Race to the VC circle has resulted in a number of standout successes
While many celebrities have made millions upon millions based on their talent and creativity, the past few years have seen an uptick of musicians, athletes, and more getting a second life as business owners.
Of course, not everyone can be at the top of the heap. And new research conducted by Invezz offers a look at which celebrity investors have garnered the most success in their business forays.
Based on Invezz’s research, the top three celebrity-owned businesses are Yeezy by Kanye West, worth an estimated US$5 billion; SKIMS by Kim Kardashian (US$3.2 billion raised); and Dr. Dre’s Beats by Dre (US$3 billion).
Joining them in the top 10 are:
- Good American by Kloe Kardashian (US$1.6 billion)
- Fenty Beauty by Rihanna (US$1.4 billion)
- Kylie Cosmetics by Kylie Jenner (US$1.20 billion)
- The Jessica Simpson Collection (US$1 billion)
- The Honest Company by Jessica Alba (US$756 million)
- Casamigos by George Clooney (US$700 million)
- Aviation Gin by Ryan Reynolds (US$610 million)
Invezz also ranked celebrities based on the total number of investments they’ve made. Mark Cuban also topped that list with 217 investments. He’s followed by Ashton Kutcher, who’s made 67 investments, and Baron Davis with 48 investments.
Among female celebrities, the top three investors in terms of amount raised are Gwyneth Paltrow (with a portfolio worth US$782M), Oprah (portfolio worth US$736M), and Serena Williams (US$684M).
Looking at the most successful celebrity investors, Invezz found Mark Cuban had raised the most money from companies he has invested in with US$3.3 billion. He’s followed by Jared Leto ($2.7 billion) and Ashton Kutcher ($2.06 billion).
Read more: Now you can invest in a musician's streaming revenue
And by analysing celebrity VC investments in 2022 through an industry lens, Invezz found the most popular industries among celebrity investors.
The most popular sector celebrities invested in so far in 2022 is finance, with nine companies including Front Finance and Kinly getting the spotlight.
Cryptocurrency and software were tied for second place, with five cryptocurrency and five software companies receiving investments from the top 10 investors.
Finally, the health and e-commerce sectors shared third place with three businesses apiece.
