Houston’s own Grammy Award winning rapper, Chamillionaire, hasn’t been sitting by waiting for another hit record. Cham has continued to amass a profitable portfolio from various investments.
Chamillionaire is now an Entrepreneur in Residence at a Venture Capital Firm. This marks the first time an honor of this kind has been bestowed upon a rap artist.
Cham’s been a speaker on social media engagement in the music industry as well as politicking with notables in the tech industry for years. In fact, he was one of the original investors in the online video platform Maker Studios which sold to Disney for a reported $500 million last year.
His work at Up Front currently has him as an adviser with the firm, known mostly for its investments across business and digital platforms, Saas, media and consumer retail.
This marks the first time an honor of this kind has been bestowed upon a rap artist. Chamillionaire hopes that this pivotal new role will allow him to help usher in the next generation of tech entrepreneurs as well as continue to offer valuable advice and investment capital to worthy start-ups.
A spokesperson for Upfront Ventures has stated that; “Chamillionaire brings a wealth of expertise in this area to the table based on his own years of employing successful tech and marketing strategies as both an independent music artist and later a label partner with Universal Records. Add to that he has quietly been a fixture in the tech world for many years: attending major conferences both as a keynote and audience member, making him a sought-after promotional partner, advisor and potential investor.”
In 2007, Cham received a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for his song “Ridin.'”
Check out this past tech investment interview between Chamillionaire and entrepreneur, investor and investment partner at Upfront Ventures, Mark Suster.
Mark Suster is a prominent blogger in the startup venture capital world and mentor at Techstars.
