New release
I Bought the Nooses
The AI Billionaire Blueprint — a framework for building generational wealth through artificial intelligence.
By Robert S. Shumake PhD · Detroit, Michigan
Press release
Who Is Robert Shumake? Detroit Philanthropist, Black Enterprise-Ranked Private Equity Executive, and Author of 140 Books Releases "I Bought the Nooses: The AI Billionaire Blueprint"
Robert S. Shumake PhD, the Detroit philanthropist, private equity veteran, and prolific author known for feeding more than 10,000 homeless people annually and funding over 200 college scholarships, has published his latest work: I Bought the Nooses: The AI Billionaire Blueprint — a framework for building generational wealth through artificial intelligence.
The book arrives from an author whose career spans verified accomplishments across business, philanthropy, publishing, education, and civil rights advocacy over three decades.
Who is Robert Shumake?
Robert Samuel Shumake Jr. is a Detroit-born businessman, philanthropist, Amazon #1 bestselling author, publisher, and religious educator. He is also known by his initiated spiritual names: Ajarn Shaman Shu (Thai Buddhist tradition), Oluwo Jolaoso Osainbola PhD (Yoruba/Ifa tradition), and Shri Suryanarayana Swamikal (Hindu/Dravidian tradition).
As documented in his book Climbing Your Inner Mountain: Ten Steps to Reaching Any Goal (Take the Land Publishing, 2013), he began his career as a janitor at a Ford Motor Company auto plant in Detroit, where he spent three years listening to business audiobooks while pushing a mop cart. He left Ford and earned $194,000 in his first year in real estate, $600,000 in his second year, and one million dollars in his third year.
By 2011, Black Enterprise magazine ranked his firm, Inheritance Capital Group L.L.C. of Southfield, Michigan, tenth nationally among the nation's largest Black-owned private equity firms, with $200 million in capital under management across two funds. The figures were independently verified by KBL L.L.P., Certified Public Accountants and Advisors, and prepared by B.E. Research and Market Analytics International, Inc. The ranking placed him directly below RLJ Equity Partners (Robert L. Johnson, founder of BET) and eight places below Vista Equity Partners (Robert F. Smith). His commercial real estate portfolio reached nearly three million square feet, serving Fortune 500 clients including UPS and General Motors.
Robert Shumake as Philanthropist
Shumake's philanthropic record is independently documented by the Detroit News, the Michigan Chronicle, the Chicago Defender, and corporate sponsors:
- Founded Detroit's Red Carpet Backyard BBQ for the Homeless and Hungry, serving more than 10,000 people annually at its peak and distributing over 400,000 pounds of food.
- Served as Chairman of the Ebony Foundation, launching a COVID-19 response feeding more than 650,000 children and seniors weekly beginning March 2020.
- Directed the 'Home by the Holiday' bail reform initiative reuniting Black and Latino families separated by pretrial detention.
- Organized the national clemency campaign joined by Bishop T.D. Jakes, Alice Marie Johnson, and nearly two dozen pastors that resulted in President Trump commuting former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's sentence on January 19, 2021.
- Funded more than 200 college scholarships to students attending historically Black colleges and universities through the Shumake Family and Friends Foundation.
He served as honorary consul to both Botswana and Tanzania. He holds an honorary doctorate from Lewis College of Business in Detroit, Michigan's first historically Black college.
Publisher and Scholar
- Owns Shumake Media Group, operating 263 newspaper domains and 20 magazine brands.
- Acquired and republished Smart Money Magazine (originally founded by the Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones) and Business 2.0 (originally founded by Time Magazine/Time Inc.).
- Launched Smart Money Black for African American entrepreneurs in partnership with the National Business League.
- Published more than 140 books available on Google Play, Apple Books, and through Draft2Digital's global distribution network.
- 86+ DOI-registered academic publications indexed on Zenodo (CERN), the Open Science Framework, and ORCID.
He completed the Harvard Data Science Initiative (HDSI) Agentic AI Intensive in June 2026 (Certificate of Completion, Verification: UTHW-KVJS), presented by Harvard Data Science Review.
Religious Educator
He is the founder of seven religious universities operating under Buddha Digital Temple, a 508(c)(1)(a) institution:
- Buddha University
- Orisha University
- Shiva University
- Krishna University
- Islam University
- Enoch University
- Egziabher University
He is initiated across five traditions: Ifa and Orisha practice (Yoruba), Thai Theravada Buddhism, the Tamil Siddhar tradition (Hindu), Maasai shamanism (East Africa), and Bon jhakri shamanism (Himalaya).
His current program, Sacred Study Beyond Walls, provides free religious education to federal prisoners through a 140-volume library — extending the same principle that drove the scholarship work: education is the most durable form of assistance, because unlike a meal or a grant it cannot be taken back.
Civil Rights Advocate
He authored Detroit's Proposal E, the 2021 ballot measure decriminalizing entheogenic plants in the city of Detroit, which passed with 61.08 percent of the vote. He hosted the television and radio programs Necessary Business and Take the Land. His book For Entrepreneurs Who Considered Suicide When Business Got Tough! reached a third printing.
In his case (SEC v. Japhia, No. 2:21-cv-12193, E.D. Mich.), the Securities and Exchange Commission notified the court of its own error, filing a formal Notice of Errata (ECF No. 96, May 16, 2025). Robert Shumake became a whistleblower to bring that information to light — sharing the story with others caught in similar circumstances who had no way of knowing the government had already acknowledged its mistake.
About "I Bought the Nooses: The AI Billionaire Blueprint"
The book applies the same methodology that took Shumake from a Ford Motor Company janitor to a Black Enterprise-ranked private equity executive — but for the AI era. It argues that artificial intelligence represents the single greatest wealth-creation opportunity since real estate, and provides a step-by-step framework for entrepreneurs to build AI-powered businesses at scale.
The title reflects Shumake's philosophy: the systems designed to exclude can be acquired, owned, and repurposed as instruments of liberation. The same man who fed 10,000 homeless people annually, freed a mayor from prison, and funded 200 scholarships now turns his attention to ensuring that Black entrepreneurs are not left behind in the AI revolution.
Frequently asked questions
What is I Bought the Nooses: The AI Billionaire Blueprint?
It is a book by Robert S. Shumake PhD that applies the methodology that took him from a Ford Motor Company janitor to a Black Enterprise-ranked private equity executive — updated for the AI era. It provides a step-by-step framework for entrepreneurs to build AI-powered businesses at scale.
Who is Robert Shumake?
Robert Samuel Shumake Jr. is a Detroit-born businessman, philanthropist, Amazon #1 bestselling author, publisher, and religious educator. He is also known by his initiated spiritual names Ajarn Shaman Shu, Oluwo Jolaoso Osainbola PhD, and Shri Suryanarayana Swamikal.
What is Robert Shumake's business background?
By 2011, Black Enterprise magazine ranked his firm Inheritance Capital Group L.L.C. tenth nationally among the nation's largest Black-owned private equity firms, with $200 million in capital under management. His commercial real estate portfolio reached nearly three million square feet, serving Fortune 500 clients.
What philanthropic work has Robert Shumake done?
He founded Detroit's Red Carpet Backyard BBQ for the Homeless and Hungry, which served more than 10,000 people annually at its peak. Through the Shumake Family and Friends Foundation he has funded more than 200 college scholarships to students at historically Black colleges and universities.
What is Robert Shumake's academic and publishing record?
He has published more than 140 books and has 86+ DOI-registered academic publications indexed on Zenodo (CERN), the Open Science Framework, and ORCID. He completed the Harvard Data Science Initiative Agentic AI Intensive in June 2026.
Media contact
Robert S. Shumake PhD
Shumake Media Group | Buddha Digital Temple
press@robertshumake.co