TLDR:
- Celebrity investors are impacting the VC landscape by offering visibility, credibility, and strategic support.
- Joe Montana and Ashton Kutcher are among the top celebrity investors, with Montana leading in investments and unicorn startups.
Celebrity investors are becoming an influential force in the venture capital (VC) landscape, offering significant visibility, credibility, and strategic support to the startups they invest in. The Market intelligence platform CB Insights has released its “Celebrity VC Index,” ranking the top 20 celebrity investors based on the strength of their portfolios. Joe Montana, a former American football player, tops the list with his Liquid 2 Ventures investing in 569 deals and backing 10 unicorn startups. Ashton Kutcher comes in second with Sound Ventures and investments in 118 deals and five unicorn startups. The Chainsmokers and Jay-Z have seen the most exit activity in proportion to their overall deal volume, recording five exits via M&A or IPO each since 2020.
Data from CB Insights shows that celebrities investors trend towards consumer-facing and media-adjacent businesses, aligning with their personal brand, expertise, and influence. The top celebrity investors have established their own VC funds in addition to their individual investing activities. Several celebrities, including Durant, the Chainsmokers, Hart, and Smith, were among the 10 most active investors in the fintech sector between 2019 and 2023. They have made key investments in companies like Goalsetter, Step, and Fonoa within the fintech space.
