Inside The Investments And Moves That Potentially Helped Chamillionaire Build An Estimated $50M Fortune

Chamillionaireā€™s status was destined once he chose his stage name.

Born Hakeem Temidayo Seriki, Chamillionaire started in the music industry alongside Paul Wall after forming their group, The Color Changinā€™ Click. By 2005, the rapper was officially solo once he released his debut album, ā€œThe Sound of Revenge,ā€ which featured his four-time platinum hit single, ā€œRidinā€™.ā€

After his sophomore album, multiple projects, and parting ways with Universal Music Group, Chamillionaire became more focused on entrepreneurship. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the rapper-turned-businessmanā€™s pivot has brought his net worth to an estimated $50 million.

Chamillionaireā€™s entrepreneurial side could be seen early on in his music career when he founded his own label, Chamillitary Entertainment, in 2004. Following his desire to know more about investing, he began attending tech conferences to learn how companies are funded and valued, according to UBS.

ā€œI got into investing by learning,ā€ Chamillionaire told the outlet. ā€œThe best advice is to surround yourself with people who are curious and intelligent. You can pick up from them along the way.ā€

He added, ā€œUnderstand the power of spending your money the right way. Cars and jewelry depreciate in value, but you can also spend money on investments that make money.ā€

Take a look into how Chamillionaire went from having an interest in the tech space to investing in top companies.

Maker Studios

When Maker Studios launched in 2009, Chamillionaire was one of its earliest investors, per Complex. Whatā€™s more, in 2014, Disney acquired the YouTube multi-channel network for $500 million. Chamillionaireā€™s $1.5 million investment reportedly earned him a return on investment (ROI) of over $20 million, according to The Black Wall Street Times.

Cruise

Along with Maker Studios, among Chamillionaireā€™s early investments was in Cruise, a self-driving startup. Forbes reported that General Motors acquired the company for $1 billion.

Lyft

Yet again, Chamillionaire was ahead of the trends. According to Yahoo Finance, he was an early investor in Lyft before it went public. As of this writing, the leading ride-sharing companyā€™s market cap is at $3.19 billion, per Stock Analysis.

Upfront Ventures

Back in 2015, it was announced that Chamillionaire was named the entrepreneur-in-residence at Upfront Ventures, according to Business Insider. He met Mark Suster, a managing partner of Upfront Ventures in 2009, when he invested in Maker Studios. Upfront Ventures is one of the top VC firms. In addition, it has invested in over 400 companies, per CB Insights.

Along with investing in big-name companies, Chamillionaire is big on pouring into minority-led companies to help diversify the startup world, as previously reported by AfroTech.

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