Hollywood Angels: Right here Are the Celebrities Who Are Additionally Enterprise Capital Stars

Changing into a enterprise capitalist has turn out to be the newest standing image in Hollywood.

Lately, everybody from Olivia Wilde to Emma Watson is both beginning a enterprise capital agency or is backing the following hottest firm. Robinhood, Uber, and Klarna all have glitzy names on their cap tables, paving the way in which for the rise of the “Hollywood angels.”

For founders, having celebrities on the cap desk can carry loads of buzz to the startup — and bonus factors if the superstar additionally is aware of what they’re doing. Listed below are a number of the high superstar traders and what they sometimes look to put money into. (This record might be up to date periodically).

Snoop Dogg

The well-known rapper and character is a prolific angel investor and can also be one of many founders of Casa Verde Capital, an organization centered on hashish investments. As an angel investor, in keeping with PitchBook, he has backed corporations together with Cameo, Reddit, Klarna, Robinhood, and fintech MoonPay, alongside different celebrities on this record. He has made not less than 26 investments, in keeping with PitchBook. The managing accomplice of Casa Verde Capital is Karan Wadhera and the corporate closed a $94 million project Fund II in 2020.

Sara and Erin Foster

The Foster sisters are two of Hollywood’s most well-known siblings, finest recognized nowadays as producers of Kristen Bell’s Netflix present “No one Needs This.” They launched a enterprise capital agency in 2022 seeks to raise $20 million to help client corporations, and the fund has been formally closed, their representatives confirmed to us. They know the patron sector nicely: they have already got a podcast, a clothes line and a profitable TV present.

PitchBook exhibits that the corporate, which they run alongside enterprise accomplice Phil Schwarz, has written not less than six checks, together with to corporations like diaper model Kudos (alongside Gwyneth Paltrow) and the luxury boxed wine company Juliet.

As angel traders, the sisters additionally invested in alkaline water firm ZenWTR. Sara can also be an angel investor in swimwear firm Summersalt and breakthrough startup Rowan.

Kevin Hart

Just a few years in the past, comic Kevin Hart launched a enterprise capital agency, HartBeat Ventures, alongside Robert Roman, an investor with expertise managing cash for celebrities in leisure and sports activities.

The agency was based round 2021 with the mission of supporting minority and underrepresented founders. It acquired its first exterior funding from JP Morgan as a part of one of many financial institution’s initiatives to finance more companies run by ladies and folks of coloration.

The agency has invested in not less than 14 corporations, in keeping with PitchBook, together with artwork market Masterworks, 3D printing firm Prepared Participant Me and Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty lingerie line. Tashi Nakanishi and Walid Samaha are companions on the agency, in keeping with LinkedIn, whereas Ron Everline is vice chairman.

HartBeat Ventures started elevating its Fund I in 2022 with no goal quantity. As of January 2024, it has raised not less than $28 million, in keeping with a Filing with the SEC starting in January. An October SEC submitting additionally exhibits that HartBeat is trying to lift capital for what appears to be an SPV is trying to put money into the Aston Martin Components 1 motor racing staff.

Paris Hilton

The well-known socialite can also be an angel investor, in keeping with PitchBook. She has made investments by means of her firm 11:11 Media, of which she is CEO and co-founder. Its investments embrace crypto company MoonPaybiotechnology firm Colossal Biosciences, group occasions platform AfterParty and podcast platform Fireplace Chats.

The theme for her appears to be social platforms, biotechnology and SaaS merchandise that make customers’ lives simpler. She has made not less than 22 investments, in keeping with PitchBook, and occurs to be married to Carter Reum, founding father of the favored Los Angeles agency M13 Ventures, which has invested in corporations similar to ClassPass, Canvas and Pinterest, in keeping with her web site.

Ashton Kutcher

Maybe one of the well-known and notable The celebrity VC is Ashton Kutcher. He’s a co-founder of two enterprise capital companies, A-Grade and Sound Ventures, each of which he created with Man Oseary. Shortly after Sound launched, Effie Epstein joined the corporate as managing accomplice.

Sound Ventures, based in 2015, seeks to help software program corporations and manages greater than $1 billion in property, in keeping with PitchBook. It additionally invests from thematic funds and final 12 months launched an AI Development Thematic fund, which has invested in corporations together with Hugging Face, OpenAI, Anthropic and World Labs. He advised the viewers at TechCrunch’s Disrupt 2024 occasion that it supports its competitors in the field of AI as a result of he thinks there’s room for a number of large AI mannequin corporations. His different notable investments between A-Grade and Sound embrace Affirm, Airbnb, Airtable, Duolingo and Uber.

Nas

Well-known rapper Nas based his firm QueensBridge Enterprise Companions in 2014. It has made greater than 130 investments throughout numerous industries and has roughly $140 million in property below administration, in keeping with PitchBook. Anand Murthy is a accomplice on the agency. The corporate has invested in corporations like baggage model Away (alongside Jay-Z) and Parachute bedding companyin keeping with PitchBook.

As an angel investor, Nas has made greater than 50 investments, in keeping with PitchBook. He has backed SeatGeek, Robinhood, Ring, Coinbase and fintech Mercury.

Gwyneth Paltrow

The Goop founder has made not less than 24 investments as an angel investor, in keeping with PitchBook. Alongside Moj Mahdara, she can also be a co-founder of Kinship Ventures, which invests in client and wellness corporations. The corporate was looking to raise a $75 million venture capital fundAxios Reported Final 12 months and Supported Crypto payment company MoonPay. In line with different SEC filings, it seems that Kinship Ventures has additionally raised what seems to be an SPV. support OpenAI and the bitcoin mining company TeraWulf.

As an angel investor, Paltrow has invested within the diaper company Congratulationshair firm Crown Affair, magnificence e-commerce market 13 Lune and beverage model Olipop, alongside actress Priyanka Chopra, in keeping with PitchBook. Actress Mindy Kaling, rapper Logic and the Jonas Brothers, also supported Olipop.

Emma Watson

The actress acquired not less than two checks from angel traders, in keeping with PitchBook. The investments embrace not less than two corporations, together with biomanufacturing company FabricNanoAnd Hertility Health. Watson is a extremely regarded activist, notably on the atmosphere and ladies’s rights. So it is no shock that each of its angel investments are in corporations trying to make product manufacturing extra sustainable and a platform for girls’s well being.

Olivia Wilde

Actress and director Olivia Wilde has teamed up with Neil Sirni, who ran Roc Nation’s Arrive enterprise capital division, to launch enterprise capital agency Proximity, Bloomberg reported in October. Wilde does not but have a PitchBook profile, however Bloomberg reviews that his new firm will concentrate on client and enterprise applied sciences and has already made some strikes, together with in Pendulum Therapeutics.

Investor Jason Mack and artist Santigold, recognized for her tune “LES Artistes,” are additionally companions within the firm, in keeping with Bloomberg. SEC filings present Proximity is elevating two new SPV funds, together with one $5 million health fund And another fund of 10 million dollars.

Jay-Z

The music mogul is an angel investor and co-founder of RocNation and what’s now MarcyPen Capital Companions, an funding agency shaped from the merger of Jay-Z’s Marcy Enterprise Companions with the funding arm of Pendulum Holding, Pendulum Alternatives.

Rock Nation has a venture capital arm called Arrive Opportunities Managementwhich was as soon as run by Neil Sirni, the investor who now works with Olivia Wilde at Proximity. This enterprise capital arm has made not less than 40 investments, in keeping with PitchBook, backing corporations similar to Sweetgreen and Epic Video games.

Earlier than the merger, Marcy Enterprise Companions invested in a number of corporations, like Rihanna’s Fenty x Savage (making Rihanna one of many few black ladies on the earth to have a unicorn firm) and the company web3 Spatial Labs. Charlie Hanna and Mason O’Hanlon are listed as traders at MarcyPen Capital Companions on PitchBook and LinkedIn.

Moreover, as an angel investor, Jay-Z has made notable investments — not less than 27, in keeping with PitchBook — in corporations like Oatly, Flowhub, Inconceivable Meals and baggage firm Away.