Mentorship moves the needle. Data collected by SCORE shows that small businesses receiving three or more hours of mentoring report higher revenues and greater growth compared to businesses that do not. That’s the heartbeat of “Bet on Black,” powered by Target, where each season features successful founders who serve as mentors, providing hands-on guidance throughout the competition. Season 5 marks “Bet on Black’s” first year featuring HBCU students as the competitors. Past mentors and judges have included culture shapers such as Pinky Cole (founder of Slutty Vegan), Ron Brown (vice president of Community Impact), Bun B (owner of Trill Burgers), Master P (serial entrepreneur and investor), Monique Rodriguez (Mielle Organics), Keenan Beasley (CEO of Sunday II Sunday), Melissa Butler (founder of The Lip Bar), Detavio Samuels (CEO of REVOLT), and musician T-Pain, among others.

Let's meet the proven coaches who will be guiding season 5's HBCU student competition.

1. Ryan Wilson (Co-founder & CEO of The Gathering Spot)

Ryan Wilson built The Gathering Spot (TGS) alongside co-founder TK Petersen, whose finance and operations focus complements Wilson’s community-building and dealmaking lens. The pair saw it as more than a clubhouse and turned it into a working engine for connection, dealmaking, and civic dialogue across multiple cities. This summer, Axios spotlighted how the club has become a go-to site for candidate forums and policy conversations, with a second Atlanta location, Retreat, opening in 2025. He has also weathered the founder realities of mergers and acquisitions in public view.

Students can learn lessons that include launching, scaling, navigating conflict, and staying true to their purpose.

2. Baron Davis (NBA All-Star, investor, founder, creator)

Baron Davis took the mindset that made him a two-time NBA All-Star and applied it to the business side. Through Business Inside the Game, he builds rooms where athletes, founders, and investors actually trade playbooks, not just business cards. Sports Business Journal covered how he’s expanded BIG with a members-only platform and an All-Star-weekend summit designed for actual deal flow. He has also grown as a cultural entrepreneur with the Black Santa Company and uses his media to champion creator ownership and financial literacy. Recent features underscore that he invests broadly across sports, tech, and media while sharing clear frameworks for long-term wealth.

Students get a mentor who can translate locker-room grit into cap tables, partnerships, and intellectual property strategy.

3. Janell Stephens (Founder and CEO of Camille Rose)

Janell Stephens turned kitchen experiments into Camille Rose, a clean-beauty brand that sits on shelves at Target and leads with product integrity and customer love. ELLE profiled her decade-plus of staying power and founder focus. The U.S. Chamber’s small-business platform captured how she shows up in stores, listens to shoppers, and keeps research and development tight, which is why the brand continues to win with textured-hair consumers. Her story includes scaling responsibly, negotiating national retail, and steering a company through uncertain cycles.

Students have the opportunity to learn the entire consumer packaged goods arc, from formulation and compliance to distribution and brand storytelling that effectively converts.