When we think of celebrities, we usually think of their lifestyle first. The fancy cars, big mansions, luxury fashion, and expensive vacations that they spend millions on. But for many of these stars, it’s a lot more than a chic lifestyle. An unbelievable number of celebrities are also big investors. Here are some of the companies and startups with prominent holdings.
MadeFire
Nas could be an inspiration for many hip hop artists when it comes to making music. But did you know he’s an inspiration in business too? The legendary rapper invested in 2013 in the $ 3.5 million series A funding from MadeFire, a digital movement book company. In 2016, Drake followed in the legend’s footsteps and invested in the $ 6.5 million series B funding. The company is clearly well on its way to something big because it has one Partnership with Oculus for the production of virtual reality comics.
Headroom
At a time when mental health is becoming increasingly important, new age wellness practices have also grown in importance and celebrities are investing in them. HeadSpace is a meditation app that also includes guided exercises and courses on mindfulness.
It has been around for a while, and those who invested in its $ 34.3 Series A funding in 2014 included stars like Jessica Alba, Jared Leto, Ryan Seacrest, and Cash Warren. The company has raised $ 75.2 million in equity over the years.
Devourer
Does this name sound like something for a food manufacturer to you? Well, you couldn’t be more wrong. Gobbler is a digital subscription service for sound engineers.
It provides audio software for these professionals, and it’s not surprising that many of its investors are in the music business themselves. Elton John, John Legend, Jared Leto, Ryan Tedder and Troy Carter all invested in the seed rounds. Gobbler has $ 6.33 million in equity funding to date.
Philz coffee
It’s challenging to compete with Starbucks on coffee, but companies try to do just that by being different. Philz has been a coffee chain for around 25 years. It had a big moment in 2015 when celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Jonah Hill, Jamie Kennedy and Pulp Fiction producer Lawrence Bender invested in it. The $ 15 million Series B funding allowed the company to ten new branches to the 18 existing branches.
Reservations
Jared Leto is an accomplished investor, as you can probably tell by now. The Joker star has also invested in $ 15 million in funding for Reserve’s Serie A, an app that will schedule your event for you. Reserve makes restaurant recommendations and reservations, organizes and sends out invitations, and helps pay bills before they are brought to your table. Jared wasn’t the only celebrity investing in it. Others like Will.i.am, Jon Favreau and WME, the talent agency that represents several celebrities, also invested.
Shots Studio
Lots of celebrities invest their money in media companies, and that’s not surprising as they understand this best. In 2013, several A-List stars participated in the $ 2.7 million seed funding for Shots Studio.
These include Justin Bieber, Omar Epps, Floyd Mayweather and Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins. The company also works with several social media stars, from famous Youtubers to former Vine pundits. In August 2017, Forbes reported that the eight creators of Shots Studio had more than 3 billion views on YouTube. In addition, the company has raised a total of $ 15.2 million in equity.
Kasper
Casper manufactures mattresses that are designed for maximum comfort and who do not like a good sleep. As a result, celebrities have invested in the company, particularly in the Series B and Series C funding rounds. Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Adam Levine, Scooter Braun, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Shaun White. With $ 239.7 million in equity funding over the years, it’s one of the most heavily funded startups backed by celebrities.
tide
It’s a thing to invest in. Another is to buy the whole company. This is what Jay Z did to Tidal in 2015 when he bought Aspiro, the company that owns Tidal, for $ 56 million. Other celebrities like Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Coldplay, Nicki Minaj, Kayne West, Calvin Harris, Coldplay, Madonna and Jason Aldean also invested by buying 3% of the company’s shares.
In 2017, Sprint bought 33% of the music streaming service for $ 200 million. While Tidal has had few hits and early investors likely made their money back, it’s a little dog compared to streaming giants like Spotify and Apple Music. Tidal has also had its share of controversy, from allegations to inflated streaming numbers to lawsuits.
ShareX
StockX is an online marketplace for sneakers, handbags and watches. So it’s not surprising that stars have invested a lot in them. Big names like the legendary basketball player Magic Johnson and the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dan Gilbert, invested in several rounds of financing.
Talent manager Scooter Braun also invested, as did Mark Wahlberg. The move appears to be paying off as the company has invested $ 44 million in additional funding in the company with celebrities like Karlie Kloss and Steve Aoki, as well as Google’s investment arm, GV and Battery Ventures.
Robin Hood
The popular retail stock trading app Robinhood, which was the focus of the GameStop trading fiasco, has been in business for a while. Several celebrities were among the early investors. Snoop Dogg and Jared Leto invested in their $ 13 Series A funding in 2014. Linkin’s venture capital company Machine Shop Ventures also invested in Series B funding in 2015. Rap icon Nasir “Nas” Jones is also an early investor.
attitude
Another prolific investor is Nas, who always seems to take advantage of every opportunity. In 2011 he invested in Stance, the luxury sock company. It was his first major investment, and he has invested in many others since then. But Nas is not alone. Other celebrities like Will Smith and Troy Carter also invested in $ 6 million in Series A funding.
Thriving market
This start-up raised around $ 162 million between 2014 and 2016. His simple goal was to offer organic products from different manufacturers at a lower price. Early investors included several stars including Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, Demi Moore, and John Legend.
Stamped
This mobile app enables users to record and save information on social media. Celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres, Baron Davis, Justin Bieber, Scooter Braun and Ryan Seacrest participated in the start-up funding. Unfortunately, the investment is not quite as high as one would expect. Yahoo later bought the app for $ 10 million in 2012, and the company closed and merged to become part of Yahoo’s wireless division.
furniture
This photo and video sharing app was launched in 2010 to compete with Vine and Instagram. Lance Armstrong, Serena Williams, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire invested in the company. But 2016 did it. But in 2017, Mobli sold one of its patents for $ 7.7 million.
Above
There are startups and then there is Uber. The ride hailing company received the most funding of any company on this list. The company has raised $ 22.2 billion in funding since its inception. Ashton Kutcher was one of the first investors back in 2011, as he recognized the potential of start-ups early enough. Other celebrities who have invested include Jay Z, Britney Spears, and Troy Carter.
diploma
Celebrities are more than just stars who lead flashy and public lives. Many of them are also productive investors who know how to spot startups with potential unicorns and secure their financial futures.
Published on August 26, 2021