Remember when Captain America (played by Chris Evans) challenged Iron Man (played by Robert Downey Jr.) in the Avengers movie (2012), saying, “Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?” Tony Stark, without missing a beat, retorted, “Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist”. Well, it seems like Stark left out one crucial detail – “venture capitalist”. Yes, you heard it right. The world of venture capital and startups isn’t just for tech moguls and business tycoons anymore. It’s becoming a playground for some of the biggest names in Hollywood and the sports world.
From Robert Downey Jr. to Serena Williams, A-list celebrities are leveraging their wealth and influence to back innovative startups, shaping the future of various industries. And while we’re still waiting for them to discover the untapped potential of startups in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), their investments are already making a significant impact globally.
In this listicle, we take a closer look at 15 celebrities turned startup investors, their venture capital firms, investment focus, and notable portfolio investments.
To maintain peace in our editorial team and avoid any “fan wars”, we’ve decided to list our celebrity investors alphabetically.
1. Ashton Kutcher
About: Ashton Kutcher, the actor turned venture capitalist, co-founded A-Grade Investments (based in Los Angeles, California) and Sound Ventures (based in Beverly Hills, California), which together have made over 280 investments to date.
VC Founded In: A-Grade Investments (2010), Sound Ventures (2015)
Investment Focus: Tech, Consumer Products, Digital Media
Notable Portfolio Investments: Airbnb (🇺🇸), Uber (🇺🇸), Spotify (🇸🇪), Shazam (🇬🇧)
2. Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus
About: Snoop Dogg, the well-known rapper and media personality, founded Casa Verde Capital (based in Los Angeles, California), a micro-VC firm that primarily makes seed-stage, early-stage, and later-stage investments. The VC has made over 40 investments to date.
VC Founded In: 2015
Investment Focus: Cannabis Industry
Notable Portfolio Investments: Dutchie (🇺🇸), Green Bits (🇺🇸), Cansativa (🇩🇪)
3. Jared Leto
About: Team ‘celebrity investors’ also has actor and musician Jared Leto who has made numerous investments in tech companies and has also founded several companies of his own like the social media management company called The Hive and the live-streaming service VyRT.
Investor Type: Angel (individual)
Investment Focus: Tech Companies
Notable Portfolio Investments: Uber (🇺🇸), Airbnb (🇺🇸), Slack (🇺🇸)
4. Justin Bieber
About: Pop star Justin Bieber is another one from the ‘celebrity investors’ league. He has made 8 investments so far and is also the co-founder of Drew House.
Investor Type: Angel (individual)
Investment Focus: Tech companies, digital media
Notable Portfolio Investments: TMRW Sports (🇺🇸), Legacy (🇺🇸), Stamped (🇺🇸)
5. Justin Timberlake
About: Pop star and actor Justin Timberlake has invested in over 15 companies so far and is also a co-founder and co-owner of the Nexus Luxury Collection.
Investor Type: Angel (individual)
Investment Focus: Food & Beverages, Recreational Goods, Entertainment Software
Notable Portfolio Investments: The Ugly Company (🇺🇸), Superplastic (🇺🇸), Sandbox VR (🇺🇸)
6. Katy Perry
About: Pop star Katy Perry has made 8 investments to date.
Investor Type: Angel (individual)
Investment Focus: Food and Beverage, Tech
Notable Portfolio Investments: Impossible Foods (🇺🇸), Apeel Sciences (🇺🇸)
7. Kim Kardashian
About: Reality TV star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian co-founded SKKY Partners, a private equity firm (based in Boston, Massachusetts).
VC Founded In: 2022
Investment Focus: Consumer, Digital, Media, Hospitality Luxury Companies
Notable Portfolio Investments: N/A
8. Leonardo DiCaprio
About: When it comes to ‘celebrity investors’ we can’t miss to mention American actor and film producer Leonardo DiCaprio who has also made a name for himself in the startup investment world with 20+ investments to date.
Investor Type: Angel (individual)
Investment Focus: Tech Startups, Sustainable Practices
Notable Portfolio Investments: Casper (🇺🇸), Rubicon (🇺🇸), MindMaze (🇨🇭), Mosa Meat (🇳🇱), Aleph Farms (🇮🇱)
9. Nasir “Nas” Jones
About: The hip-hop performer Nas made a successful transition into the world of venture capital. He co-founded Queensbridge Venture Partners (based in Los Angeles, California.), which has made over 130 investments to date.
VC Founded In: 2014
Investment Focus: Tech, Consumer Products, Digital Media
Notable Portfolio Investments: Soma Water (🇺🇸), Ring (🇺🇸), Casper (🇺🇸), Vantage Sports (🇺🇸)
10. Pharrell Williams
About: American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and fashion designer Pharrell Williams has 6 investments under his belt so far and he is also the co-founder of UJAM.
Investor Type: Angel (individual)
Investment Focus: EdTech, Electronics, Information Services
Notable Portfolio Investments: Genius (🇺🇸), ROLI (🇬🇧), Boddle
11. Priyanka Chopra-Jonas
About: Actress Priyanka Chopra has made 8 investments so far, the biggest being the dating platform Bumble, which she also helped launch in India back in 2018 as an advisor.
Investor Type: Angel (individual)
Investment Focus: Food & Beverages, Social/Platform Software, Real Estate
Notable Portfolio Investments: Bumble (🇺🇸), Perfect Moment (🇬🇧), Apartment List (🇺🇸)
12. Robert Downey Jr.
About: Known for his iconic role as Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. is not just a superhero on screen but also in the world of venture capital. He founded FootPrint Coalition Ventures (based in Beverly Hills, California), an investment fund focused on backing sustainable technologies, which has made over 20 investments to date.
VC Founded In: 2021
Investment Focus: Data & Analytics, Energy, Food & Agriculture, Homes & Building, Mobility
Notable Portfolio Investments: RWDC Industries (🇺🇸), Ynsect (🇫🇷), Albedo (🇺🇸)
13. Serena Williams
About: Team ‘celebrity investors’ has members from the sports world too. Tennis legend Serena Williams is the founder of Serena Ventures, which focuses on investing in companies that embrace diverse leadership, individual empowerment, creativity, and opportunity. The VC has made over 90 investments to date.
VC Founded In: 2014
Investment Focus: e-commerce, Fintech, Health, Sports & Wellness, Web3, Edtech, Enterprise, Social Tech, Climate Tech
Notable Portfolio Investments: MasterClass (🇺🇸), Billie (🇺🇸), Daily Harvest (🇺🇸)
14. Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter
About: Jay-Z, one of the most successful rappers of all time, is also a savvy investor. He co-founded Marcy Venture Partners (based in San Francisco, California), which has made over 50 investments so far.
VC Founded In: 2019
Investment Focus: Consumer Products, Consumer Services, e-commerce, Micro-mobility, Robotics, Drones, Virtual Reality, Ephemeral Content, Mobile Commerce
Notable Portfolio Investments: Altro (🇺🇸), Babylist (🇺🇸), Savage x Fenty (🇺🇸)
15. Will Smith
About: Hollywood superstar Will Smith co-founded Dreamers VC (based in Los Angeles, California), which has made more than 80 investments in seed-stage, early-stage, and later-stage companies to date.
VC Founded In: 2018
Investment Focus: Fintech, Enterprise Software, Entertainment, Health-Biotech
Notable Portfolio Investments: Sandbox VR (🇺🇸), Neuralink (🇺🇸), The Boring Company (🇺🇸)
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