African Americans have always achieved at high levels in American society. Of the world's 614 billionaries only 7 (at the time of this pubication) are Black. Below, please find basic biographical information on three African American billionaries.
*Robert F. Smith was the second child born to Sylvia M. and William R. Smith in Denver, Colorado, on December 1, 1962. Smith is part of the fourth generation of Denverites on his father’s side. His parents, both educators and supporters of the civil rights movement, were part of a Black middle-class neighborhood populated with prosperous, motivated wage workers and their families.
As Smith grew up, his parents each completed doctoral degrees in education and he cemented his love of learning. When the opportunity came to attend a desegregated school, he chose to go even though an arson attack decimated all but a handful of buses meant to transport Black students. Smith said the resources available to him at that elementary school in a white neighborhood engaged him and challenged him to expand his world view.
Smith’s early life was shaped by his environment as well. His community nurtured school children and provided a safe, loving space where he was able to thrive. He learned early on how mentors and early STEM or music education can uplift a young person’s mind and allow their spirit to soar. He also first learned about engineering from community elders at backyard gatherings and participated in a rocket club led by a local volunteer.
Smith later graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. After achieving success in his chosen field, Smith switched careers. He attended Columbia Business School at Columbia University, where he earned his MBA before joining investment firm Goldman Sachs. From there, he took the leap into entrepreneurship, launching Vista Equity Partners.
*taken verbatim from Smith webpage: Biography | Robert F. Smith (robertsmith.com)
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*David L. Steward is an entrepreneur, civic leader, philanthropist and the founder and chairman of World Wide Technology, the largest Black-owned company in the United States. He is committed to expanding opportunities for the Black community and others from historically under-represented and underserved communities.
"Talent is equally distributed; opportunity is not," Mr. Steward says. "We need to change that by inspiring and igniting untapped potential. Diversity and inclusion are essential to innovation; both foster stronger business outcomes."
Creating and developing strong business relationships are hallmarks of Mr. Steward's ability to grow a business. After being named the top sales executive for FedEx, he set out to fulfill a lifelong dream: own a company. After creating two successful startup companies, Mr. Steward began WWT in 1990 with a handful of employees and a 4,000 square foot office. WWT currently operates in 4 million square feet of warehousing, distribution, and integration space in more than 20 facilities throughout the world. The company employs more than 9,000 people globally and generates over $14.5 billion in annual revenue.
Specializing in cloud capabilities, data center and virtualization, security, mobility and networking technologies along with voice, video, and collaboration solutions, World Wide Technology provides advanced technology solutions from 3,000+ manufacturers to the commercial, government, and telecom sectors.
When the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) needed a partner to fund certified Minority Business Enterprises as part of the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program, Mr. Steward connected the organization with Orvin T. Kimbrough, Chairman and CEO of Midwest BankCentre. Kimbrough shares NMSDC's passion and philosophy about supporting minority businesses.
In 2021, WWT was the presenting sponsor of NMSDC's Business Opportunity Exchange. Mr. Steward said, "It is important that we lead by example. Our journey to becoming a $13 billion company wouldn't be possible without the support of this Council. WWT was certified by the Council 27 years ago. This relationship has given us so many opportunities to connect with other member companies, a key ingredient in our success."
*Taken verbatim from company bio page: David Steward - Profile - WWT
Alexander Caedmon Karp was born in 1962. His father is a Jewish clinical peditrician and his mother is an African American artist. He earned his BA from Haverford Colege, a JD from Standford University and a PhD in neoclassical social theory for Goethe University Frankfurt. He is a billionaire businessmen and the co-founder and CEO of the software firm Palantir Technologies.
