Grammy winning, multi-platinum Houston recording artist turned entrepreneur, Chamillionaire, best known for surpassing all industry expectations with his debut album “The Sound of Revenge” and its chart-topping single, “Ridin”, is once again forging new paths; this time as a tech founder. Upfront Ventures, the Los Angeles investment firm that announced their closing of a $280 million investment fund at the end of last year, the largest early-stage fund raised in L.A, since 2000, has just added Chamillionaire as an entrepreneur in residence (EIR.) 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.
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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. It was in this capacity that he met Upfront partner, Mark Suster, in 2009, becoming one of the earliest co-investors in Maker Studios, now a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Chamillionaire’s innate understanding of audience participation and working knowledge of customer engagement, product design and monetization ensure his tenure at Upfront will be a profitable one for all involved.
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