Fame, Fortune & Founders: 10 startups backed by celebrities

Many celebrities and HNWIs have been funneling their money into up and coming startups across the globe as they look to invest in businesses that they believe will change the way we live in the future.

Startup investments, over the past decade, have been gaining traction as a way to build wealth and support a mission that you stand strongly for. Gone are the days when property investment or mutual funds were the best bet to get a strong return on your investment.

At the same time, startups are also able to tell their story easily via online platforms allowing for a wide reach to an investor base outside the typical venture capitalists and private equity firms.

So, to give you a sense of where your favorite celebs are investing their money, we did a round-up of the top 10 startups that have an illustrious investor base that includes celebrities.

Celeb investor: Akshay Kumar

Industry: Health & wellness

About the startup: GOQii is a health-wearable that offers an entire health ecosystem to its user including a wearable device, a tracking app, a network of doctors and health experts as well as a Health Locker to store all your health records securely on the cloud. While Kumar's passion for health and fitness makes this an obvious choice for his investment portfolio, it's also a financially smart choice given that the healthcare wearables market is stated to reach $60 billion by 2023 according to Juniper Research.

Celeb investor: Alia Bhatt

Industry: Fashion

About the startup: StyleCracker taps into the lucrative (and popular) subscription box industry. The online platform gives its users a curated box of apparel, footwear, jewellery and bags - essentially acting as a personal stylist. As a new user, you simply have to share your preferences, size, body shape and personal style choices. The team at StyleCracker creates a combination of items and ships it to your address 4 times in 6 months.

Celeb investors: Leonardo Di Caprio, Ashton Kutcher and several others

Industry: Retail e-commerce

About the startup: Casper is a mattress-tech (yes, that's a thing now!) startup that basically sells sleep products directly to the consumer via its e-commerce platform. What has propelled Casper into unicorn status is not just its comfy mattresses, but its often witty and creative marketing strategies. From its Casper Dreamery to offering free pyjamas to visitors for naps, the startup ticks all the right boxes when it comes to enhancing customer experience.

Celeb investor: Priyanka Chopra

Industry: Dating/Networking App

About the startup: Bumble started off as a dating app and has now evolved into a social networking app. What sets it apart from other apps in the market is that it puts women in the centre of its offerings. It has unique safety and verification features that allow women to decide who they want to connect and interact with. Its women-centric approach is what made it an appealing proposition to Priyanka Chopra. In an official statement shared by Bumble, she said: “Women want love, they want friendship and they want to find a career, and that’s the uniqueness of what Bumble delivers — a digital community that encompasses all that, while empowering women to take charge of their lives."

Celeb investor: Serena Williams

Industry: Food-tech

About the startup: Little Spoon brings fresh organic baby food to your doorstep. Operating in a very niche space, this startup's mission is to revolutionise how moms access baby food. Catering to working moms, the startup delivers food boxes customised to your baby's unique dietary needs straight to your doorstep.

Celeb investor: Ashton Kutcher

About the startup: BloomThat, a flower delivery app, is one of many startups in Ashton Kutcher's diversified startup portfolio. The Hollywood actor has been known to invest startups such as Uber, Spotify and Airbnb. He has made several investments through his appearances on the popular TV show Shark Tank.

Celeb investor: Ranveer Singh

Industry: Entertainment & music

About the startup: IncInk, which stands for Inclusive & Independent, is Ranveer Singh's passion project to support local up & coming artists. In an official statement, he explained: "IncInk literally means writing your own story and I’m inspired and thrilled to be starting this passion project that aims to affect social change. I hope that we can present some of the strongest, boldest voices of Indian youth to the world."

Celeb investor: Sachin Tendulkar

Industry: Technology

About the startup: Smartron is an IoT focussed company. As its website explains, the company "was founded with a vision to build three big stories. 1) India’s first global brand with focus on innovation, design, engineering, products and platforms. 2) tronX, an intelligent connected platform for India and the world offering highly customized and personalized experiences, services and care through next gen of smart devices for various IoT verticals. 3) A robust product ecosystem around tronX through a collaborative global open innovation platform that aggregates and accelerates the pace of innovation."

Celeb investors: Jennifer Lopez, Shahid Kapoor, Malaika Arora

Industry: Health & wellness

About the startup: With an illustrious line-up of celebrity investors, Sarva seems have caught the attention of many HNWIs. With yoga at the centre of its offering, Sarva's mission is to create a wellness ecosystem and promote key principles of mindfulness. It also offers corporate wellness programmes.

Celeb investor: Beyonce Knowles

Industry: Entertainment & music

About the startup: Tapping into another unconventional space, Sidestep is a concert merchandise tech startup. It helps concert goers purchase their favourite merchandise hassle free through an app.