When you’re raking in those big showbiz paychecks, you have to find a place to invest your cash. And for these Hollywood celebs, moonlighting as tech entrepreneurs is a serious business.
Ashton Kutcher’s tech chops go beyond portraying Steve Jobs on the big screen. The “That ’70s Show” star has become the poster boy for Hollywood tech players. He co-founded venture firm A-Grade Investments in 2011, and has invested in a myriad of companies, including Spotify, Uber and Airbnb.
Jay-Z has the midas touch. Not only is he one of the most successful rappers of all time and married to Beyonce, he has also made a fortune in tech. He bought Aspiro AB, the parent company of music streaming service Tidal, in 2015. And despite trailing streaming giants Pandora, Spotify and Apple Music, he was able to make gobs of cash off his investment. Hova sold a 33 percent stake in Tidal to Sprint earlier this year for $200 million — giving him a cool 10-times multiple of his investment in two years. When he rapped “I’m not a businessman; I’m a business, man” he wasn’t lying.
“New Girl” star Zoey Deschanel is also a secret coder, apparently. The actress founded HelloGiggles in 2011, a female-oriented website that focuses on pop culture and has a “no gossip” policy.
Justin Bieber has found a “purpose” (ugh) beyond making pop music — investing in tech. The Biebs has a stake in Spotify, and the wannabe-Instagram app “Shots.”
Snoop Dogg knows a thing or two about weed, and he’s betting on the legal marijuana industry taking off. He’s backed Eaze, a weed delivery startup that aims to have you supplied in under 10 minutes. He’s also invested in Merry Jane, a site dedicated to weed culture. And on the opposite end of the spectrum, he has invested in RobinHood, the stock app that lets you buy and sell shares without fees.
Leonardo DiCaprio is a man of many passions: acting, saving the environment, vacationing with supermodels and, yes, investing in technology. He invested in the now-defunct photo and video sharing app Mobli in 2011. Undeterred, he’s backed several other startups, including QLoo, a “cultural recommendation engine” that gives tips on nightlife, books and TV.
You know Masterclass, the website where celebs teach you how to cook, act and sing? Robert Downey Jr. invested in it.
Beyond being one of the most well known models in the world, Tyra Banks has also thrown her hat into the tech ring. She has invested in The Muse, a job-finding website, and Videogram, a video greeting card company.
Remember Myspace? Well after it was lapped by Facebook and became a music-first social media site, Justin Timberlake invested in it. His luck didn’t get much better a few years later when he invested in Stipple, a social platform for tagging pics and locations.
