Austin , Texas ( CNN ) -- Shaquille O'Neal may be 7 feet tall and one of the most dominant players in NBA history , but here at the South by Southwest Interactive festival , he 's just a big nerd . Shaq has spent the past few days in Austin meeting entrepreneurs , checking out new gadgets and sharing his thoughts on tech , social media , basketball and , well , almost everything else . He spent part of Sunday touring the SXSW trade show , where startups hawk their latest products . `` I thought I was at Toys R Us . I bought stuff I did n't even need , '' he told a capacity crowd at an onstage talk Monday afternoon . `` I 'm on my iPad , my computer , every day . I 'm the world 's tallest geek . '' During Shaq 's appearance , his first at SXSW , he offered a mix of earnest life lessons and good-natured humor . The 19-year NBA veteran praised the `` dummy-proof '' nature of today 's simple-to-use tablets and phones . `` If you do n't know how to work technology now , something is really , really wrong with you . '' O'Neal has long been a force on Twitter , where he has 6.8 million followers . He said he uses the service `` 60 % to make you laugh , 30 % to inspire you , and 10 % to sell stuff . I do a lot of 'your mama ' jokes on it . '' But Shaq 's playful personality masks a potent ambition and a shrewd knack for business . He earned an MBA while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and later bought a lucrative stake in Google before its IPO in 2004 . Currently , he sits on the advisory board for Tout , a social-media startup that lets users make and share 15-second videos . `` I 've always tried to partner with people who are way , way smarter than me , '' said the Big Aristotle ( one of his many nicknames ) , who retired from the NBA in 2011 . `` I 've always been a person ... ( who thinks ) I do n't want you to give me anything . I want to earn it . '' Asked by interviewer Brian Solis what he looks for when investing in a tech product , he said , `` Simplicity . I 'm looking for something that 's very simple ... and that 's going to change the world . I look for individuals who are sort of like myself -- big dreamers . '' He may have found a few . Before he arrived in Austin , O'Neal and Tout joined up for a `` Pitch Shaq '' contest in which they invited registered SXSW attendees to submit 15-second elevator pitches about their startups . The winner was promised a personal audience with Shaq and possibly an infusion of his cash . At the close of his remarks Monday , Shaq said he had viewed more than 150 pitches and had chosen two winners : Beam , which makes a mobile videoconferencing device that rolls around on wheels like a Segway ; and Speakerfy , a social-sound app that lets you wirelessly sync music between different Apple mobile devices . Both startups , when contacted by CNN at their booths inside the Austin Convention Center , were pleasantly stunned by the news . But they do n't need Shaq 's money . `` We 're very flattered . I 'd love to figure out how Shaq could use ( our device ) in his business , '' said Scott Hassan , CEO of Beam . `` We 're not really looking for funding right now . We 're well funded . But if he really wants to , we could probably work something out . '' `` We 're very excited , do n't get me wrong . We would love to do anything with Shaq . We want his advice , '' said Austin Wright , vice president of operations for Speakerfy . `` But we 're good , funding-wise , '' he said . `` That 's awkward . Do we tell Shaq no ? '' Unlikely star of SXSW : Grumpy Cat .
Shaquille O'Neal has been in Austin meeting entrepreneurs , checking out new gadgets . The former NBA star spoke at the SXSW Interactive festival . `` If you do n't know how to work technology now , something is really wrong with you , '' he says .