Becoming a venture capitalist has become Hollywood's newest status symbol.
These days, everyone from Olivia Wilde to Emma Watson is either starting a business venture or looking to back the next big thing. Robinhood, Uber, and Klarna all have glamorous names on the cap table, paving the way for the rise of “Hollywood angels.”
For founders, having a celebrity on the cap table can bring a lot of buzz to a startup, and bonus points if that celebrity knows what they're doing. Here are some of the top celebrities who invest and what they typically look to invest in (this list is updated regularly).
snoop dogg
The famous rapper and personality is also a prolific angel investor and founder of Casa Verde Capital, a company focused on cannabis investments. As an angel investor, he has backed companies such as Cameo, Reddit, Klarna, Robinhood, and fintech MoonPay, among other big names on this list, according to PitchBook. He has at least 26 investments, according to PitchBook. Casa Verde Capital's managing partner is Karan Wadera, and the firm closed its $94 million Fund II in 2020.
Sarah and Erin Foster
The Foster sisters are two of Hollywood's most famous siblings, most recently best known as the producers of Kristen Bell's Netflix show Nobody Wants This. They launched a venture in 2022 aiming to raise $20 million to support consumer businesses, and the fund has officially closed, their reps confirmed to us. They know the consumer space well and already have a podcast, a clothing line, and a hit TV show.
The company, which he runs with business partner Phil Schwartz, has written at least six checks to companies including diaper brand Kudos (alongside Gwyneth Paltrow) and luxury boxed wine company Juliet, according to Pitchbook.
The sisters also invested in alkaline water company ZenWTR as angel investors. Sarah is also an angel investor in swimwear company Summersalt and ear piercing startup Rowan.
(From left) Favorite Daughter co-founders Erin Foster and Sarah Foster and business partner Phil Schwartz. Image credit: Kimberly White / Stringer / Getty Images
kevin hart
A few years ago, comedian Kevin Hart co-founded a venture firm, Heartbeat Ventures, with Robert Roman, an investor with experience managing the finances of celebrities in entertainment and sports.
The company was founded around 2021 with the goal of supporting minority and underrepresented founders. It received its first outside investment from JPMorgan as part of the bank's efforts to fund more companies led by women and people of color.
The company has invested in at least 14 companies, including art market masterworks, 3D printing company Ready Prayer Me and Rihanna's Savage x Fenty lingerie line, according to Pitchbook. According to LinkedIn, Tashi Nakanishi and Walid Samaha are partners at the company, and Ron Eberlein is vice president.
HartBeat Ventures began raising Fund I in 2022 with no target amount. It has raised at least $28 million as of January 2024, according to a January SEC filing. An SEC filing in October also showed that Heartbeat is attempting to raise money for what appears to be an SPV looking to invest in Aston Martin's F1 car racing team.
paris hilton
The famous socialite is also an angel investor, according to PitchBook. She invests through her company 11:11 Media, of which she is CEO and co-founder. Her investments include cryptocurrency company MoonPay, biotech company Colossal Biosciences, community events platform AfterParty, and podcast platform Fireside Chats.
Her themes seem to be social platforms, biotechnology, and SaaS products that make consumer life easier. She has at least 22 investments, according to PitchBook, and happens to be married to Carter Reum, founder of M13 Ventures, a well-known Los Angeles firm that invests in companies like ClassPass, Canvas, and Pinterest, according to the website. It is said that they are doing so.
Ashton Kutcher
Perhaps one of the most famous and notable celebrity VCs is Ashton Kutcher. He is a co-founder of two VC firms, A-Grade and Sound Ventures, both co-founded with Guy Oseary. Shortly after Sound launched, Effie Epstein joined as managing partner.
Founded in 2015, Sound Ventures aims to back software companies and has more than $1 billion in assets under management, according to PitchBook. It also invests through thematic funds, and last year launched the AI Growth Thematic Fund, investing in companies such as Hugging Face, OpenAI, Anthropic, and World Labs. He told the audience at TechCrunch's 2024 Disrupt that he is supporting competitors in the AI space because he believes there is room for multiple large AI model companies. Other notable investments between A-Grade and Sound include Affirm, Airbnb, Airtable, Duolingo, and Uber.
eggplant
Famous rapper Nas founded his own company QueensBridge Venture Partners in 2014. The firm has more than 130 investments across a variety of industries and manages approximately $140 million in assets, according to PitchBook. Anand Murthy is a partner in the firm. According to Pitchbook, the company has invested in companies such as luggage brand Away (along with Jay-Z) and bedding company Parachute.
According to PitchBook, Nas has made more than 50 investments as an angel investor. He has backed SeatGeek, Robinhood, Ring, Coinbase, and fintech Mercury.
Nas performing at Qudos Bank Arena. Image credit: John Fordham / Contributor / Getty Images
gwyneth paltrow
The Goop founder has made at least 24 investments as an angel investor, according to PitchBook. Along with Moji Madara, she is also the co-founder of Kinship Ventures, which invests in consumer and wellness companies. Axios reported last year that the company was looking to raise $75 million in VC funding and was backing crypto payments company MoonPay. Kinship Ventures also appears to have raised what appears to be an SPV to back OpenAI and Bitcoin mining company TeraWulf, according to other SEC filings.
As an angel investor, Paltrow and actress Priyanka Chopra have invested in diaper company Kudos, hair company Crown Affair, beauty e-commerce marketplace Thirteen Runes, and beverage brand Olipop, according to Pitchbook. . Actress Mindy Kaling, rapper Logic and the Jonas Brothers also supported Olipop.
emma watson
According to Pitchbook, the actress has cut at least two angel investor checks. The investments include at least two companies, including biomanufacturing companies Fabric Nano and Heartility Health. Watson is a highly regarded activist, particularly regarding the environment and women's rights. So it's no surprise that her two angel investments were in companies that are trying to make product manufacturing more sustainable and women's health platforms.
olivia wilde
Bloomberg reported in October that actress and director Olivia Wilde has teamed up with Neel Sahni, who headed Roc Nation's venture arm Alive, to launch a venture company, Proximity. Wilde does not yet have a PitchBook profile, but Bloomberg reports that her new company will focus on consumer and enterprise technology, and has already launched several companies, including forays into Pendulum Therapeutics. It is said that they are conducting a check.
Investor Jason Mack and artist Santigold, known for LES Artistes, are also partners in the company, according to Bloomberg. According to SEC filings, Proximity is raising two new SPV funds, including a $5 million health fund and a $10 million fund.
Olivia Wilde at the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala. Image credit: Gilbert Flores / Contributor / Getty Images
Jay-Z
The music mogul is an angel investor and founder of RocNation, now MarcyPen Capital Partners, the investment firm created from the merger of Jay-Z's Marcy Venture Partners and Pendulum Opportunities, the investment arm of Pendulum Holdings. Co-founder.
Roc Nation has a venture arm called Arrive Opportunities Management, which was previously managed by Neil Sirni. Neil Sirni is an investor currently working with Olivia Wilde at Proximity. The venture arm has made at least 40 investments and backed companies like Sweetgreen and Epic Games, according to PitchBook.
Prior to the merger, Mercy Venture Partners invested in several companies, including Rihanna's Fenty x Savage (making her one of the few black women in the world to run a unicorn company) and Web3 company Spatial Labs. was. Charlie Hanna and Mason O'Hanlon are listed on Pitchbook and LinkedIn as investors with MercyPen Capital Partners.
Additionally, as an angel investor, Jay-Z has made notable investments (at least 27, according to Pitchbook) in companies including Oatly, Flowhub, Impossible Foods, and luggage company Away.