From Priyanka Chopra to Stephen Curry, these celebrities are ready to sign the check if your company interests them!
Whether it is by making their non-fungible tokens (NFTs) or by creating their cities, celebrities are taking up different ways of growing their ever-expanding network of enterprises. This is exactly why it came as no surprise when reality TV star turned businesswoman Kim Kardashian launched her venture capital firm earlier this month. Called SKKY Partners, Kim’s firm is the latest on the long list of celebrities to enter the venture capital (VC) industry. Curious to know who the other top VC celebrities are? Here is a rundown of some of the biggest celebrities and their various investment ventures.
Priyanka Chopra
If you are one of our Indian readers, you would need no introduction to Priyanka Chopra. Famous in the U.S. for her roles in numerous films, like Baywatch, The Matrix Resurrections and the TV series Quantico, Chopra is a worldwide celebrity and has consequently made a killing out of her on-screen success.
Enterprising as she is, she has also been investing in a lot of startup projects. One of her biggest investments was in the dating platform Bumble, and she helped the company launch the app in India in 2018 as an advisor. She has also invested in other projects, such as the luxury ski wear brand Perfect Moment and the real-estate company Apartment List.
Leonardo DiCaprio
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Another mega-star who has made his mark not just in acting but also in the VC space is Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor has made 26 investments so far, dropping his funds mainly in the technology sector. Some of his investments include the stem cell research company Vitro Labs, the food-tech company Neat Burger and the neurotherapeutic platform MindMaze.
DiCaprio is also a well-known environmentalist. In 1998, he created the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation to fund companies working towards a sustainable future. This year, DiCaprio signed on as an advisor for Regeneration.VC, a VC firm that supports circular economy (where new products are made from recycled materials) consumer startups.
Jay-Z
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Rapper Jay-Z is not just a big name in the music industry—he has also made waves as one of the few black billionaires in the world and the first hip-hop artist to become a billionaire. He earned his wealth not just by making good music but also by investing in the right companies.
The rapper has his own VC firm called Marcy Venture Partners, and some of his biggest investments include a US$70 million stake in Uber, Rihanna-owned lingerie brand Savage X Fenty and a cannabis speakeasy called Josephine & Billie’s. Jay-Z has also entered the crypto space with investments in the crypto-platform Gemini, NFT marketplace Bitski and a tech incubator for metaverse projects called Spatial Labs (sLABS).
Serena Williams
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American tennis player Serena Williams made headlines this year for playing her final match and retiring to pursue a career as a full-time venture capitalist. In April this year, she announced the launch of Serena Ventures, a VC firm meant to support women and minority-owned businesses.
So far, the firm has invested in 60 startups, some of the most notable being the educational streaming platform Master Class, the plant-based substitute developer Impossible Foods, the social media application Clubhouse and the diet and exercise tracker Noom.
Much like Jay-Z, Williams has also invested in the crypto space, with some of the projects being Bitski, the Bitcoin reward browser extension Lolli and the Nigeria-based web3 company Nestcoin, which also aims to help people in Africa learn about cryptocurrency.
Gwyneth Paltrow
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American actress and singer Gwyneth Paltrow is no stranger to the startup space, she started her lifestyle brand Goop in 2008 and has since forayed into the venture capital industry as well. She has made 15 investments so far in her career, and some of them are the customer service solutions company Forethought, the interior design video marketplace The Expert and the women’s healthcare service company Evernow.
Just like Serena Williams and Jay-Z, Paltrow has also invested in the crypto space. She has put her money into the software company MoonPay, where people can purchase crypto through conventional payment methods, like debit or credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Stephen Curry
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American basketball player Stephen Curry established his investment firm called SC30 in 2017 to manage his investments and brand partnerships. Curry has since invested in 13 companies, of which he holds the advisor position in two—the marketing automation platform Slyce and CoachUp, a platform that connects athletes to private coaches. Some of his biggest investments include the AI-powered workout equipment manufacturer Tonal and the e-sports organization TSM.
Well, there you have it, folks! These are some of the top celebrity investors out there. Celebrity investments matter a lot because they bring in funds to help the startup get up and running and also make the startup look more credible. This in turn helps you make a name for yourself and get more customers. If you can find a good celebrity match for your products, it might be worth trying to get a celebrity investor to bolster your company!
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- Hollywood Investors: A Legacy Far Beyond Film
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