After making millions in the celebrity spotlight, an increasing number of Bollywood divas are becoming smarter by investing in startups. From Anushka Sharma investing in alternative meat to Sarah Ali Khan's fashion fix Editorji looks at some recent celebrity investments in the startup world:
Meet Kriti Sanon's Tribe
Bollywood actor Kriti Sanon has now turned Entrepreneur by launching a fitness startup --The Tribe -- along with three other Co-founders.
Sanon took to Twitter to announce her startup. She wrote, ''I am thrilled to announce my journey as an Entrepreneur with my 3 super talented Co-founders Anushka Nandani, Karan Sawhney and Robin Behl as we launch “The Tribe”."
Elaborating on her venture, Kriti added that The Tribe App will be launched later this year.
Anushka Sharma's Diet Fix
Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma, who in the lastest has joined Wholsum Foods as an investor and brand ambassador has invested an undisclosed amount in the company’s flagship brand Slurrp Farm.
Prior to this in February this year, the actress along with her husband Virat Kohli made an investment in plant-based meat startup Blue Tribe- a homegrown plant-based meat company that raised an undisclosed sum.
Earlier to this, the duo had invested Rs 2.2 crore in Canadian billionaire Prem Watsa-backed insurance startup Digit Insurance in February 2020.
Sara Gets 'Souled'
Sara Ali Khan In March 2022, Indian Actor Sara Ali Khan joined the pop-culture brand, The Souled Store, as an equity partner.
Founded in 2013, the Mumbai-based The Souled Store is an online marketplace for pop culture merchandise. Its products range from t-shirts, boxers, backpacks, and mobile covers, to socks, pins, badges, and a whole lot more.
Shetty's Social Scene
Athiya Shetty Following the footsteps of her father Suniel Shetty, Bollywood actor Athiya Shetty invested an undisclosed amount in Delhi NCR-based social commerce startup Stage3.
Founded in 2016, the Delhi-based startup is an online space that lets designer outfits for weddings and festive occasions on rent at a fraction of their retail prices
Deepika's Deep Dive In Startups
The Cannes 2022 queen, Deepika Padukone had raised an undisclosed amount in a Mumbai-based cleantech startup Atomberg Technologies in Sep 2021, but this is not the only startup where she has invested. Padukone also has investments in many startups such as Epigamia which FMCG brand of yoghurt products, Furlenco- a furniture rental platform, FrontRow - a hobby based ed-tech startup, Blu Smart - an electric taxi startup and even Bellatrix Aerospace which is an Indian space tech startup.
Alia Bhatt's bets from Flowers to Fashion
Actor Alia Bhatt has many entrepreneurial interests. Her most recent role as an investor has been with IIT Kanpur-backed D2C startup Phool.
Founded in 2017, the startup focuses on flower cycling innovations to upcycle cellulose waste and concentrates on manufacturing charcoal-free incense and other wellness items. Alia has previously invested in omnichannel lifestyle retailer Nykaa, and fashion-tech startup StyleCracker. Additionally, Alia started her entrepreneurial journey with the launch of 'Ed A Mamma," a kids' clothing line, in November 2020.
Malaika Arora's Ayurveda
Celebrity and fitness queen Malaika Arora turned strategic investor after investing an undisclosed amount in a Mumbai-based homegrown D2C Ayurvedic brand, Kapiva.
Founded by Ameve Sharam in 2016, Kapiva began manufacturing Ayurvedic products and has a portfolio of more than 40 food products. It claims to be backed by a 100-year-old legacy.
Malaika has earlier invested in Indian yoga wellness startup SARVA. In September 2021, the actor announced the launch of her own venture, ‘Malaika Arora Venture’ (MVA), to invest in health, wellness, and lifestyle brands.
Shilpa Shetty's Mind Body Soul Investments
Yoga queen Shilpa Shetty had reportedly invested around ₹1.6 crore in the fastest growing FMCG brand MamaEarth in 2018. With the promise of goodness inside all products, Mamaearth claims to bring the best of nature and traditional recipes in hassle-free formulations.
Shilpa also launched a holistic wellness and health app named Simple Soulful, which is designed by experts in Yoga, Exercise, Immunity and Diet Programs.
Katrina's Beauty Bet
Katrina Kaif, who had put in substantial amounts in Nykaa founder Falguni Nayar’s firms a few years ago, has seen hefty, 10X-plus gains in their investments after the listing of the company in the Indian stock markets.
Kaif entered a joint venture with the company in 2018 to set up Nykaa-KK Beauty, which retails her cosmetic brand Kay Beauty. She had invested Rs 2.04 crore in the company. Her shares were worth Rs 22 crore on November 10.
Pee Cee's VC Avataar
Apart from setting screens a fire in globally, In 2015 she and her mother launched Purple Pebble Pictures, a film and TV studio to promote regional filmmakers. In 2018, she made her first big investment in Bumble, a dating app, following up with an investment in Holberton School for software engineering—a coding education start-up. In 2021, she invested in the US-based rental marketplace- Apartment List; and in Genies, a virtual avatar firm, along with Camila Cabello and Paris Hilton. She also opened a restaurant—Sona—in New York and released her own line of sustainable hair care products titled Anomaly.
