DoubleDutch, the City of Phoenix and Downtown Phoenix, Inc. have teamed up to host the first-ever Valley Oop! three-on-three startup basketball tournament. Valley Oop! will bring together 24 teams – including one led by Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton – from 1:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, August 19 at Talking Stick Resort Arena.
Stanton and DoubleDutch CEO Lawrence Coburn – who both played high school basketball and share a lifelong passion for the game — hatched the idea for the tournament as a way to bring early- and late-stage Valley startups and support organizations together for a one-of-a-kind networking experience.
The participating startups include Phoenix companies such as WebtPT, Allbound, Carvana, Picmonic, LeadMD, Digital Air Strike and Campus Logic. Other larger tech companies with a presence in Phoenix will participate including Uber, Gainsight and Galvanize.
In addition to basketball, other games will be set up such as foosball, ping pong and cornhole. The Phoenix Suns Dancers will make an appearance and the event will be emceed by the Harlem Globetrotters’ Dizzie Ramsey.
General admission is $5 and all proceeds from the event will go to the Startup AZ Foundation.