Capitalising India’s Startup Boom: 5 Bollywood stars who become investors

The most varied seed investment portfolios in India belong to Bollywood stars. They scrutinise numerous little and major economic sectors to pick a company worth investing their hard-earned crores in, or, better yet, they start from zero and create something new. These celebrities have been interested in the Indian startup ecosystem due to its rapid rise. To capitalise on this surge in Indian businesses, Bollywood actors have now started investing in them alongside venture capital and private equity funds. There are now 108 unicorns, seed funded in India. Actors from Bollywood have invested in unicorn companies, including Mamaearth, Nykaa, and Good Glamm Group. Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma, and Sonu Sood from Bollywood also launched their enterprises, Ed-a-Mamma, NUSH, and Pravasirojgar, respectively.

Anushka Sharma

(Alongside a successful actor, director, wife and mother, Anushka Sharma has always been an active investor in startups)

The actor has invested seed fundsin various firms in the past three years. She supported the D2C brands Slurrp Farm and Blue Tribe in 2022. Blue Tribe is a startup that sells plant-based meat, whereas Slurrp Farm sells healthful food. Slurrp Farm, a division of Wholsum Foods, was established by Meghana Narayan and Shauravi Malik in 2016. It offers kids' superfoods, ready-to-eat meals, and flavoured cereals as healthy snacks. The startup is present in the US, UK, UAE, and India. At the same time, Sandeep Singh and Nikki Arora Singh created the plant-based meat business Blue Tribe. It offers meat substitutes like keema, chicken nuggets, and frozen chicken mince. The company asserts that peas, soybeans, and lentils are the main ingredients in its products. According to information made available by the business intelligence platform Tofler, it generated INR 15 Lakh for the financial year 2020–21.

In addition, an insurtech firm, Digit Insurance, has closed an $84 Mn investment round after receiving INR 2.5 crore ($340 K) from the couple Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma. According to Ministry of Corporate documents, Sharma spent INR 50 Lakh in this three-year-old firm while Kohli contributed INR 2 crore. Kohli and Sharma each received 2,66,667 and 66,667 shares as part of this deal. In this transaction, the price per share was INR 65, with a minimum charge of INR 10 per share.

Shahrukh Khan

(An essential part of Bollywood. In addition to his acting and producing companies, he also manages several other businesses and is an investor par excellence)

Shah Rukh bought an important stake in the international network of family-friendly amusement parks Kidzania. After creating a Kidzania facility in Mumbai, the actor decided to invest in a second theme park in Noida. SRK reportedly owns a 26% stake in this project, according to reports. In 2006, Shah Rukh diversified his filmography by experimenting with special effects. He just recently opened a state-of-the-art VFX studio in Mumbai. The visual effects for blockbusters including "Chak De! India" (2007), "Ra. One" (2011), "Krrish 3" (2013), "Phillauri" (2017), and "Zero" (2018) were produced by SRK's company, which was frequently chosen for Bollywood productions.

Nora Fatehi

(Known mostly for her dance moves, this Canadian actress and model is also a dynamic investor in providing early seed funds to startups)

In July 2022, cloud kitchen aggregator Cure foods received support from Bollywood actress Nora Fatehi. She also accepted a position as a brand ambassador for Cake Zone, a Cure foods subsidiary. Ankit Nagori founded the cloud kitchen aggregator in 2020, home to several brands, including EatFit, Sharief Bhai, Aligarh House Biryani, and CakeZone. During its most recent pre-seed investment, the business ran over 150 cloud kitchens across 15 cities. In July, the startup joined with Hrithik Roshan's fitness company HRX to grow across India, primarily concentrating on the north Indian market. With Nora's contribution excluded, the business has raised $132 Mn in fundraising. Its investors include Binny Bansal, Iron Pillar, Chiratae Ventures, Sixteenth Street Capital, Accel Partners, and Crimson Winter. In FY21, it had operational revenue of INR 1.96 crore.

Hrithik Roshan

(Renowned across the world for his diverse range of roles, unrivalled dancing ability, gorgeous appearance, and incredible investing abilities)

Hrithik Roshan is a popular face of Bollywood and over the years, he has shown incredible investing abilities. To motivate and drive people to become the best version of themselves, he transformed his idea to a business by launching HRX’s in 2013. In the same year in November 2013, the company made its debut on Myntra.com with its male athleisure collection. In the years that followed, HRX continued to make progress. It collaborated with the MTB Himalayan Bike Race, sponsored FC Pune City, and introduced a variety of items, including footwear, eyeglasses, and accessories. The company and Cult.fit, formerly known as Cure Fit, teamed in 2017 to launch the first-ever celebrity-designed HRX workout at Cult locations in India. To introduce its first line of audio products, which was warmly welcomed, HRX partnered with Flipkart in June 2020. With a focus on the needs of "active fitness enthusiasts" and music lovers, HRX's audio line is a carefully chosen selection of products that address connectivity, battery life, and other characteristics frequently discovered to be significant to customers. Additionally, through this launch, HRX introduces ultra-cool designs in current colours together with unparalleled tech specs supplied by Qualcomm, bringing its sense of style to the audio category. To cement this partnership even more, Flipkart and HRX collaborated once more in 2021 to introduce HRX's sports and fitness equipment for at-home workouts.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas

(Actor, Start-up investor, social media queen and UN ambassador Priyanka Chopra made an international portfolio beyond Bollywood)

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and her mother, Dr. Madhu Chopra, established Purple Pebble Pictures in 2015 to showcase local filmmakers and up-and-coming talent on the big screen. The studio has produced successful films like The Sky Is Pink and the Marathi comedy-drama Ventilator. Priyanka Chopra Jonas became a venture capitalist by exploring the digital industry in 2018 and made her first significant investment in the dating app Bumble.

In order to open Sona on East 20th Street in New York City in 2021, Chopra Jonas collaborated with her business acquaintance Maneesh Goyal. With Udupi-born chef Hari Nayak in charge, the menu combines various Indian cuisines with an international twist. The restaurant just struck it rich when Sona was named in the Michelin guide's most current edition of the best restaurants in New York. She made a similar investment in software engineering at Holberton School in the same year. It is a startup for coding instruction. She also established a sustainable haircare line, Anomaly Haircare, in January 2021, which is currently sold in the United States. The business advertises mild, chemical-free hair and scalp care products. Priyanka Chopra Jonas invested in the US rental marketplace Apartment List and established two new businesses in the first quarter of 2021. According to Business Insider India, she has joined a board of investors, including baseball player Alex Rodriguez and American artist Lizzo.

There is a tendency to believe that wealthy and famous people just had lucky births. Although that may be the case for some, others put in a lot of effort and made wise decisions to get to where they are now. After reading knowing how these celebrities became successful investors, it is understandable that there are things millionaires do if they want to be successful with their own money.