Jumia announces that National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar Andre Iguodala is the latest member of its board of directors. The 35-year old Andre, who is born of a Nigerian father and African American mother, is a shooting guard with the Golden State Warriors team in the NBA.
Andre Iguodala is no stranger to technology, startups, and investing in all these. Reports say the basketball star has invested in at least 40 different startups over the years. His investment portfolio includes high profile tech companies like Twitter, Facebook, Tesla, Zoom and a host of others.
Andre has always been, and still is, a proponent of athletes’ participation and investment in technology. He has been doing this through The Players Technology Summit sponsored by Bloomberg.
Started in 2017, the summit “brings together leaders from the technology, venture capital and sports sectors to network and exchange ideas and develop strategies around the latest innovations in business.”
More so, Andre has headlined the event 2 years in a row. In 2017 with fellow Golden State Warriors team mate, Stephen Curry. And in 2018 with team mate, Kevin Durant.
So far, Jumia has had an initial public offering (IPO) in the pipeline for a while now. And this new partnership is a good publicity.
With his profile as a celebrity and tech investor, having Andre on board is a validation of sorts and will bring more global attention to the IPO.
On the Jumia move, Andre reportedly said;
Because of my Nigerian heritage, Jumia’s use of technology to deliver innovative online services to consumers and improve the quality of everyday life in Africa is very important to me. I’m thrilled to be a part of this unique enterprise that is shaping the future of digital Africa.