15 Celebrities Who Launched Their Own Technology Companies

Some stars are getting into the startup world by founding or funding emerging technology companies. Let’s look at 15 celebrities who have started or invested in their own tech ventures:

1. Jessica Alba – The Honest Company

Jessica Alba co-founded consumer goods company The Honest Company, which offers non-toxic household products and is valued at nearly $2 billion.

2. Ashton Kutcher – A-Grade Investments

Prolific angel investor Ashton Kutcher co-created venture capital firm A-Grade Investments, which has funded Uber, Airbnb, Spotify and other mammoth startups.

3. Dr. Dre – Beats Electronics

Legendary producer Dr. Dre launched Beats Electronics, the massively successful headphone and speaker company that Apple acquired for $3 billion.

4. Jared Leto – Reddit, Uber, Airbnb

Oscar winner Jared Leto invested early in unicorns like Uber, Airbnb, Slack, Reddit and Nest before their huge growth.

5. Will Smith – Just Water

Will Smith invested in eco-friendly bottled water company Just Water, supporting their sustainable packaging and ethical practices.

6. Robert Downey Jr. – FootPrint Coalition

Robert Downey Jr.’s FootPrint Coalition venture firm has funded startups like Duolingo, MasterClass and sustainable tech companies.

7. Serena Williams – Serena Ventures

Tennis icon Serena Williams founded Serena Ventures to invest in diverse founders, especially people of color and women.

8. Nas – Ring, Lyft, Dropbox

Legendary rapper Nas invested early in startups like Ring, Lyft, Coinbase, Dropbox and Genius before they hit it big.

9. Leonardo DiCaprio – Diamond Foundry

Committed environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio invested in sustainable synthetic diamond maker Diamond Foundry.

10. Justin Bieber – SoFi Stadium

Pop superstar Justin Bieber invested in LA’s state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium, home of the Rams and Chargers.

11. Ellen DeGeneres – Ellen Digital Ventures

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres created her own tech and digital media investment group Ellen Digital Ventures.

12. Kim Kardashian – rideshare company Lyft

Reality icon Kim Kardashian has reportedly invested sums in startups including ridesharing firm Lyft.

13. Kesha – Bonsai

Pop singer Kesha put funds into Bonsai, an AI-based writing assistant app for freelancers.

14. Troy Carter – Uber, Dropbox

Music manager Troy Carter has funded major startups like Uber, Spotify, Dropbox, and Warby Parker.

15. Shaquille O’Neal – Google

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal was an early shareholder in Google before the search engine grew into the tech titan Alphabet.

Celebrity Power Boosts Startups

These stars show how fame and wealth can help fund innovative new companies. Their brand power gives added momentum to get exciting startups off the ground.