Two of the “Sharks” that swim in the popular Shark Tank show, as well as a Hollywood trailblazer/entrepreneur, will be among the five judges for Alibaba.com’s $1 million CoCreate product innovation competition for entrepreneurs.
The pitch competition is the marquee program of Alibaba.com’s CoCreate 2025 seller conference, which will take place in Las Vegas Sept. 4-5.
The more than 20,000 entrants will be winnowed down to 100 semifinalists who will make their pitches live — 70 in Las Vegas and 30 in London at CoCreate Europe on Nov. 14. The $1 million prize pool includes two grand prizes of $200,000 in a combination of cash and Alibaba.com sourcing credits; 20 winners will earn $40,000 each under the same terms.
The CoCreate live pitch contest will be hosted by original Shark, Daymond John, Founder and CEO of FUBU, who will be joined by:
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- Lori Greiner, star of Shark Tank, inventor and entrepreneur;
- Simu Liu, actor best known as the first Asian superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Chief Content Officer of MiLa;
- Stephanie Mehta, CEO and Chief Content Officer of Mansueto Ventures, publisher of Inc. and Fast Company; and
- Everette Taylor, CEO of Kickstarter.
“We’re constantly expanding how we support entrepreneurs — whether through global sourcing, supply chain services or new innovations like our AI sourcing agent Accio,” said Liz Wang, Global Head of Commercial Strategy at Alibaba.com in a statement. “Through CoCreate Pitch, we’re proud to back the next generation of founders — not just with funding, but with the tools, expertise and infrastructure they need to grow and succeed on a global stage.”
At the 2024 CoCreate conference, Alibaba.com sought to redefine the sourcing process with new AI-powered tools. At the 2025 event, attendees can take advantage of:
- CoCreate Match: A new business matchmaking program similar to professional “speed dating,” to help open doors to new potential partnerships;
- Direct supplier access: CoCreate will bring 50+ pre-screened manufacturers to showcase 20,000+ trending product samples from 200+ global suppliers; and
- Expert-led sessions: 100+ sessions addressing critical challenges for SMBs — from using AI to enhance trade efficiency and building resilient global supply chains to safeguarding profit margins against rising operational costs.
Alibaba.com’s U.S. country manager Justin Liu shared more about the company’s initiatives to support SMBs on the Retail Remix podcast last month, including the platform’s new partnership with Wix. Listen to the episode here or anywhere you get your podcasts:
