Becoming a venture capitalist has become Hollywood’s latest status symbol.
From Olivia Wilde to Emma Watson, these days everyone is in the process of starting a venture or supporting the next promising company. Robinhood, Uber, and Klarna all have flashy names on their cap tables, paving the way for the rise of “Hollywood angels.”
For startups, having a celebrity on your cap table can create a lot of buzz for your startup, and it can even earn you bonus points if the celebrity knows what they’re doing. Here are some of the best celebrities who are investing and what they typically want to invest in. (This list is updated periodically)
Snoop Dogg
The famous rapper and personality is also a prolific angel investor and the founder of Casa Verde Capital, a company focused on cannabis investments. As an angel investor, he has backed companies like Cameo, Reddit, Klarna, Robinhood, and fintech MoonPay, along with other celebrities on this list, according to PitchBook. He has made at least 26 investments, according to PitchBook. Casa Verde Capital’s managing partner is Karan Wadhera, and the firm closed its $94 million Fund II in 2020.
Sarah and Erin Foster
The Foster sisters are two of the most famous siblings in Hollywood, and these days they are best known as producers of Kristen Bell’s Netflix show “Nobody Wants It.” They launched a venture firm in 2022 to raise $20 million to back consumer companies, and the fund has officially closed, their rep confirmed to us. They know the consumer space well. They already have a podcast, a clothing line, and a hit TV show.
PitchBook shows that the company, which she runs with business partner Phil Schwarz, has written at least six checks, including for companies like diaper brand Kudos (with Gwyneth Paltrow) and luxury boxed wine company Juliet.
As angel investors, the sisters also invested in alkaline water company ZenWTR. Sara is also an angel investor in swimsuit company Summersalt and ear piercing startup Rowan.
kevin hart
A few years ago, comedian Kevin Hart founded the venture firm HartBeat Ventures with Robert Roman, an investor with a background in managing finances for entertainment and sports celebrities.
The company was founded around 2021 with a mission to support minority and underrepresented entrepreneurs. It received its first external investment from JP Morgan as part of the bank’s plan to fund more businesses led by women and people of color.
According to PitchBook, the company has invested in at least 14 companies, including art marketplace Masterworks, 3D printing company Ready Player Me, and Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty lingerie line. Tashi Nakanishi and Walid Samaha are partners at the firm, and Ron Everline serves as vice president, according to LinkedIn.
HartBeat Ventures began raising Fund I in 2022 with no target amount. It had raised at least $28 million as of January 2024, according to a January SEC filing. An October SEC filing shows HartBeat is trying to raise money for what appears to be an SPV seeking to invest in Aston Martin’s Formula One auto racing team.
paris hilton
According to PitchBook, the famous socialite is also an angel investor. She invested through 11:11 Media, a company of which she is CEO and co-founder. Her investments include crypto company MoonPay, biotech company Colossal Biosciences, community events platform AfterParty, and podcast platform Fireside Chats.
Her topics seem to be social platforms, biotechnology, and SaaS products that make consumer life more convenient. She has made at least 22 investments, according to PitchBook, and is married to Carter Reum, founder of M13 Ventures, a prominent Los Angeles firm that has invested in companies like ClassPass, Canvas and Pinterest, according to her website.
ashton kutcher
Perhaps one of the most famous and notable celebrity VCs is Ashton Kutcher. He is the co-founder of two VC firms, A-Grade and Sound Ventures, both of which were started by Guy Oseary. Shortly after launching Sound, Effie Epstein joined as managing partner.
Founded in 2015, Sound Ventures seeks to back software companies and has more than $1 billion in assets under management, according to PitchBook. It is also investing in theme funds, and last year it launched an AI growth theme fund and invested in companies such as Hugging Face, OpenAI, Anthropic, and World Labs. He told the audience at TechCrunch’s 2024 Disrupt that he supports his competitors in the AI space. Because he believes there is room for several large AI model companies. Other notable investments he made between A-Grade and Sound include Affirm, Airbnb, Airtable, Duolingo, and Uber.
Nas
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 has approximately $140 million in assets under management, according to PitchBook. Anand Murthy is a partner at the firm. According to PitchBook, the company has invested in companies like luggage brand Away (with Jay-Z) and bedding company Parachute.
Nas has made more than 50 investments as an angel investor, according to PitchBook. He has supported 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. She is also the co-founder, along with Moj Mahdara, of Kinship Ventures, which invests in consumer and wellness companies. Axios reported last year that the company plans to raise $75 million in VC funding and has backed cryptocurrency 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.
According to PitchBook, Paltrow is an angel investor and, along with actress Priyanka Chopra, has invested in diaper company Kudos, hair company Crown Affair, beauty e-commerce marketplace Thirteen Lune, and beverage brand Olipop. Actress Mindy Kaling, rapper Logic, and the Jonas Brothers also supported Olypop.
emma watson
According to PitchBook, the actress cut at least two angel investor checks. The investments include at least two companies, including biomanufacturing companies FabricNano and Hertility Health. Watson is a well-known activist, particularly regarding the environment and women’s rights. It’s no surprise, then, that her two angel investments are in companies pursuing more sustainable product manufacturing and a women’s health platform.
Olivia Wilde
Actress and director Olivia Wilde announced in October that she had teamed up with Neil Sirni, who previously led Roc Nation’s venture arm Arrive, to form venture firm Proximity. Bloomberg reported. 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 cut several overhauls, including Pendulum Therapeutics.
Investor Jason Mack and artist Santigold, known for her song “LES Artistes,” are also partners in the company, according to Bloomberg. Proximity is raising two new SPV funds, including a $5 million health fund and an additional $10 million fund, according to SEC filings.
Jay Z
The music mogul is an angel investor and co-founder of MarcyPen Capital Partners, an investment firm created through the merger of RocNation and Jay-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners and Pendulum Opportunities, the investment arm of Pendulum Holding.
Roc Nation has a venture firm called Arrive Opportunities Management, which was once managed by Neil Sirni, an investor who now works with Olivia Wilde at Proximity. The venture firm backs companies like Sweetgreen and Epic Games and has invested in at least 40, according to PitchBook.
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 run 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.
Jay-Z is also an angel investor, having made notable investments in companies like Oatly, Flowhub, Impossible Foods, and luggage company Away (at least 27, according to PitchBook).
