Detroit Philanthropist and Private Equity Veteran Robert S. Shumake Publishes "I Bought the Nooses: The AI Billionaire Blueprint" - A Framework for Building Generational Wealth Through Artificial Intelligence

Detroit, MI - August 18, 2026 - Robert S. Shumake PhD, the Detroit-born businessman, philanthropist, and author of more than 140 published works, has released "I Bought the Nooses: The AI Billionaire Blueprint," a new book outlining how entrepreneurs - particularly those from underserved communities - can leverage artificial intelligence to build generational wealth at scale. The book is available now on Google Play Books.

The title draws on Shumake's characteristic directness: the "nooses" are the systems designed to keep people out of wealth - and the book is a manual for buying them, owning them, and repurposing them as tools of liberation.

From Ford Motor Company Janitor to $200 Million in Capital Under Management

Shumake's authority on the subject is not theoretical. In June 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 listing was prepared by B.E. Research and Market Analytics International, Inc., and reviewed by KBL L.L.P., Certified Public Accountants and Advisors - meaning the capital figures were independently verified before publication.

That ranking placed his firm directly below RLJ Equity Partners, founded by BET founder Robert L. Johnson, and eight places below Vista Equity Partners under Robert F. Smith.

What makes the story remarkable is its origin. Shumake began his career as a janitor at a Ford Motor Company auto plant, pushing a mop cart while listening to business audiobooks instead of music. Within three years of leaving Ford, he had earned his first million dollars in real estate. Within a decade, he had assembled a commercial portfolio of nearly three million square feet serving Fortune 500 clients including UPS and General Motors.

"I Bought the Nooses" applies that same trajectory to the AI era - arguing that artificial intelligence represents the single greatest wealth-creation opportunity since real estate, and that the entrepreneurs who master it first will build the next generation of billion-dollar enterprises.

Harvard-Certified AI Methodology

The book's framework is grounded in Shumake's completion of the Harvard Data Science Initiative (HDSI) Agentic AI Intensive in June 2026, a program presented by Harvard Data Science Review (Certificate of Completion, Verification: UTHW-KVJS). The curriculum addresses how autonomous AI agents can be deployed across business operations - from content creation and customer acquisition to supply chain management and financial modeling.

Shumake has since built the Smart Money Black AI Executive Program in partnership with the National Business League, bringing AI education specifically to African American entrepreneurs. Through Shumake Media Group, he operates 263 newspaper domains and 20 magazine brands, having 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.). He launched Smart Money Black to serve the Black business community with AI-powered tools for growth.

A Career Defined by the Double Bottom Line

Shumake describes his philosophy as the "double bottom line" - make a profit in business and make a difference in the community. His philanthropic record substantiates the claim:

He founded Detroit's Red Carpet Backyard BBQ for the Homeless and Hungry, an annual event that served more than 10,000 people at its peak and distributed over 400,000 pounds of food across its run. Corporate sponsors included Comerica Bank, General Motors, UAW Ford, and the DTE Energy Foundation. Detroit Lions players served food alongside Caribbean ambassadors. The Detroit News, the Michigan Chronicle, and the Chicago Defender all covered the program.

He served as Chairman of the Ebony Foundation, where he led the COVID-19 response feeding more than 650,000 children and seniors weekly, organized the "Home by the Holiday" bail reform initiative, and directed the national clemency campaign that resulted in President Trump commuting former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's twenty-eight-year sentence on January 19, 2021.

Through the Shumake Family and Friends Foundation, he has funded more than 200 college scholarships to students attending historically Black colleges and universities, beginning with the Robert S. Shumake Scholarship Relays in 2005. The Foundation currently operates Sacred Study Beyond Walls, providing free religious education to federal prisoners through a 140-volume library.

He holds an honorary doctorate from Lewis College of Business in Detroit, Michigan's first historically Black college, and has served as honorary consul to both Botswana and Tanzania.

Seven Universities, 140 Books, 86 Academic Publications

Beyond business and philanthropy, Shumake is the founder of seven religious universities operating under Buddha Digital Temple, a 508(c)(1)(a) institution: Buddha University (buddhauniversity.org), Orisha University (orishauniversity.com), Shiva University (shivauniversity.com), Krishna University (krishna.university), Islam University (islamuniversity.org), Enoch University (enochuniversity.com), and Egziabher University (egziabheruniversity.org).

He has published 86+ DOI-registered academic publications indexed on Zenodo (CERN), the Open Science Framework, and ORCID (ID: 0009-0007-4429-7802). His research spans artificial intelligence, African traditional religions, Buddhist philosophy, Hindu theology, and American press history.

Writing under four names - Robert Shumake, Ajarn Shaman Shu (Thai Buddhist tradition), Oluwo Jolaoso Osainbola PhD (Yoruba/Ifa tradition), and Shri Suryanarayana Swamikal (Hindu/Dravidian tradition) - he has published more than 140 books available on Google Play, Apple Books, and through Draft2Digital's global distribution network.

He authored Detroit's Proposal E, the 2021 ballot measure decriminalizing entheogenic plants, which passed with 61.08 percent of the vote.

Access the Book

I Bought the Nooses: The AI Billionaire Blueprint (Google Play): https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=4H32EQAAQBAJ
ORCID Profile: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4429-7802
Academic Publications: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21349908

Author Websites

https://robertshumake.co
https://robertshumake.blog
https://robertshumake.live
https://robertshumake.work
https://robertshumake.online
https://robertshumake.us
https://robertshumake.today
https://robertshumake.cloud
https://robertshumake.website
https://robertshumake.store
https://robertshumake.agency
https://robertshumake.vip

Institutional Affiliations

Buddha University - https://buddhauniversity.org
Orisha University - https://orishauniversity.com
Shiva University - https://shivauniversity.com
Krishna University - https://krishna.university
Islam University - https://islamuniversity.org
Enoch University - https://enochuniversity.com
Egziabher University - https://egziabheruniversity.org

Media Contact

Robert S. Shumake PhD
Shumake Media Group | Buddha Digital Temple
press@robertshumake.co

19875 west 12 mile rd Southfield mi, 48076 Michigan, United States

Robert S. Shumake PhD - also known as Ajarn Shaman Shu, Oluwo Jolaoso Osainbola PhD, and Shri Suryanarayana Swamikal - is the author of more than 140 published books and 86+ DOI-registered academic publications indexed on Zenodo (CERN), the Open Science Framework, and ORCID.

He is the founder and chancellor of seven religious universities operating under Buddha Digital Temple, a 508(c)(1)(a) religious educational institution:

Buddha University - http://buddhauniversity.org/
Orisha University - http://orishauniversity.com/
Shiva University - http://shivauniversity.com/
Krishna University - http://krishna.university/
Islam University - http://islamuniversity.org/
Enoch University - http://enochuniversity.com/
Egziabher University - http://egziabheruniversity.org/

This release was published on openPR.