The Indian start-up ecosystem is booming like never before. Budding entrepreneurs across India are being supported by the government as well as venture capitalists, private equity firms, high net-worth individuals, among others. In fact, it turns out that many celebrities, especially Indian film actors, are the latest to join the start-up bandwagon. It’s a win-win for both the sides, as start-ups cash in on the star power and popularity of these actors, who in return seek to multiply their money. Here are 10 mainstream actors and actresses who have invested money in start-ups:
Deepika Padukone: The actress this year invested an undisclosed amount in Drum Foods International Pvt. Ltd, the maker of the yogurt brand Epigamia. The investment was made via KA Enterprises Llp, her strategic initiative arm.
Priyanka Chopra: In 2018, when dating app Bumble entered India, Priyanka Chopra not only invested in the app but also became its brand ambassador as well as an adviser.
Amitabh Bachchan: In 2015, actor Amitabh Bachchan invested $250,000 in Singapore-based blockchain research start-up Ziddu, along with his son and fellow actor Abhishek Bachchan. Ziddu is a cloud service provider and is run by Meridian Tech.
Madhuri Dixit Nene: In 2014, the actress invested in wearable and preventive healthcare devices startup GOQii which provides an end-to-end healthcare and wellness experience to users. The startup was founded by Vishal Gondal in 2014.
Akshay Kumar: After Madhuri Dixit, actor Akshay Kumar also invested in the same company. Akshay joined the company both as an investor and a strategic advisor. Vishal Gondal, founder and CEO of GOQii, said in a report: “He (Akshay) personifies the values that GOQii stands for and is a living example of what we advocate — exercise, eat healthy and rest well.”
Alia Bhatt: Alia Bhatt in 2017 picked up a minority stake in Mumbai-based fashion-tech startup StyleCracker for an undisclosed amount.
Arjun Kapoor: In May, actor Arjun Kapoor announced his investment in Delhi-based home-food delivery company Foodcloud.in, which aims to empower women. Founded in 2014, FoodCloud is led by Vedant Kanoi along with co-founder Sanjhi Rajgarhia.
Shilpa Shetty Kundra: In April 2018, actress Shilpa Shetty invested in Gurugram-based Honasa Consumer Pvt. Ltd, which owns and operates babycare products start-up Mamaearth.in. The start-up already has a presence in over 500 stores across the country and is set to reach the Rs 100 crore mark by 2020.
Farhan Akhtar: Director, actor and singer Farhan Akhtar has also invested an undisclosed amount in film-discovery app Flickbay. The platform is a personalised movie engine which utilises artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to recommend unique content.
Manoj Bajpayee: The actor invested in Muvizz, an OTT and video-on-demand start-up, which was founded by his friends, Abhayanand Singh and Piyush Singh.
John Abraham: Last year, actor John Abraham picked up a minority stake in Mumbai-based Guardian Healthcare, a chain of health, wellness, and beauty stores. The start-up works as a franchise partner of US-based health and nutrition company GNC in India.
Comments
0 comment