The NBA’s All-Star game festivities came and went almost two weeks ago, but Jenna White, the owner of Empire Body Waxing, is here to stay.

The Black entrepreneur won $50,000 from the NBA Foundation in a pitch competition held in partnership with the National Black MBA Association and the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce. With the NBA world’s eyes on the competition Feb. 16, White was one of eight entrepreneurs and tech leaders to compete in the "Shark Tank" style competition.

“Brand awareness is sometimes one of the hardest things,” White told Utah Business. “It can be hard out here to be the business owner and the marketer and … all the things. So, I’m mostly grateful for that.”

Empire Body Waxing is a membership-based waxing salon that offers a la carte services and in-house waxing experiences. The company was founded by White and Avery Brush, who had been a part of the waxing industry for several years before starting the business.

Wanting to become entrepreneurs and give back in Salt Lake City and St. George, Utah, the duo founded Empire Body Waxing in 2020 and have supported causes annually. The business has previously done campaigns with The Utah Association of Family Support Centers and The Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, its website reads.

SecondKeys founder and CEO Amber Hayes finished in second place and won $35,000 to help her online property management company grow in the fintech space. Founded in 2018, the business is an end-to-end platform that handles all a landlord's property needs.

Meanwhile, Paerpay founder and CEO Derek Canton won $15,000 for finishing in third. The company offers easy mobile pay options for restaurants that integrate with their existing point-of-sale (POS) systems. It currently has six partners, according to its website.