Technology is at the center of everyone’s life, whether you access products or services, manage your finances, travel, or even watch your favorite TV shows. So, it is no surprise that celebrities use their millions to invest in tech companies.
Over the years, many celebrities have turned to royalties, real estate, and restaurants to grow their wealth. Now, more and more celebrities are moving towards tech investments.
Here are top celebrities you may not know about investment in tech:
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is NBA’s third-highest-earner with his Foot Locker and Nike endorsements. This 32-year-old Brooklyn Nets star invested in Coinbase, a well-known platform that allows people to buy, sell, and store cryptocurrencies.
The platform was founded in 2012, and the NBA superstar invested in 2017. Durant’s stake is currently worth 53 times the amount. He invested in Postmates through Thirty Five Ventures, his investment company. He is also an investor in other companies, like Andbox, an esports organization.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is known by many as an American talk-show host, producer, actress, and philanthropist. She has built her empire through magazines, tv networks, and media companies. So, everyone was surprised to know that she is also among the most prominent celebrity tech investors.
She has been investing in many food companies, like Oatley and True Food Kitchen, to provide everyone with healthier food options. In 2020, she invested Apeel Sciences. This company helps reduce food waste via a plant-based protection layer, providing food longevity. She contributed to the $250 million raised by the company during the Series D seed funding round.
Beyonce
Beyonce ranked no. 55 on Forbes’ 100 richest self-made women list in business and entertainment in 2020. She has a fashion business with Adidas and gained a lot of wealth through touring with Jay-Z for “On The Run II,” grossing over $250 million. But she’s unstoppable!
She is invested in tech through Parkwood Entertainment, her company. She is a Tidal co-owner, a global entertainment and music-streaming platform owned by artists. Square, a payments company, took Tidal’s $297 million majority stake. She and other artists were gifted Tidal’s 3% equity, giving her $9 million.
Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher has been showing great interest in tech and investment for a long time. He was one of the co-founders of A-Grade investments in 2010. From a $30 million fund to $250 million, he grew his fund over 6 years.
Kutcher’s early investments revolutionized their industries, including Uber, Skype, Airbnb, and Spotify. He founded Sound-Ventures in 2015, aiming to invest in early- to late-stage venture statements. The company mainly invests in tech and financial tech companies, including well-being and sleep app Calm and an NFT company blockchain product DapperLabs.
Nas
In the world of hip-hop, everybody knows who Nas is. The Queensbridge-born rapper co-founded QueensBridge Venture Partners in 2014 and invested in more than 100 early-stage tech companies, including Dropbox, Coinbase, and Lyft. Since 2014, he has been one of the top investors in Houseparty, a group video-calling app.
He had an early investment in a prescription drug delivery service app PillPack, which Amazon acquired for $750 million in 2018. QueensBridge Venture also invested in a home security startup, Ring, which Amazon also acquired for $1.2 billion in 2018.
