The Miami Heat’s Andre Iguodala knows Zoom well. He’s an investor in the company
Veteran Miami Heat forward Andre Iguodala knows the Zoom remote conferencing platform well. Not only does he participate in the Heat’s team workouts through Zoom amid the coronavirus pandemic, but he’s also a Zoom investor.
“Why didn’t I put in more money,” Iguodala said to Bill Shea of The Athletic. “That’s one of the few companies that became a household name, a staple name.”
With many working from home during the pandemic, Zoom has become a popular way to hold virtual meetings.
“Everyone is going to the best platform for that, which is Zoom,” Iguodala said to The Athletic. “Everyone has a need for it. I look at it as the ultimate business platform.”
Iguodala, who is spending the NBA shutdown with his family on the West Coast where he has a home in the San Francisco Bay Area, has actually invested in various companies. The 36-year-old is also part of the Catalyst Fund, which is a part of Comcast Ventures and invests money into companies led by African Americans, Latinx and women.
As for Zoom, Iguodala met the company’s founder Eric Yuan at a tech conference and was impressed enough to invest.
“You have to know people, personalities and temperament,” Iguodala said to The Athletic. “I saw great qualities in him as a person. We were able to link up for a few minutes, and we hit it off right away.”
Iguodala, who has averaged 4.4 points while shooting 37.5 percent on threes, 3.8 rebounds and two assists in 14 games since he was traded to the Heat in February, has advice for those interested in basic investing.
“You have to be willing to take a loss,” he said to The Athletic. “That’s something new investors have to learn. It’s like being in Vegas and betting at the craps table.”
