Bollywood Celebrities Invest

Bollywood and Indian startups have one thing in common: they both serve the general public. Over the years, celebrities have shown huge interest in startups. Besides having successful careers, popular Bollywood stars and cricketers have already invested in multiple startups.  With the likes of Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt investing in startups, it only speaks volumes about the popularity of the Indian startup ecosystem and the significant increase in first-time founders, new startups, inflow of global funds, and mergers and acquisitions. Numerous Bollywood stars have backed startups that fit their personalities and lifestyles. Check out the list of Bollywood celebrities who have invested in startups in 2022: 

Ranveer Singh Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh has invested an undisclosed amount in SUGAR Cosmetics, a leading omnichannel beauty company. The cosmetics company, which debuted in 2012, offers high-end, cruelty-free makeup products. 

Suniel Shetty Actor Suniel Shetty has invested an undisclosed sum in a fitness startup Aquatein in February 2022. He also became the startup’s brand ambassador. Aquatein, founded in 2019 by Ananta Prabhala, is a ketogenic, gluten-free, lactose-free, and 100% vegetarian drink made primarily of water with added protein.  

Pankaj Tripathi Actor Pankaj Tripathi, known for playing antagonist roles in movies, has invested an undisclosed amount in agri-tech startup Krishi Network. Krishi Network intends to rapidly expand its AI-based technology platform across India with the help of this investment.  

Sara Ali Khan In March 2022, Bollywood actress Sara Ali Khan made an undisclosed investment in D2C startup The Souled Store. She also became an equity partner. The Souled Store offers pop culture and casual wear for men and women. It was established in 2013 by Vedang Patel, Harsh Lal, Aditya Sharma, and Rohin Samtaney. It claims to hold over 180 licences, including those from Disney, Warner Bros., WWE, IPL, and Viacom18. 

Anushka Sharma Actor Anushka Sharma has made an undisclosed investment in plant-based meat startup Blue Tribe with her husband, Virat Kohli in February 2022. Blue Tribe is a start-up that sells plant-based meat substitutes like frozen ground beef, chicken nuggets, keema, chicken rolls sausage, and momos that taste, look, feel, and cook like real meat. It was founded in 2017 by Sandeep Singh and Nikki Arora Singh.  

Rana Daggubati Rana Daggubati’s startup Ikonz has raised undisclosed seed funding from venture capital firm Village Global and tech investment firm Woodstock in March 2022. The money raised would go toward fostering artistic talent worldwide, hiring top tech talent to create their metaverse, and getting rid of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) from their IP partners. 

Athiya Shetty In March 2022, Athiya Shetty invested an undisclosed amount in Delhi-based social commerce startup NCR Stage3. She will also join Stage3 as creative director. Sabena Puri, Sanchit Baweja, and Rina Dhaka founded Stage3 in 2016 as a fashion and lifestyle social commerce marketplace. 

Sonu Sood Actor Sonu Sood and Jitin Bhatia co-founded and launched Explurger, an AI-based social media app, in June 2022. Explurger, a freemium app, uses AI to automatically write travelogues and rewards users for participating in conversations. It helps users find itineraries selected by travellers as well as maps, photos, and guides.

Shilpa Shetty Kundra In July 2022, Shilpa Shetty invested an undisclosed amount in D2C nutraceutical brands Fast&Up and Chicnutrix. In addition, she has become a brand ambassador for these companies, working to support and advance self-care and health in India. Besides that, Shilpa Shetty has invested in Simple Soulful and Mamaearth.  

Samantha Prabhu In March 2022, Samantha Prabhu invested an undisclosed amount in Hyderabad-based SustainKart, which is an e-commerce marketplace for sustainable products, partial financing. SustainKart, founded in 2021 by Shilpa Reddy and Kanthi Dutt, offers environmentally friendly and sustainable products ranging from fashion to home décor, beauty and wellness, home furnishings to gifts, nutrition and snacks, child and pet care, and more.