Daymond John, creator and founder of FUBU and an investor on the hit TV Show ‘Shark Tank’, became one of nine business founders to be named presidential ambassadors for global entrepreneurship on Monday.
President Barack Obama presented the expansion of the program with a ceremony held at the White House. Each presidential ambassador agrees to develop an initiative that includes providing new entrepreneurs with the chance to draw capital, talent and education.
This is yet another notch in John’s belt who has been a successful entrepreneur and businessman ever since he founded FUBU. Daymond John created the brand in the 90’s after he and his mother mortgaged their house to generate the start-up capitol for the business. In a few short years FUBU, which stands for “For Us By Us” became a household name that represented a lifestyle and laid the groundwork for other companies to break into a newly established market. At one point the FUBU brand was generating $350 million dollars in revenue which put it in a similar bracket with Tommy Hilfiger and Danna Karan New York.
In 2009, John joined the cast of the widely successful show ‘Shark Tank’ produced by Mark Burnett. John and four other established execs listen to everyday mom and pops as they pitch their business with the hopes of taking their dreams and their lives to the next level.
John has also written two books: “Display of Power: How FUBU Changed A World Of Fashion, Branding And Lifestyle” and “The Brand Within: How We Brand Ourselves, From Birth To The Boardroom.”
As a result of his accomplishments throughout his career, Daymond John has been awarded with some notable awards: the Advertising Age Marketing 1000 Award for Outstanding Ad Campaign, Brandweek Marketer of the Year, Crain’s Business of New York Forty Under Forty Award, and Ernst & Young’s New York Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Others named ambassadors include Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, Glodie Blox CEO Debbie Sterling, Co-founder and former CEO of America Online Steve Case, and Tory Burch.
