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Beyond the Athlete

Investing in a Royal Fashion


The Sacramento Kings honor tech students with an All-Star panel: Vivek Ranadivé, Former NBA player Baron Davis, Investor and Venture Capitalist Arlan Hamilton, Former Mayor of Stockton Michael Tubbs, and Former King Metta World Peace with special guest Grammy Award winning musician Madison Calley Jenkins and Entrepreneur Michaela Shiloh join host Matt Barnes for an open dialogue to inspire local diverse entrepreneurs and distinguishing tech. Many mics were dropped with knowledge and veracity regarding tech.

Matt Barnes began stating his excitement for the panel. “Basketball is great.. but touching people’s lives is important.”

Here are a few insightful nuggets of information provided by the panelists:

“Be ferocious”

Kings Owner Vivek Ranadivé consistently stated what he expects when invested in a start-up: a ferocious mindset. This mindset requires passion and tenacity. Additionally,  Ranadivé emphasized surrounding himself with people who are smarter than him as a significant key to life. 

“Go Through the Process.”

Baron Davis gave great advice for future entrepreneurs. Davis explains the importance of listening. 

“A lot of the time we listen, but we don’t hear shit because we don’t want to hear a no.” said Davis.

Often people are afraid to hear no, but that rejection can be powerful. “Translating” and “digesting” the response is key to understanding the product and yourself better. Davis emphasizing digesting your criticisms is a part of your research.

Matt Barnes added to this thought by conveying that investors are not only investing the product, they are investing with the innovator.

“Your company is not the next ___”

Investor and Venture capital , Arlan Hamilton was homeless just seven years ago, however she had plans and goals that she knew would be beneficial in the future. Hamilton admits she’s not interested in being “realistic.” Hamilton’s accomplishments have exceeded her fears, therefore Hamilton prefers for tech professionals and investors to dream big. However, there is a statement Hamilton feels is non-practical when looking for investors, “I’m the next (insert major company).” It is best to be original, even if their product rivals a larger company. Hamilton expressed the difference of confidence versus overhype. 

The tech industry may not be as evolved as advertised. There are still many hurdles in the industry for women and people of color. However, this panel gave meaningful information that will assist the younger generation in creating as opposed to consuming. 

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