ve dropped him off and picked him up from multiple local high school games, where he records, hands parents a highlight reel of their kids right after the final buzzer, and gets a glowing video testimonial before they leave the gym.

When people see what Ballers produces, their reactions say it all — a common question is, “How much can I pay you for this?” Having been in startups that have gone from idea to IPO and others that have never reached the market, I understand what product-market-fit looks like. This is it.

If this resonates, there are a few ways to get involved:

Players, go to realballers.com and join the waitlist. Fans, follow Frank on LinkedIn. He's one of the most honest and helpful voices I know on there - writing about his journey, and sharing super insightful observations that show why Ballers is gonna work. Excited/curious about what Frank and team are building? Reach out, and I'll put you in touch or contact him directly — we'd love to connect!

Go Dubs. 🌉