# Daymond John

> Daymond John is the founder of FUBU, the streetwear brand he built from a $40 budget in his mother's Queens house into a $6 billion global empire. Known as 'The People's Shark,' he's been a main cast investor on ABC's Shark Tank since its debut in 2009, championing underdogs and minority entrepreneurs. A five-time bestselling author, cancer survivor, Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship, and creator of Black Entrepreneurs Day, John proves repeatedly that being broke is not a limitation - it's a competitive advantage.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at FUBU / The Shark Group; Shark Investor on ABC's Shark Tank
- **Organizations:** FUBU, The Shark Group, Shark Tank (ABC), Black Entrepreneurs Day, NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship), Next Level Success
- **From:** Brooklyn, New York, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Primary education (7 years), Catholic school, Asper Award for Excellence in Global Entrepreneurship (honorary recognition), Brandeis University
- **Known for:** Built FUBU from a $40 budget to over $6 billion in global lifetime sales, Co-founded FUBU in 1992, which became a defining brand of hip-hop culture in the 1990s, Main cast investor on Shark Tank since Season 1 (2009) through Season 17+

## Career timeline

- **1969** — Born in Brooklyn, New York; raised in Hollis, Queens
- **1979** — Started working at age 10 handing out flyers for $2/hour after parents divorced
- **1989** — Ran a commuter van service; worked as a server at Red Lobster
- **1992** — Co-founded FUBU with Carlton Brown, J. Alexander Martin, and Keith Perrin; sold first batch of 90 wool hats on Jamaica Avenue for $800
- **1993** — Convinced childhood friend LL Cool J to wear FUBU in promotional campaigns
- **1994** — Received $300,000 in orders at Magic trade show; mother mortgaged home after 26-27 bank rejections
- **1995** — Samsung Textiles invested $300,000 after responding to a New York Times classified ad
- **1997** — LL Cool J wore FUBU gear in a Gap TV commercial while rapping 'For Us, By Us' - pivotal mainstream moment
- **1998** — FUBU peak annual worldwide sales exceeded $350 million
- **2007** — Published first book 'Display of Power'
- **2009** — Joined ABC's Shark Tank as main cast investor (Season 1)
- **2010** — Published 'The Brand Within'; FUBU relaunched in US under 'FB Legacy'
- **2014** — Invested in Bombas socks on Shark Tank Season 6
- **2015** — Appointed Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship by President Obama
- **2016** — Published 'The Power of Broke' - NYT and WSJ bestseller; won NAACP Image Award
- **2017** — Diagnosed with stage II thyroid cancer in April; underwent successful surgery
- **2018** — Published 'Rise and Grind' - NYT bestseller; married Heather Taras
- **2020** — Founded Black Entrepreneurs Day in response to George Floyd protests; launched at Apollo Theater with NAACP partnership
- **2022** — Appeared on The Masked Singer Season 8 as 'Fortune Teller'
- **2023** — Published children's book 'Little Daymond Learns to Earn' - NYT bestseller
- **2025** — Named to Forbes' 250 Greatest Living Self-Made Americans; Bombas reached $3.4B unicorn valuation; Shark Tank Season 17

## Achievements

- Built FUBU from a $40 budget to over $6 billion in global lifetime sales
- Co-founded FUBU in 1992, which became a defining brand of hip-hop culture in the 1990s
- Main cast investor on Shark Tank since Season 1 (2009) through Season 17+
- Invested in Bombas socks (Season 6); investment grew to $3.4 billion unicorn valuation
- Five-time published author with multiple New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers
- Appointed Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship by President Obama (2015)
- Named to Forbes' 250 Greatest Living Self-Made Americans (2025)
- Founded Black Entrepreneurs Day (2020); distributed $1M+ in grants to 40+ businesses
- Survived stage II thyroid cancer (2017)
- FUBU displayed at Smithsonian's National Museum of African-American History and Culture
- Received Congressional Achievement Award for Entrepreneurship (twice)
- Won NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Instructional Literary Work
- Named Brandweek Marketer of the Year
- Ernst & Young New York Entrepreneur of the Year

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Named to Forbes' 250 Greatest Living Self-Made Americans list alongside Oprah Winfrey, LeBron James, and Dr. Dre
- **2025-01** — Bombas, his Season 6 Shark Tank investment, reached a $3.4 billion unicorn valuation - making it the best-selling Shark Tank product of all time
- **2025-01** — Shark Tank Season 17 continues on ABC with John as main cast Shark
- **2025-04** — Fifth annual Black Entrepreneurs Day held at Apollo Theater in Harlem with continued NAACP partnership and $25,000 grants
- **2026-04** — Featured in Success Magazine on the role of resilience in entrepreneurship
- **2026-01** — Betting publicly on skilled trades as the next major overlooked business opportunity amid the AI boom

## Links

- Website: https://www.daymondjohn.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daymondjohn/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/TheSharkDaymond
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DaymondJohn
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesharkdaymond/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaymondJohn

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/daymond-john
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-28