NFL star Saquon Barkley has reportedly invested millions in tech startups and VC funds

Saquon Barkley has earned nearly $80 million in NFL salary and bonuses since 2018.

Instead of spending that money lavishly, the Philadelphia Eagles running back has invested millions of it in a variety of venture funds and tech startups, according to a report published by The Profile on September 3.

Those funds and startups reportedly include artificial intelligence firm Anthropic, Elon Musk-owned neurotech company Neuralink, prediction market Polymarket and venture capital fund Founders Fund, which is run by billionaire investor and political activist Peter Thiel.

“I was just thinking about how I can only play for so long, so I really gotta take advantage, keep investing, and create wealth for me and my family,” Barkley told The Profile.

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After Barkley became the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NFL draft, he signed a $31.2 million contract — and, wary of overspending and watching his sudden fortune quickly vanish, vowed to invest while living off his endorsement deals instead.

“When I declared for the NFL draft and kind of realized where I was going to be drafted, that was something I was like, ‘You know what? Kind of want to follow the Marshawn Lynch method. I don’t want to touch that. I want to invest it, put it in the right peoples’ hands and learn as I continue to make investments. And just live off the endorsement deals,’” Barkley told ESPN in June 2018.

Barkley has endorsement deals with brands including Nike, Pepsi and Toyota. He earns an estimated $10 million per year from endorsements, sports marketing analyst Bob Dorfman told Front Office Sports in January.

The NFL star initially parked much of his rookie contract in traditional long-term investments like S&P 500 index funds, The Profile reported. He’s also put some of his earnings into real estate, including his recent purchase of a $3.9 million home in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

More recently, he’s embraced some risk — investing in mobile payments app Strike in 2021, and announcing plans to convert all his marketing and endorsement earnings to bitcoin using the app, for example. Since then, the price of bitcoin has more than tripled, “turning a $10 million income stream into a $35 million asset,” The Profile noted.

More broadly, startup investing can be a risky approach to money management: Young companies, even trendy ones with lofty valuations, are never guaranteed to succeed. Barkley has funded more than 10 startups, usually at between $250,000 and $500,000 per startup, The Profile reported — likely only constituting a fraction of his career earnings, so far.

His shift into startup investing began after he read Thiel’s book “Zero to One,” and he identifies his targets through word-of-mouth referrals from his business manager Ken Katz’s investor network, according to The Profile. Barkley interrogates a company’s founder or founders directly before choosing to invest, he told the publication.

“It’s about asking them what they stand for, what their mission is, why they think they’ll be successful,” said Barkley. “They have to be confident, but arrogance is a turn-off.”

Barkley, 28, kicked off his 8th NFL season — more than double the length of the average NFL player’s career — on September 4. He received some extra motivation to grow his wealth as much as possible during his playing career from a severe injury in 2020, when a torn ACL cause him to miss most of his third NFL season, he told the “The Best Business Show” podcast in an episode that aired in July 2021.

The injury forced Barkley to reflect, he said: Running backs endure a lot of physical contact, and tend to have shorter careers than many other professional athletes. If he wasn’t going to play for as long as some other superstar athletes — people like LeBron James or Tom Brady — he needed to embrace financial strategies outside of football “to create generational wealth” with his paychecks, he said.

“When you sit out of football for a whole year, you realize that this game could be taken away from you,” said Barkley.

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I study happiness for a living. I’ve collected 12 useful little reminders for a happier life

I’ve spent more than 12 years studying happiness and human nature. Along the way, I’ve collected what I call “Secrets of Adulthood” — the lessons I’ve learned, with time and experience, about how to create lives that are happier, more meaningful, and more confident.

Many of my most important discoveries can be distilled into one short line. As the old saying goes, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears,” and sometimes reading a single sentence can spark a transformative insight.

1. Accept yourself, and expect more from yourself.

To be happier, seek to have self-compassion and acknowledge the natural limits of your nature; also seek to grow, stretch, and push yourself outside of our comfort zone.

2. Working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination.

In my case, work-procrastination often takes the form of needless research. It may look like work, but if it’s not actually helping me achieve my work aims, I’m goofing off.

3. What we do every day matters more than what we do once in a while.

If we go for 20-minute walk most days each month, it’s okay if we miss a few days here or there; if we go for an hour’s walk just one day each month, we won’t accomplish much.

4. A strong voice repels as well as attracts.

As a writer, I often remind myself of this truth. If I aim to be so mild that no one can disagree with my conclusions or object to my style, my work will be featureless and boring.

5. Perfectionism is driven not by high standards but by anxiety.

If you feel plagued by perfectionism, don’t worry about lowering your standards but rather work to address your anxieties.

6. To respect us, people must first notice us; we can’t earn trust and admiration from the sidelines.

Many people are puzzled when their efforts aren’t recognized; the problem is that no one knows what they’re doing.

7. If we’re not failing, we’re not trying hard enough.

By trying to avoid failure, we’re also avoiding the risks and challenges that lead to accomplishment and opportunity.

8. Before declaring that something is superficial, unhealthy, inefficient, dangerous, disgusting, or immoral, we should consider: Maybe this just doesn’t suit my taste.

Consider instead: Writing was denounced for fear that dependence on the written word would weaken people’s memories. Railroad travel was denounced for fear that it would cause brain damage. Postcards were denounced for fear that they would encourage heedless, frivolous disclosure.

9. The sharing of tasks often leads to the shirking of tasks.

We’ve all experienced this phenomenon!

10. Nothing is more exhausting than the task that’s never started.

I’ve felt overwhelmed for a week because I delayed writing an email that, in the end, took me 20 seconds to draft.

11. It’s easier to change our surroundings and our schedules than to change ourselves.

Instead of trying to become a “morning person,” do your most taxing work late in the day. Instead of trying to become a marathoner who works slowly and steadily toward a deadline, embrace your sprinter nature and the fact that you do your best work when you’re racing to meet a deadline.

12. The bird, the bee, and the bat all fly, but they use different wings.

Nothing is a one-size-fits-all! Use the approach and the tools that work best for you.

Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential observers of happiness and human nature. She’s the author of many books, including the bestseller ”The Happiness Project.” Her books have sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide, in more than 30 languages. She hosts the award-winning podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, where she explores practical solutions for living a happier life. Her new book, ”Secrets of Adulthood,” is out now.

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Playing nice at work won’t help you succeed, says Stanford expert—how to gain influence instead

If you want to get ahead and gain respect at work, don’t make “being nice” your priority, says Stanford University organizational behavior professor Jeffrey Pfeffer.

You might think being nice will help you stand out from your peers, but you weren’t hired “to win a popularity contest,” says Pfeffer, 76. “You’ve been hired to get things done.” Focusing on results doesn’t mean you should be mean or rude, but “you shouldn’t optimize on being popular and being nice. You should optimize on getting your job done,” he says.

Many young professionals, especially women, feel pressure to be liked at work, notes Pfeffer, who has taught at Stanford for nearly five decades and written or co-written 16 books on topics like leadership and career development. He’s the host of MasterClass’ “The Power Playbook” course, which published on August 21.

But you don’t actually need anyone except your boss — and, perhaps, your boss’ boss — to like you, he says. Start building those relationships with some old-fashioned flattery, he recommends: Compliment them on a new initiative they’re spearheading, for example, or show them you value their insight by asking them for career advice.

“The people in the hierarchy are the people who are responsible for your career,” says Pfeffer, adding: “You need to worry a lot about what your boss thinks about you. You don’t need to worry so much about what everybody else thinks.”

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As for showing your boss that you’re a capable employee — and standing out from your colleagues — you’ll gain a positive reputation simply by being a person of your word, Walmart chief people officer Donna Morris told CNBC Make It on August 25.

Good employees “deliver what you are expecting at the time that you’re expecting,” and the best ones deliver ahead of schedule, said Morris. “So what I would say is you’re better to deliver early than to deliver late, and you’re better to deliver more than less, if that makes sense.”

High-achieving employees also find ways to “reduce stress, rather than create it,” billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban said in October 2024. In particular, they know how to “analyze a situation, find a solution and not make a big deal out of it,” he said.

“There’s a lot of people that are just a whirlwind and everything seems to be difficult, causing a lot of unnecessary stress,” said Cuban, adding: “The greatest value you can offer a boss is to reduce their stress.”

30-year-old CEO left Wall Street, bought a ‘stale’ frozen yogurt chain—now it brings in $21M a year

When Neil Hershman, the 30-year-old CEO and majority owner of frozen yogurt chain 16 Handles, visits his self-serve dessert shops, he keeps it simple. His go-to order: a plain tart-flavored swirl with strawberries, blueberries, chocolate chips and hazelnut crunch.

And no, he does not eat frozen yogurt every day — just a few times a week, he says.

In 2024, New York-based 16 Handles brought in $20.6 million in systemwide sales, and in the first six months of 2025, systemwide sales reached $12.5 million, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

Once crowded with brands like TCBY, Yogurtland and Menchie’s, the self-serve frozen yogurt space has been shrinking since 2016, according to data from food service research firm Technomic. However, since taking over the company in 2022, Hershman says there’s been a “surge” in customer demand at 16 Handles.

In-store traffic has been on the rise, people are spending more in stores and same-store sales have increased by over 10% year over year since he took over, he says.

“Everybody thought frozen yogurt was fading … but we revived the category,” Hershman says.

‘There was no energy’

Solomon Choi founded 16 Handles in 2008 in Manhattan’s East Village. Named for the 16 different flavors of self-serve frozen yogurt, soft-serve ice cream or sorbet you can find in each store, the chain currently has 40 locations, mostly on the East Coast.

After graduating from college and moving to New York City in 2017 to work in asset management, Hershman, who rarely ate frozen yogurt growing up, says he quickly became a regular at the Murray Hill 16 Handles location down the block from his first apartment.

Two years into his job in finance, he realized the career wasn’t a fit for him, so in 2019, at 23 years old, Hershman says he quit his job and purchased a 16 Handles franchise using “effectively all the cash” he had saved up at that point — $160,000 in savings and just under $400,000 from a Small Business Administration loan and seller’s note.

“I was looking for something that was a little bit more hands on, down to earth and in person,” he says. “I worked the register for full shifts days in and days out … Through that, I learned the business from the inside.”

By 2022, the then-27-year-old owned six locations and says he had become the largest franchise owner of 16 Handles — but he wanted to do more. He says he sat down with 16 Handles leadership to talk about how he could help grow the brand, but realized the company had gotten “stale” in its operations.

“There was no energy and spark and innovation,” he says. “That was very exciting to me because it showed that with new energy and new ideas, there was room to push the needle and innovate.”

That year, he made a bid to purchase the entire company, using all of his existing locations as collateral to secure the acquisition for an undisclosed price. Today, Hershman says he is the majority owner of 16 Handles. YouTube comedian Danny Duncan owns a stake in the company, along with several other minority investors, he says.

Changing consumer sentiment

To get people through the door, Hershman has started launching limited edition flavors like French fry, butter beer and black matcha. Behind the scenes, he says he’s also invested in revamping the company’s digital marketing strategy.

So far, Hershman says his efforts to revitalize the brand have been working. Since he took over, the chain has added about 10 new locations. The company’s corporate operations are profitable, and he says he’s working with 18 franchisees looking to open new stores, with an additional five to six locations expected to open this year.

The decision to invest in frozen yogurt may be well timed. Nationally, consumers appear to be embracing frozen yogurt once again, says David Portalatin, a food service analyst at market research firm Circana. As of July 2025, total frozen yogurt servings consumed increased by 10% compared with the previous year — “a big deal in the context of an overall flat to slightly declining food service market,” he says.

People may be returning to frozen yogurt not just out of nostalgia, but as part of a larger trend toward health consciousness, with many consumers viewing it as a healthier alternative to other frozen treats like ice cream, Portalatin says.

While there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a fun dessert after dinner, registered dietitian Leah Kaufman cautions consumers to be wary of the sugar content in frozen yogurt, which can be equally as high as levels found in soda and ice cream. “If you’re looking for the health benefits of dessert, I would probably look elsewhere,” she says.

An ‘affordable luxury’ product

From the frozen mixes produced exclusively with a creamery in California to the self-serve in-store experience, Hershman says 16 Handles is priced as a “higher-end” product compared to a Mister Softee truck, for example. On average, customers spend anywhere from $8 to $10 when they visit 16 Handles, he says.

He’s not looking for customers to come to his store every day either. Rather, he views his frozen yogurt, which is priced by weight, as an “affordable luxury” — a sweet treat a few times a week, he says.

For Hershman, this is just the beginning. He says he expects the number of locations to grow to about 100 stores in the next couple of years, and eventually, wants to see the brand become a household name.

“My career in finance really taught me how to model risks, and in frozen yogurt, now I manage cookie dough inventory,” Hershman says. “Both are very volatile markets, but one is a lot more fun.”

If you want your kid to be successful, teach them this skill ‘early,’ says award-winning professor

Most of us never got a formal lesson in how learning works, but we picked up messages about what counts as “smart,” what’s worth knowing, and how we’re supposed to learn.

But there’s a catch to an education built around knowing the right answers: Life doesn’t always come with a clear solution. And when uncertainty shows up, too many kids freeze.

Over the past 15 years as a business school professor, I’ve studied how successful people navigate complex problems when there isn’t a step-by-step guide. What I’ve learned is that the ability to move forward wisely when you don’t know the answer is a very valuable skill — and one we should teach our kids as early as possible.

Teaching your kids to embrace uncertainty

Every summer for the last 12 years, when we go to the beach, I create a themed puzzle hunt for my daughters, niece, and nephew.

You must try several things out to find the non-obvious insight and solve the puzzle. Think Escape Room meets Treasure Hunt. There are few directions, so there is a lot of uncertainty and confusion.

For example, one puzzle might just be a bag of jellybeans, and the kids must figure out how that is a clue that would lead to something else. They might try counting the total number of jellybeans and notice that there are different numbers of different colors. Maybe there are two purples, four blues, three yellows, one green, and so on.

Then they might try to take the second letter of the word “purple” and the fourth letter of the word “blue,” which might uncover a string of letters to unscramble, leading them to look for the next clue.

When they were younger, they’d get frustrated fast: “We’re stuck! Just tell us the answer.” Then they’d eat the jellybeans and call it a day. Now, they stay curious and experiment.

More importantly, they’re learning that being smart isn’t about always having the answer. It’s about staying with the problem, trying different approaches, learning from what doesn’t work, and collaborating with others along the way. That’s the kind of thinking that builds resilience, and it’s exactly what kids will need to tackle life’s big challenges.

When parents embrace uncertainty, the kids will follow

If you want your kids to be comfortable with uncertainty, you must model it yourself:

Don’t dismiss doubt. Let your kids know that it’s okay to not know the answer right away and feel two different ways about something. Praise when they spend effort to figure something out. Doubt is a sign that they are facing something meaningful and need to learn.
Help them generate ideas, not just answers. It’s tempting to want to solve problems for your kids, but when we step in too soon, we rob them of the chance to build critical skills. Support them by asking questions about what they could try and what might happen.
Model doubt and decision-making. Don’t hide difficult choices of your own. If they are appropriate to share, walk through your thought process with your kids, show them what you’re doing to learn, and demonstrate curiosity instead of panic.
Make time for play at any age. Creative expression and imagination are essential training grounds for navigating doubt. Activities like music, visual art, or theater give children a space to express themselves and learn about the effects of their choices in a safe environment.
Build healthy habits. A tired brain is a reactive brain. Sleep, nutrition, movement, and strong relationships make it easier to stay calm and think clearly in uncertain situations.

A summer puzzle hunt won’t fix everything. But every time my kids move from “We give up!” to “Let’s try something else,” they’re building mental muscle. Every time they see me navigate uncertainty without falling apart, they’re becoming more resilient by learning how to do it themselves.

Bidhan Parmar, PhD, MBA, is the Shannon G. Smith Bicentennial Professor of Business Administration and Associate Dean for Faculty Development at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. He is a former fellow at the Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University and was named one of the top 40 business school professors under 40 in the world. Dr. Parmar is the author of ”Radical Doubt: Turning Uncertainty into Surefire Success.”

Adapted excerpt from Radical Doubt by BIDHAN L. PARMAR, available now wherever books are sold. Copyright © 2025 BIDHAN L. PARMAR. Printed with permission of the publisher, Diversion Books. All rights reserved.

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