Hollywood Angels: Here are some celebrities who are also VC stars

Being a venture capitalist has become the latest Hollywood buzzword.

Everyone these days, from Olivia Wilde to Emma Watson, is starting a business or is in the process of backing the next hottest company. Robinhood, Uber, and Klarna all have shiny names on their tables, opening the way for “Hollywood angels.”

For startups, having celebs at the cup table can generate a lot of buzz for startups — with bonuses if the celeb knows what they’re doing, too. Here are some of the top celebs with money and what they think they can do. (This list will be updated from time to time).

Snoop Dogg

The popular rapper and personality is a prolific angel investor and founder of Casa Verde Capital, a company focused on cannabis businesses. As an angel investor, according to PitchBook, he supports companies such as Cameo, Reddit, Klarna, Robinhood, and fintech MoonPay, along with other famous people on the list. He has made at least 26 pitches, according to PitchBook. The managing partner of Casa Verde Capital is Karan Wadhera and the company closed for $94 million Fund II in 2020.

Sara and Erin Foster

The Foster sisters are two of Hollywood’s most famous siblings, known today as the creators of Kristen Bell’s Netflix show “Nobody Wants This.” He established a business company in 2022 he wants to get $20 million to reimburse the purchasing companies, and the fund is officially closed, their reps confirmed to us. They know the shopping landscape well: They already have a podcast, a clothing line, and a television show.

PitchBook reports the company, which he runs with business partner Phil Schwarz, has written at least six checks, including companies like diaper brand Kudos (with Gwyneth Paltrow) and Juliet’s luxury wine company.

As angel investors, the sisters also invested in the mineral water company ZenWTR. Sara is also a sales angel for bath company Summersalt and ear piercing startup Rowan.

Kevin Hart

A few years ago, comedian Kevin Hart founded a business, HartBeat Ventures, together with Robert Roman, an investor with a history of financial management for celebrities and sports.

The company was founded around 2021 with the goal of tracking supporting minority and underrepresented startups. It received its first foreign investment from JP Morgan as one of the bank’s ventures more money companies led by women and people of color.

The company has invested in at least 14 companies, according to PitchBook, including technology marketplace Masterworks, 3D printing company Ready Player Me, and Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty interior line. Tashi Nakanishi and Walid Samaha are partners at the firm, according to LinkedIn, while Ron Everline is a vice president.

HartBeat Ventures began raising its Fund I in 2022 with no target funding. By January 2024, it had raised at least $28 million, according to a The SEC has been filing since January. The October SEC filing also shows that HartBeat is trying to raise money which appears to be an SPV looking to invest in Aston Martin’s Formula One racing team.

Paris Hilton

The famous socialite is also an angel investor, according to PitchBook. He has made money through his company 11:11 Media, of which he is the CEO and co-founder. His finances include crypto company MoonPaybiotech company Colossal Biosciences, community event platform AfterParty, and podcast platform Fireside Chats.

Its theme appears to be social platforms, biotechnology, and SaaS products that make consumers’ lives easier. She has made at least 22 investments, according to PitchBook, and is married to Carter Reum, founder of Los Angeles-based M13 Ventures, which has invested in companies like ClassPass, Canvas, and Pinterest, according to her website.

Ashton Kutcher

Perhaps one of the most famous and popular A famous VC is Ashton Kutcher. He is a co-founder of two VC firms, A-Grade and Sound Ventures, both started by Guy Oseary. Shortly after starting Sound, Effie Epstein joined as co-manager.

Sound Ventures, founded in 2015, focuses on the software industry and has more than $1 billion in assets under management, according to PitchBook. It also invests in education, and last year launched the AI ​​Growth Thematic fund, which invested in companies such as Hugging Face, OpenAI, Anthropic, and World Labs. He told the audience at TechCrunch’s 2024 Hack this supports competitors in AI because they think there is room for big AI companies. Other notable investments among A-Grade and Sound include Affirm, Airbnb, Airtable, Duolingo, and Uber.

Nas

Popular musician Nas founded his company QueensBridge Venture Partners back in 2014. It has made more than 130 investments in various industries and has $140 million in assets under management, according to PitchBook. Anand Murthy is a partner in the firm. The company has invested in companies such as the brand Away (along with Jay-Z) and clothing company Parachuteaccording to PitchBook.

As an angel investor, Nas has made more than 50 investments, according to PitchBook. They support SeatGeek, Robinhood, Ring, Coinbase, and fintech Mercury.

Gwyneth Paltrow

The Goop founder has made at least 24 investments as an angel investor, according to PitchBook. He, along with Moj Mahdara, is also the co-founder of Kinship Ventures, which invests in consumer and health companies. The company was looking to raise $75 million in VC fundingAxios reported last year, and it has supported crypto payment company MoonPay. According to some SEC filings, it appears that Kinship Ventures has also raised what appears to be an SPV return OpenAI and bitcoin mining company TeraWulf.

As an angel investor, Paltrow has invested Kudos to the diaper companythe hair company Crown Affair, the beauty e-commerce market of Thirteen Lune, and the beverage Olipop, along with actress Priyanka Chopra, according to PitchBook. Actress Mindy Kaling, rapper Logic, and the Jonas Brothers, he also supported Olipop.

Emma Watson

The actor has cut at least two angel checks, according to PitchBook. Products include at least two companies, including biomanufacturing company FabricNanoand Hertility Health. Watson is an activist for human rights, especially in the field of the environment and women’s rights. So it’s no surprise that two of his angel investments are in companies that want to make things sustainable and a platform for women’s health.

Olivia Wilde

Actress and director Olivia Wilde has teamed up with Neil Sirni, who led Roc Nation’s Arrive division, to launch the Proximity company, Bloomberg. report in October. Wilde doesn’t have a PitchBook profile yet, but Bloomberg reports that his new company will focus on consumer and business technology and has already cut several checks, including in Pendulum Therapeutics.

Investor Jason Mack and artist Santigold, known for his song “LES Artistes,” are also investors in the company, according to Bloomberg. SEC filings show that Proximity is raising two new SPV funds, including a $5 million health care and another $10 million.

Jay-Z

The music mogul is an angel investor and co-founded RocNation with what is now MarcyPen Capital Partners, a solid investment from the combination of Jay-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners and Pendulum Holding’s investment arm Pendulum Opportunities.

Roc Nation they have a support function called Arrive Opportunities Managementwhich was once run by Neil Sirni, an investor now working with Olivia Wilde in Proximity. This venture has generated at least 40 million dollars, according to PitchBook, supporting companies such as Sweetgreen and Epic Games.

Before the merger, Marcy Venture Partners invested in several companies, such as Rihanna’s Fenty x Savage (making Rihanna one of the few black women in the world to own a unicorn company) and web3 company Spatial Labs. Charlie Hanna and Mason O’Hanlon are listed as investors in MarcyPen Capital Partners on PitchBook and LinkedIn.

In addition, as an angel investor, Jay-Z has made notable investments – at least 27, according to PitchBook – in companies such as Oatly, Flowhub, Impossible Foods, and the delivery company Away.