From Jared Leto To Kim Kardashian, 10 Celebrities Who Are Also Smart Investors

Stars Who Dived Into The World Of Start-ups As Investors

The business sector has become accessible like never before, and more and more celebrities are turning into venture capitalists. Top stars are investing in edgy start-ups while also trying to create a positive impact by backing ethical businesses. Here are 10 celebrities turned investors who either have their venture capital firms or made notable investments. 

1. Jared Leto

Actor Jared Leto has made many investments in tech companies over the years and has also founded several companies of his own. The Oscar-winning artist has reportedly made over 50 investments so far, including Nest, a home automation producer; Zenefits, which provides cloud-based SaaS to companies especially for managing HR; Meerkat, a mobile app that enables users to video stream; Reddit; Airbnb; Uber; Wish; and Slack. He also has many companies of his own like the social media management company called The Hive. 

2. Ashton Kutcher

Aston Kutcher is a perfect example of a celebrity-turned-investor. He co-founded an investment firm, A-Grade Investments, which is also backed by billionaire Ron Burkle. He also co-founded Sound Ventures with Oseary in 2015 with a $100 million investment from Liberty Media. The two firms have made more than 280 investments to date. His notable investments include Flipboard, Uber, Airbnb, Shazam, Spotify, and Skype. Sound Ventures manages more than $1 billion in assets with a portfolio of companies including Robinhood, Chegg, SeatGeek, Duolingo, Nest, and more. 

3. Leonardo DiCaprio

DiCaprio is one of the known celebrity investors who has already cemented his position in the world of venture capitalism. The angel investor has made several investments including in Mobli, which is a photo-sharing app, Cue, which is a health monitoring app, Zuli, which makes smart home products, and Rubicon Global, which is a recycling solution company. He invested in Bright, a solar energy start-up, in July 2023 as part of their series C. 

4. Nasir 'Nas' Jones

Rapper, songwriter, and singer-producer Nasir 'Nas' Jones is also an angel investor who has made over 40 investments. Some of his notable investments include Change.org, Coinbase, DevianArt (an online art community), Robinhood, which is a stock brokerage platform that allows customers to sell US listed stocks and ETFs with zero commission. Apart from these, he has also invested in Casper, Meerkat, Soma Water, Ring, Vantage Sports, and Lyft.

5. Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. is a well-known venture capitalist. He is the founder of FootPrint Coalition Ventures, which is focused on funding sustainable tech companies. The investment firm has made over 20 investments so far. Since 2021, he has channeled his energy into finding advanced tech that is good for the planet. The firm has invested in a host of companies such as insect-protein manufacturer Ÿnsect and Turntide, which is an electric motor company. Other notable investments include RWDC Industries and Albedo.

6. Serena Williams

Tennis legend Serena Williams is the founder of Serena Ventures, which she started in 2014. In March 2022, it was reported that the company had raised $111 million for an early-stage century capital fund that was formed to back diverse founders in technological industries. Some of the investments include Daily Harvest, which is a women-led frozen food company; Billie, which is a "female wellness brand"; Clubhouse, Hued, and more. William's firm mostly focuses on consumer products as well as services. 

7. Will Smith

Hollywood icon Will Smith is the co-founder of Dreamer VC, which has made over 80 investments. The firm mostly makes investments in the seed stage or the early stage. Some of the notable investments include Neuralink and The Boring Company, both started by Elon Musk. Smith started the firm with Japanese soccer star Keisuke Honda. The investment firm focuses on entertainment as well as fintech companies such as the blockchain network company Boba, which also received funding from Paris Hilton. 

8. Kim Kardashian

Reality TV star, influencer and entrepreneur has co-founded SKKY Patrner, which is a private equity firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. The equity firm is managed by both Kim Kardashians and Jay Sammons and focuses on "control and minority investments in high-growth, market-leading consumer and media companies." According to Fortune, the equity firm is aiming to raise $1 billion. "Together we hope to leverage our complementary expertise to build the next generation Consumer & Media private equity firm," Kardashian wrote on Twitter. 

9. Snoop Dogg (Calvin Broadus)

The famous rapper and media personality is the founder of Casa Verde Capital based in Los Angeles California. This micro-VC firm makes seed-stage, early-stage and later-stage investments and has made more than 40 investments to date. The firm mainly focuses on the cannabis industry. Some of the notable investments include Cansativa, Green Bits, and Dutchie. Snoop Dogg also has stakes in Robinhood and Klarna. Other investments include cannabis delivery providers Eaze and Reddit. 

10. Priyanka Chopra-Jonas

Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas is an angel investor and has made eight investments so far. She was one of the biggest investors in the online dating platform Bumble and she also helped launch the platform in her home country India in 2018. She is also an investor in Holberton School, which is a project-based alternative to college for the next generation of software engineers. She is also an investor in Olipop, which is a soda company. Her investment focus so far has been, real estate, social platforms and beverage companies.