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In 2020, there are round seven celebrities who’ve invested in varied startups and there is a rise in investments from girls celebrities as nicely
Bollywood celebrities like Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma, Deepika Padukone, Kajal Aggarwal, Katrina Kaif, Suniel Shetty and Sonu Sood have invested in startups equivalent to Nykaa, Digit Insurance coverage, Entrance Row, Sai Property Consultants, Vieroots and Spice Cash
This yr, few celebrities like Alia Bhatt, Riteish and Genelia Dsouza and Sonu Sood have grow to be founders of startups like Ed-a-mamma, Think about Meats and Pravasirojgar
2020 has been a tricky yr for the movie trade with most releases and manufacturing halted, so naturally, Bollywood celebrities focussed much more on startup investments and even launched a number of.
Contemplating the glamour and the attain related to Bollywood celebrities, it’s no shock that startups have turned to them for endorsements and investments. Over the previous couple of years, movie trade celebrities equivalent to Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Shilpa Shetty, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone, Ayushmann Khurrana, Shahid kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez have invested closely in Indian startups.
This yr, there’s a surge within the variety of Bollywood celebrities investing in startups with the likes of Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, Kajal Agarwal proven off their penchant for tech by backing varied startups. Beforehand, celebrities like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Malaika Arora, Shilpa Shetty and others had additionally invested in varied startups.
The Bollywood Stars Backing Indian Startups
Alia Bhatt
Following go well with with Kaif, Alia Bhatt has invested an undisclosed quantity in Nykaa by secondary transaction. Earlier, Bhatt had picked up a small minority stake in StyleCracker for an undisclosed quantity in November 2017.
Based in 2012 by Nair, Nykaa is a web based market for magnificence and wellness merchandise. The corporate claims to have enhance its presence within the nation with round 70 shops. Additionally, it has its portfolio crammed with luxurious manufacturers equivalent to Tom Ford, Jo Malone London, Dior and Givenchy. It competes with ecommerce platforms equivalent to Amazon Style, Flipkart Style and Myntra.
When it comes to funding, the corporate had beforehand raised INR 167 Cr from Steadview Capital in two completely different tranches in Could this yr. In the meantime, It had additionally raised INR 100 Cr from American personal fairness agency TPG Progress and $15.72 Mn from Lighthouse India Fund III.
Anushka Sharma
Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma had invested INR 50 lakh in Bengaluru-based insurtech startup Digit Insurance coverage.
Based in 2016 by Kamesh Goyal and Prem Watsa’s Fairfax Holdings, Digit Insurance coverage is a tech-driven common insurance coverage firm that gives customised insurance policies at lowered prices on well being, auto, journey, smartphones, business properties equivalent to shops and vacation houses.
Deepika Padukone
Epigamia backer Deepika Padukone invested within the seed spherical for hobby-focussed edtech startup FrontRow, which raised $3.2 Mn from Lightspeed and Elevation (previously SAIF Companions).
FrontRow engages celebrities and famous personalities to offer learners a hands-on and interesting studying expertise from those that have already made an enormous title for themselves. It has stand-up comedians, cricketers, actors, musicians and different personalities as teacher-influencers.
Padukone has been an lively investor among the many Bollywood trade. In March, she invested INR 1 Cr as a follow-on funding in D2C meals model Epigamia after first investing in 2019. Final yr, the actor’s household workplace had invested in Delhi-based electrical automobile startup Blu Sensible as a part of an angel spherical of $Three Mn.
Kajal Aggarwal
Actress Kajal Aggarwal has donned the hat of an investor after investing an undisclosed quantity in Mumbai-based on-line gaming platform Okie Gaming. She picked up a 15% fairness stake within the firm and might be becoming a member of Okie Gaming as a board member.
Launched in February 2020, OKIE Gaming goals to faucet into the evolving market with indigenous digital video games. Its sports activities leagues and video games primarily concentrate on regional sports activities like boat racing from Kerala, dahi handi from Maharashtra and extra. At the moment, the gaming platform presents housie or lotto, fantasy cricket, quizzes, ludo and extra
Katrina Kaif
After launching her magnificence model Kay Magnificence final yr, Bollywood actor Katrina Kaif has invested an undisclosed quantity in Nykaa by a secondary transaction.
Kaif mentioned, “I used to be conversant in the corporate’s rising model fairness and market management and turning into an investor is the following logical step in sharing the Nykaa imaginative and prescient. Nykaa has opened new avenues for ladies to discover and rejoice their very own distinctive thought of magnificence.”
The startup, which turned unicorn this yr, had raised INR 167 Cr from Steadview Capital in two completely different tranches in Could 2020. It has additionally raised INR 100 Cr from American personal fairness agency TPG Progress, and valued at $724 Mn submit the spherical in April 2019 and $15.72 Mn from Lighthouse India Fund III.
Suniel Shetty
Actor-turned-entrepreneur Suniel Shetty continued to again new startups in 2020, after investing in a number of ventures in 2019. Shetty invested an undisclosed quantity within the edtech enterprise of Sai Property Consultants. Based by Amit B Wadhwani and Vicky Wadhwani, the upskilling enterprise will concentrate on offering customers with a mixture of training and leisure.
This yr, the actor had additionally invested an undisclosed quantity in one other startup referred to as Vieroots. The Kochi-based startup which was based by Sanjeev Nair in 2018 is estimated to be valued at INR 100 Cr.
Earlier, Shetty had invested in a number of startups which embrace Pune-based health and diet startup Squats, a health app backed by Sequoia Capital India’s Surge, Fittr and males’s grooming model Beardo.
Final yr, Suniel Shetty had invested an undisclosed funding in Pune-based on-line health neighborhood SQUATS. In 2016, he turned an lively startup investor by investing in males’s grooming model Beardo.
Sonu Sood
Bollywood actor Sonu Sood, who grew to become a messiah for migrant labourers throughout the pandemic has taken a minority stake in Spice Cash which is a subsidiary firm of DiGiSPICE Applied sciences Restricted.The actor has additionally been appointed as a non-executive advisory board member in Spice Capital.
SpiceMoney was launched in 2015 by Dilip Modi which operates a tech-enabled hyperlocal funds community, offering companies equivalent to money deposit, Aadhaar-enabled funds system for money withdrawal, mini ATMs, insurance coverage, loans, invoice funds, money assortment centre for NBFCs and banks in addition to ticket bookings and recharge.
Superstar Launching Their Startups This Yr
Alia Bhatt
Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt has now grow to be an entrepreneur as she has launched a startup referred to as Ed-a-mamma which mainly caters to the kidswear class. The startup supplies sustainable garments at a worth starting from INR 350 for kids within the age group of 2-14 years.
The startup plans to enter Amazon and Flipkart early subsequent yr and the corporate goes to launch its ecommerce web site in April 2021. The startup claims to have naturally sourced and sustainable attire for kids.
Ed-a-mamma is totally funded by Alia Bhatt and the corporate claims to have offered 70% of the vary because the launch six weeks in the past and makes use of natural cotton and non-plastic buttons for the garments.
Riteish Deshmukh And Genelia Deshmukh
Bollywood couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh launched Think about Meats, a startup that’s trying to enterprise into plant-based meat merchandise.
But to be launched out there, Think about Meats will develop meals objects related to the Indian non-vegetarian shopper focusing on preparations equivalent to biryanis, kebabs and curries.
Sonu Sood
TV and Bollywood actor Sonu Sood shot to fame on social media throughout the lockdown along with his efforts to assist India’s migrant staff. The actor launched Pravasirojgar, in partnership with edtech startup Schoolnet India, in July this yr within the hopes of taking this a step additional. The startup helps migrant and transient staff discover expert jobs at employers equivalent to Amazon, Max Healthcare, Portea, Sodexo, City Firm, and many others.
Pravasirojgar lately raised INR 250 Cr funding from Temasek Holding-backed Goodworker and fashioned a three way partnership with the corporate to succeed in 10 Cr Indians.
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