BBOP Center Awards $10K to AI Sales Platform for Women

As artificial intelligence raises growing concerns about job displacement, Time for Change Foundation’s Black and Brown Opportunities for Profit Center is investing in Inland Empire entrepreneurs and AI leaders as a strategy to create jobs and expand economic opportunity.

During the BBOP Center’s June Pitch Competition Kalilah Hudson, founder of Clidelity an AI-powered sales platform for women, won first place and received nearly $10,000 in cash and in-kind business support. She emerged as the top entrepreneur among several finalists after pitching before a panel of five judges and an audience of more than 50 business leaders, entrepreneurs and community supporters.

“Winning the competition was incredibly validating,” Hudson said. “The funding, mentorship and support from BBOP gave me the confidence to think bigger about what Clidelity can become. More importantly, it showed me that innovation can thrive right here in San Bernardino.”

Hudson founded Clidelity after spending 14 years as a San Bernardino County case manager, helping more than 3,000 individuals in foster care navigate complex systems and access critical resources. Through her work, she saw firsthand how asking the right questions to understand each person’s needs, creating a plan and following through leads to better outcomes. That experience inspired her to build Clidelity, bringing the same structured, relationship-centered approach to entrepreneurs looking to strengthen their sales process and grow their businesses, Hudson said.

In 2022, 4.5 million California workers were employed in 20 high automation risk occupations, and more than half were Latino, according to the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute. Photo by BBOP Center

“Today, AI will either deepen the digital divide, or we can leverage this opportunity to thrive by creating the future we want to live in,” said founder of Time for Change Foundation and the BBOP Center Dr. Kim Carter-Tillman. “The choice is ours. At the BBOP Center, we are ensuring our communities have access to the tools, skills, and confidence they need to succeed in an AI-driven economy.”

In the Inland Empire, 33% of Latino workers and 27% of Black workers are employed in occupations considered at high risk of automation, according to the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute. BBOP is responding to these workforce challenges by expanding access to AI training, technology, capital and entrepreneurial support.

According to BBOP, the center has served more than 250 entrepreneurs, helped launch more than 108 businesses, facilitated more than $460,000 in capital deployment and contributed to the creation of more than 215 jobs since its inception in 2023.

“For too long, economic mobility has been determined by who has access to capital, networks and opportunity,” said CEO of the BBOP Center Carma Lacy. “BBOP Center is changing that equation. We are helping entrepreneurs move from ideas to ownership, from ownership to job creation and from job creation to generational wealth. Hudson’s success is not just a win for one entrepreneur, it’s evidence of what is possible when communities invest in talent, innovation and economic mobility.”

Hudson will join Carter-Tillman at BBOP’s upcoming The Free AI Mini Summit, where she will share how she used AI to turn her experience into a growing business. Hosted by the BBOP Center, the summit will help entrepreneurs explore practical ways to use AI to improve productivity, strengthen operations and pursue new opportunities.

The event will take place online this evening July 22 at 6 p.m. Learn more here.