by Rafael Pena
February 1, 2024
Shaquille O’Neal is now making a slam dunk move off the court by investing in Campus, a startup dedicated to revolutionizing community college education.
Fortune reported that NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, renowned for his achievements on the basketball court, is now making a slam dunk move off the court by investing in Campus, a startup dedicated to revolutionizing community college education. With a hefty $29 million investment, O’Neal is joining forces with other influential CEOs like Sam Altman of OpenAI and Jason Citron of Discord to address the persisting issue of low graduation rates in community colleges.
Campus, founded by 29-year-old entrepreneur Tade Oyerinde, has set out to tackle the challenge faced by community colleges, where less than 40% of students manage to graduate. O’Neal, expressing his dissatisfaction with this statistic, emphasized that his investment in Campus is motivated by a desire to change lives rather than seeking astronomical financial returns.
Drawing inspiration from a statement by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, O’Neal stated, “I heard Jeff Bezos say, if you invest in things that’s going to change people’s lives, you’ll always get a great return on your investment.” Underscoring the importance of access to world-class education for everyone, O’Neal is committed to being a catalyst for positive change.
Campus, an accredited community college, has already enrolled 726 students and is implementing innovative approaches to enhance the educational experience. The startup collaborates with professors from esteemed institutions like Vanderbilt, Princeton, and New York University to conduct synchronous classes. Moreover, it provides students in its online business administration program with essential resources such as free laptops, internet access, and a dedicated success coach. Campus also offers associate degrees in paralegal studies and AWS cloud administration.
Expressing his astonishment at the youthfulness of Campus founder and chancellor Tade Oyerinde, O’Neal is optimistic about their collaboration. He likened their partnership to his iconic on-court connection with Kobe Bryant, stating, “He’s gonna be Kobe and I’m gonna be Shaq, and we are going to knock this thing out of the park.”
With this substantial investment in Campus, Shaquille O’Neal is not only embracing a new role as an education advocate but is also aligning himself with a venture poised to make a transformative impact on community college education, giving students the tools they need to succeed.
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