Pascal Siakam’s workday is stretching beyond the Pacers’ practice floor. As Indiana opens camp with Tyrese Haliburton returning from his Achilles injury, Siakam is also pushing an education initiative shaped by his father’s belief that a life after basketball needs to be built before the game is gone.
| Siakam Ed Tech Engine snapshot | Figure |
|---|---|
| Startups selected each year | About 6-7 |
| Accelerator length | 12 weeks |
| Total grants available | $50,000 |
| Cyber Legends grant in 2025 | $30,000 |
| Schools using Cyber Legends | Nearly 80 |
| Pacers’ 2025 Finals finish | One win short of title |
Education remains at the center of Siakam’s foundation
Siakam’s father, Tchamo, died in a car crash in 2014, but the message he gave his six children has stayed with the Pacers forward. Education, Siakam said, provides security and opportunity that sports cannot guarantee.
“Basketball can be taken from you,” Siakam said, explaining the outlook passed down by his father. “But education puts you in position to do so much more than sports ever can.”
That belief drives the PS43 Foundation, Siakam’s nonprofit organization. Its work combines education, financial literacy, sports and life-skills programming intended to give children more tools as they move through school and into adulthood.
The foundation’s Siakam Ed Tech Engine is one part of that effort. Working with Toronto-based technology incubator DMZ, the program brings in a small group of North American startups each year that are building tools for K-12 classrooms. The selected companies enter a 12-week accelerator and can receive pieces of a $50,000 grant pool.
Siakam sees the program as a way to get useful technology into schools faster, with support aimed at teachers as much as students.
“We can help these companies move their work forward and get accepted into schools,” Siakam said. “The goal is to create something meaningful for students and teachers. It is not just about the kids; it is also about helping teachers.”
Classwise AI earns this year’s grant
Classwise AI was this year’s winner. Its platform is designed to help teachers grade assignments, review student work and prepare feedback.
PS43 Foundation executive director Dakota Whyte said the tool addresses one of the heaviest recurring burdens in a teacher’s day: grading. The platform uses large language models to assist with that work, which can help reduce teacher burnout.
“They had an outstanding year,” Whyte said. “I’m excited to see them get into the organizations and classrooms we work with.”
The 2025 grant went to Cyber Legends, which received $30,000. The company makes an interactive digital-safety app for K-12 students, using age-appropriate missions to teach online safety. Its reach has grown to nearly 80 schools across North America through the accelerator.
Whyte has been central to turning Siakam’s foundation plans into operating programs. A Toronto native, she played college basketball at Wisconsin and later competed professionally overseas. Her background also includes work at Nike and an MBA from Toronto Metropolitan University.
She said Siakam has been closely involved from the foundation’s earliest strategy sessions, pressing the group to avoid duplicating programs that already exist and to focus on needs not being met in education.
“His commitment is genuine,” Whyte said. “He attends every meeting and is part of the decisions. He is fully connected to the work.”
Whyte said Siakam’s approach away from the court resembles his approach on it: focused, direct and without much interest in attention for its own sake. She sees the effort as a continuation of his father’s vision rather than a side project attached to an NBA career.
Cameroon remains part of the long-term plan
Expanding the classroom apps throughout North America is the immediate assignment, but Siakam also wants the technology eventually available in schools in Cameroon, where he was born.
“That is a dream for me and for my dad,” Siakam said. “I want this to become bigger than me or the basketball player I was. That is the legacy I want to create.”
Back in Indiana, Siakam is preparing for a Pacers group that came within one victory of the 2025 NBA championship. Indiana reached Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, where Haliburton suffered a torn right Achilles. The injury kept the All-Star guard out for the 2025-26 season.
With Haliburton back in the mix, Siakam said Indiana’s camp work is about reconnecting a roster that believes it still has a high ceiling. He also pointed to Ivica Zubac and the club’s other additions as reasons for optimism.
“We have a lot of potential, but we have to come together,” Siakam said. “Having Tyrese back, having Zubac and the other signings, I’m ready to get going.”
