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Hip-hop artist and tech investor will.i.am has a large digital rolodex of business leaders that he often uses for advice on his various ventures.
These mentors include names like Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Oprah Winfrey, music legend MC Hammer, venture capitalist Ron Conway and Beats investor Jimmy Iovine.
“Marc Benioff is my big brother and mentor,” Will.i.am told Yahoo Finance Live at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland this week (video above). “I love Mark.”
Oprah has been another positive influence in the music artist’s life, according to William, her legendary talk show is part of how he was able to launch his solo career and promote the I Am Scholarship.
“I love her,” Will said. “Her show is where I go to start my foundation. She pushes me to bring out the best in myself. I’m blessed to have a great network of people who keep me on the straight and narrow and push me to solve problems.”
More Yahoo Finance Davos 2023 coverage:
“Someone who truly saw the spark in me.”
Fame, fortune and natural curiosity have been channeled into the world of business and investment. But before that, William Adams was born in Los Angeles in 1975 and grew up quite a bit.
Eventually, W.E.M rose to fame as a member of the Black Eyed Peas in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a band that sold over 58 million singles worldwide.
He was an early investor in Headphone Beats, with an undisclosed amount when Apple ( AAPL ) bought the company for $3 billion in 2014, as well as a partnership deal with Intel ( INTC ) to promote a variety of hardware.
Many of these efforts have come to fruition because of the connections made over the years.
“MC Hammer – he’s the dude that put me in touch with Ron Conway,” said Will.E. “Jimmy Iovine — he’s the guy who really saw the spark in me. Those are my go-to things.”
Oprah’s best friend, journalist Gayle King, is Will.i.am’s mentor, saying he loves her “like an aunt”.
Now, will.i.am is a regular at WEF and spent this year’s event discussing the future of technology, especially artificial intelligence. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Industrial Revolution Advisory Committee and the Global Artificial Intelligence Action Alliance.
On Thursday, he had a team lunch with mentor Benioff and Williams-Sonoma CEO Lara Alber, among other distinguished guests.
“I’m blessed to have a great network of people who push me to be on the straight and narrow and to solve problems,” says Wilhelm.
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Brian Sozzi It is a great editor and Anchor on Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi And on LinkedIn.
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