Celebrities investing into Food Startups

It is common to see the names of musicians, athletes, and actors in press releases regarding funding rounds by tech startups. This trend is getting familiar in the food tech space as well.

The plant-based food industry experienced a massive influx of investment in 2020. For example, good Food Institute data indicated that a record $3.1 billion had been invested in the alternative protein industry just in 2020.

 

It seems like there’s more demand these days for products that are more environmentally friendly and healthy for people. More people have started in this industry as the popularity of plant-based burgers, dairy-free milk, and beef grown from animal cells.

 

Today, more than $8 trillion in investments in sustainable development projects. The Barron’s report predicts that capital from those investments will increase even more by the end of this decade. In addition, some of the world’s biggest stars, from DiCaprio to Robert Downey Jr., have invested in sustainable food. These food companies aim to promote a healthy lifestyle for everyone and put sustainability first.

 

Let’s take a look at the celebrities who invested in food tech this year.

 

Leonardo DiCaprio banks on cultured beef

Leonardo DiCaprio has had many investments over the years, and he’s not afraid to throw his weight around. He invested early in Hippeas, lab-grown diamonds, and more. Last year, the Academy Award-winning actor expressed immense interest in the cultured meat industry. DiCaprio invested in two startups focused on cultured beef: Mosa Meat from Netherlands and Aleph Farms from Israel.

 

DiCaprio has been outspoken about his ecological views in the past, and he cares about the environment. Beef production contributes to most meat industry emissions and the destruction of rainforests that are critical inspirations for him to invest in those kinds of initiatives. As a result, there has been a lot of investment in cultured meat from him. While the process is not perfect, cultured meat takes up less land and water compared to conventional meats like beef. It also emits much less greenhouse gas than industrial meat production.

 

Ashton Kutcher believes that 3D-printed meat will be a significant part of the future of food

Ashton Kutcher has founded a venture capital fund that invests in “clean, circular & sustainable businesses.” It’s called SoundWAVES. It is an offshoot of his fund, Sound Ventures. That 70s Show star collaborated with Madonna’s manager Guy Oseary and a few others, partnered with an Israel-based food tech company MeaTech 3D. The company uses modern methods like tissue engineering and 3D bioprinting to cultivate chicken, pork, beef, and foie gras. SoundWAVES looks to be successful in the future by leveraging its marketing, strategic expertise, and network. The company also has plans to help them become leaders in cultured meat.

 

Jay-Z has invested in tech-forward vegan nuggets

Jay-Z invested in a company named Simulate that makes specialty nuggets out of protein from wheat and soy. The brand releases a new product called Nuggs, hoping that it will be something consumers feel like they can’t live without. Founded in 2019, the company has released six versions so far, with a seventh on its way.

 

Jay-Z invested in tech consumer brands through his investment firm, Marcy Venture Partners. Impossible Foods and Pela are two sustainability-focused brands that he’s involved with. He has also supported plant-based brands that don’t undergo tech, including Oatly, allergen-friendly cookie brand Partake, and nut-based cheese brand Misha’s Kind Foods.

 

Robert Downey Jr. supports mycelium bacon startup

There are many celebrities with a venture capital firm that focuses on sustainability. Ashton Kutcher and DiCaprio aren’t the only stars on this list. Robert Downey Jr. launched a venture fund last year called Footprint Coalition Ventures. In fact, he used almost $10 million of his personal funds for this initiative. He shared his thoughts about this new venture at the World Economic Forum. He stated that: “This global existential threat is not something that’s going to be solved by a smattering of elite mega-corporations. I think that paradigm must be smashed in favour of innovation by a broad set of new companies.”

 

His hedge fund invested in some brands that use technology to solve this global existential threat, like Act Foods Company. This company, based in New York, makes bacon out of mycelium. It sells it under the brand called MyEats.

 

Downey Jr. created a platform for scientists to raise funds for their research projects, called FootPrint Coalition Science Engine. This crowdfunding platform lets anyone donate to agricultural, life sciences, and AI science research projects. Beyond that, donors can also support projects from different categories like indigenous communities, conservation biotechnology, and more.

 

Hamilton, Questlove, and Federer believe AI will revolutionize food production

Artificial intelligence is changing the way we do things. They can provide alerts and advance medical knowledge, as well as reduce food waste and make alternatives taste of dairy products and meat more like the ‘real thing.’ Lewis Hamilton, Questlove, Roger Federer invested in NotCo earlier this summer. NotCo produces dairy and meat alternatives to help people live healthier lives.

 

This Chilean food tech brand is using Giuseppe, an AI program and molecular science, to find out which of the plant kingdom’s flavours are what best match up with those from the animal kingdom. For example, their NotMilk is a dairy-free product with cabbage and pineapple juice as their main ingredients. However, they make its taste very close to dairy.

 

NotCo’s two of the celebrity backers have incredible experience in the plant-based food space. Formula 1 champion and vegan enthusiast Lewis Hamilton has backed Neat Burger, a vegan burger chain. And Questlove invested in Impossible Foods, which makes artificial meat products.

 

Dele Alli is backing a vegan chicken brand from Singapore

In what is being described as a “groundbreaking” move, footballer Dele Alli has supported an alternative to one of the most popular chicken products in the world.

 

The England international believes that we should re-think our relationship with chickens and have vegan alternatives at restaurants, grocery stores, and on the kitchen table. Tindle, a Singapore startup backed by British footballer Dele Alli has been developed to make vegan chicken using soy, wheat, oat fiber, and coconut oil. Their chicken-like flavor is created with natural ingredients.

Top 10 Hollywood Star Entrepreneurs of 2021

There are numerous ways of prevailing as a Hollywood business person in 2021. A few stars are searching for a drawn-out organizer like Goop Gwyneth Paltrow, while others are hoping to employ a veteran CEO to make La Casamigos a brand that sells at enormous leave costs. The Tequila brand, established by George Clooney, was offered to Diageo in 2017 for up to $1 billion, seeking after an authorizing arrangement that, at times, resembles a proprietorship understanding with venture and instalments on explicit benchmarks. These organizations are developing in light of the fact that the business sectors are moving in equal, said Samwick, head of UTA Ventures. On their side, 4,444 financial backers and enormous organizations are restless to combine with Hollywood stars and access their range via online media. “At the point when a superstar posts something, we move clients immediately,” says Brooke Slavik Jung, a WME accomplice in the Branded Partnerships gathering of organizations. “These organizations can burn through cash on R and D as opposed to putting cash in their clients’ buys. At last, they understand that in case they are capable, they can get away from it a lot quicker.

 

These celebrities’ brands are giving no indication of stopping. Stars, who as of late reported their own startup brands incorporate Scarlett Johansson, who intends to dispatch a stunner line one year from now, and Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, a baby product company for melanin-rich kids. Also, in September, Jennifer Aniston dispatched the main item in her new Lola Vie hair care line, and Ellen DeGeneres dispatched the skin health management brand Kind Science in late October. Wick says Millennials and Gen Z buyers accept that such countless conspicuous brands will succeed in light of the fact that they have low dependability to customary brands. Youthful purchasers are searching for brands that they can associate with by understanding the historical backdrop of the organization and are bound to attempt new brands. These elements offer the chance to make new problematic brands and abilities that assume a critical part in their dispatch.

 

Following are the top 10 Hollywood stars who will be the owners of their billion-dollar brands:
 

1. Drew Barrymore

The universe of the Barrymore brand keeps on developing, including Flower Beauty, Flower Home, and Beautiful by Drew Barrymore. Ballymore has been working with Wal-Mart beginning around 2013, and ordinary items accessible in the megachain incorporate make-up, magnificence devices, eyeglasses, family accessories and furniture, paints, backdrop, and cooking wares.

 

2. Kristen Bell

Bell’s offices have a common thread, such as This Saves Lives snack bars and Happy Dance’s CBD body products. They are affordable, responsibly procured and manufactured, and repayable. “I have a pretty strong moral compass and wanted to sit at a table and steer the company to make the best possible decisions for consumers, products, production lines, and the planet. “Bell says. The profit model is the future of business.

 

3. Jennifer Garner

In late 2017, actress and philanthropist Garner and investor and CEO John Foraker gathered together to create small but visionary foods for children with healthier ingredients. Once upon a farm founded by two San Diego entrepreneurs, Ariraz and Cassandra Curtis, Apon Farm developed fresh, nutritious cold-pressed snacks for early development. Foraker and Garner are co-owners of the company, and their organic products are available on the direct-to-consumer Once upon a Farm website and at major retailers such as Target, Whole Foods, and Kroger. “Currently, we have about 1.5% household penetration in the United States, which is very important for brands of the same size,” Foraker said, “the fastest growing children’s herbal brand in the United States,”

 

4. Kate Hudson

Hudson has dispatched King St. Vodka and InBloom healthful powders just as the web recording Sibling Revelry, which Kate and her brother Oliver host.” I’d prefer to construct organizations that really mean something, not simply have a way of life brand,” says Hudson, who on top of her developing realm additionally has Apple’s Truth Be Told and the forthcoming Knives Out 2 among her new ventures. “I need to engage in a lot of various things that I’m into and make the ideal form of that and develop and develop and do extraordinary things,” she says. “I imagine that we really want more ladies in business, and we really want more ladies bringing in cash that can ideally course that cash capably.”

 

5. Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Johnson might be the world’s greatest activity star (and Hollywood’s most generously compensated entertainer for quite some time), yet the Rock might want to be viewed as something considerably sturdier: a fruitful business person. Two years after a sizable interest in Norwegian-based expense water brand Voss, he’s stirring things up in the refreshment sector. So it wasn’t an over-the-top stretch to see him enter the caffeinated drinks space recently with the dispatch of ZOA, advertised as a wellbeing cognizant decision for pre-or post-exercise routines. Furthermore, his 18 months old Teremana Tequila has moved 1.4 million cases in its initial 16 months, the quickest alcohol dispatch in industry history.

 

6. Jennifer Lopez

At September’s Met Gala, Lopez ventured out not just in a custom Ralph Lauren weaved outfit with a false hide shearling cape, Navajo stepped silver sleeve and ring, and silver gems from the Ralph Lauren chronicles. In any case, it was those different extras that put an interjection point on the evening’s topic of American style while demonstrating, once more, the power of J.Lo’s business smart on one of the world’s most shot red carpets. It was a synergistic flex for a worldwide hotshot who, lately, has turned to make her very own arrangement marks and put resources into new companies instead of just loaning her impressive star power (180 million Instagram devotees; 45.1 million on Twitter) to outside brands and creators. Her ventures incorporate Goli healthful enhancements, telehealth and solution conveyance organization Hims and Hers, Super Coffee, the just-declared BodyArmor and feast conveyance administration Wonder.

 

7. Ryan Reynolds

With regards to promoting, there might be nobody more creative and focused than Reynolds. The entertainer business visionary’s capacity to share his energy about organizations including Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile (in which he purchased a possession stake in 2019), Maximum Effort Marketing, and Wrexham AFC has demonstrated both compelling and worthwhile. Around two years after Reynolds contributed as a section proprietor, Aviation in August 2020 offered to spirits monster Diageo for $335 million (in an arrangement that could payout up to $275 million more) in an understanding that saw Reynolds hold a possession stake. Furthermore, Maximum Effort in July converged with publicizing programming organization MNTN. Reynolds is zeroing in on his present undertakings and isn’t hoping to take on another new business — particularly when he’s offsetting everything with a Hollywood vocation and quality time with his significant other, entertainer “The organizations that are under our rooftop are likewise organizations that I own, that I’ve placed cash into. I’ve contributed time also. That is the piece of it that I believe is, to some degree, surprising. Quite a lot more of it depends on run-of-the-mill connections than it is the unexpected making fastballs of satisfaction promoting materials.” says Ryan Reynolds.

 

8. Travis Scott

The Texas-born and – raised singer, maker, and creative tycoon delivered his spiked seltzer refreshment, Cacti, in March. Made in a joint effort with Anheuser-Busch, the beverages sold out inside the initial 12 hours on the web and took off racks inside the initial 24. During its first week, Cacti guaranteed the most noteworthy first-week pace of offers for an assortment pack in the organization’s set of experiences.

 

9. Sofia Vergara

A long time before Modern Family made her a commonly recognized name, Vergara was delineating a strategy that stretched out past her work before the camera. “She generally knew precisely what she needed,” says Luis Balaguer, CEO of Latin World Entertainment (LatinWE), the creation organization and ability of the executive office he and Vergara established in 1994. “Right off the bat, Sofía understood the potential past her compensation as an entertainer and TV have. That prompted the schedule she did in 1995 — I had the option to get a printer to create 100,000 of them and give them to me on credit; we wound up selling about 2 million.”Beverly Hills-based LatinWE ended up being a gamechanger, and not just for Vergara. “At the point when I met Luis, we chose to begin LatinWE to assist with addressing Latin ability all the more effectively and in another manner that would set out open doors and permit them to be repaid decently,” says Vergara. “From the start, we perceived and regarded the colossal buying force of the Hispanic people group. Taking advantage of that has been vital for my profession, and aiding others influence their own brands was consistently a piece of how we needed to manage LatinWE.”Sofía Jeans by Sofía Vergara, its prosperity has prompted underwear, sleepwear, loungewear, and sports clothing assortments with the retailer, while footwear (intended to not struggle with a relationship she has with Payless Latin America), adornments, and home assortments are normal as future extensions. Vergara’s Foster Grant relationship, in the interim, appeared in 2020 and was produced from an individual need: She found she wanted bifocals and couldn’t track down any “that I felt was beautiful and went with my character,” says the entertainer, who turned 49 in July. “I didn’t need old-woman glasses!” Philanthropic parts are likewise key: For each pair of Sofía Vergara x Foster Grant glasses bought, a couple is additionally given to Restoring Vision, a California-based not-for-profit association that gives bifocals to altruistic gatherings helping underserved networks around the world, Vergara’s Foster Grant relationship, in the meantime, appeared in 2020 and produced from an individual need: She found she really wanted bifocals and couldn’t track down any “that I felt were a la mode and went with my character,” says the entertainer, who turned 49 in July. “I didn’t need old-woman glasses!” Philanthropic parts are likewise key: For each pair of Sofía Vergara x, Foster Grant glasses bought, a couple is additionally given to Restoring Vision, a California-based not-for-profit association that gives bifocals to magnanimous gatherings helping underserved networks all throughout the planet.

 

10. Mark Wahlberg

The actor, popular for his hard-working attitude and difficult early-morning exercise centre routine, isn’t just a productive financial backer and business visionary however has now featured in two docuseries that advance his domain building intuition. Wahlburgers, which ran from 2014 to 2019 on A&E, fixated on the burger chain he helped to establish with his siblings Paul and Donnie Wahlberg (the chain at present has in excess of 55 areas in 22 states), while the HBO Max show Wahl Street, which debuted in April and checks out his whole arrangement of brands, as of now has been recharged briefly season.

 

His brands and ventures incorporate quickly growing rec centre brand F45 Training, where Wahlberg turned into a financial backer in 2019 in the wake of composing a check for a minimum of $5 million, which presently has in excess of 2,800 establishments in 63 nations. Says F45 Training CEO Adam Gilchrist, “Since its dispatch in 2013, F45 Training keeps on being one of the quickest developing wellness establishments on the planet and in July turned into a public corporation on the New York Stock Exchange.” Adds Gilchrist to the benefit of having the star in the F45 group, “As a financial backer in the brand, Mark upholds F45 by elevating our wellness model to possible individuals and our established business framework to potential franchisees. His enterprising insight is subsequently similarly as essential to the brand as his noteworthy body being ascribed to working out at F45.”

Bill Gates and Robert Downey Jr.finance California Energy Startup

Turntide Technologies is leveraging a 21st Century software to make a 19th-century innovation even better.

 

We may be on the verge of a new era in electricity generation. By upping the efficiency of motors, Turntide Technologies Inc, a startup based in California, is trying to broach a new revolution.

Motors are the force behind the workings of many of the items that we use every daylight, fans, etc. – and if we can boost the efficiency and power of motors, we can make everything better.

 

Motors gobble up half the electricity in the world.

 

Turntide has already raised $80 million in investor funding, this money comes from a list of investors that includes Tony Fadell who created the iPhone, Robert Downey Jr. who played Iron Man, and Bill Gates.

 

Why are all these big names backing this early-stage company? It could be because they want to be part of a possible new revolution in technology. More efficient motors could change everything.

 

Electric motors use electromagnets to create energy from electricity. Electromagnets work by generating magnetic fields that turn rotors.

 

Conventional motors waste a large portion of the magnetic field. Only some of it helps turn the rotors.

 

The magnets within the motor hold the key to upping its efficacy. What Turntide did was to turn the magnets on and turn them off rapidly – they can go off and go on up to 20,000 times in one second.

 

Applying the process correctly can enable the motor to work just as hard with 30% of the electricity that a conventional motor would achieve.

 

According to company CEO Ryan Morris, electric motors have been around since the 1830s. But it was only when computer chips became cheap and widely available, that they achieved the capacity for fine control to work like they do today.

 

Morris says that what this 19th-century innovation needed to bring out its potential was some 21st-century software.“They figured out how to use a 19th-century technology and use software to make it do what it always had the potential to do,” he said in an interview.

 

 

Normal motors waste a large portion of that magnetic field. What Turntide has done is to optimize motor production so that it generates energy while consuming only 30% of the electricity that normal motors use.

 

Turntide is now serving a niche target buyer. They help make the ventilation systems of large buildings more efficient by replacing older electric motors with their newer, more efficient versions. The cost savings are enough to recoup the investment within the first three years.

 

Turntide celebrated a milestone of 5,000 motor replacements at the end of 2020. In 2021, the startup has an even more ambitious goal; to replace an additional 50,000 motors.

 

Ironman actor Robert Downey Jr. was impressed by the growth of the company, as well as its contribution to the environment by cutting down emissions.

 

Said Robert Downey Jr, “They figured out how to use a 19th-century technology and use software to make it do what it always had the potential to do.”

 

In true 21st century fashion, the company’s manufacturing takes place across different locations: China, India, and Taiwan. But even as they outsource manufacturing, Turntide still controls the Intellectual property from California.

 

In the words of Morris, the product is ‘software wrapped in metal.’

 

Over the years, Downey has leveraged his celebrity status and wealth to contribute towards environmental causes.

 

For now, the product is serving a niche market, but the company hopes to take over the auto industry soon. The technology was initially meant to achieve more efficiency in electric cars, but its use in the auto industry is limited so far.

 

Turntide is now looking into how the new, better motors can make compressors and pumps function better.

Wellness Firm Attracts Investment from Rihanna, Jay-Z, Durant

You know you are doing something right when more than 100 big names in entertainment, sports, business, and culture want to back you up.

 

Wellness company Therabody has attracted the support of a large group of bigwigs, including Jay-Z, Kevin Durant, Russell Wilson, Ciara, Thirty-Five Ventures owned by Rich Kleiman, and Rx3 Growth Partners, which is a growth equity fund owned by Aaron Rodgers. Even Bond actor Daniel Craig is in on the action.

 

Some of the celebrities invested through their venture capital companies, like Kevin Hart’s HeartbeatVentures.

 

The A-list investors wanted to invest in lucrative opportunities in the pain and injury management field. Said Kleiman: ”Therabody is at the forefront of incredible opportunities in the wellness space, and we look forward to seeing what else they’re going to accomplish.”

 

Therabody was established in 2017 as Theragun, and the company has succeeded in tripling revenue in this short while. The company owns 126 patents and another 138 of its patents are still pending.

 

Therabody products are stocked globally in 10,000 stores and this latest funding round will further fuel expansion in global markets.

 

Therabody CEO Benjamin Nazarian takes the fact that so many entrepreneurs, athletes, and celebrities are investing in the company as a validation of their mission and their products.

 

Besides Rihanna, tennis star Maria Sharapova, Justin Timberlake, and Breanna Stewart all invested in Therabody.

 

How it all Started

 

The remarkable story of Therabody began when Los Angeles chiropractor Jason Werslandwent through a nasty motorcycle accident that left him with lingering chronic pain. The year was 2008.

 

Wersland’s struggle to alleviate his pain led him to invent a unique handheld massage therapy device to alleviate the pain.

 

When he saw that the device relieved his pain instantly, he wasted no time sharing the exciting discovery with friends, colleagues, and patients.

 

It took 8 years for Wersland to turn his idea into a business. The chiropractor finally got together with Ben Nazarian, a venture capitalist, and released what he called the Theragun.

 

Theragun, later on, morphed into Therabody and grew so quickly that even Nazarian and Wersland were surprised. Well-known companies in the industry were impressed by the innovation.

 

Now, the company is raising money from celebrities and elite athletes. Some of the athletes who have invested in Theragun include Kevin Durant, Russell Wilson, Marcus Rashford, Josh Allen, Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold, Maria Sharapova, DeAndre Hopkins, and Breanna Stewart.

 

The athletes drawn to Wersland’s innovation are football players, tennis players, and basketball players.

 

CEO Nazarian reports that Theragun is one of those few companies that have been profitable literally from year one. This is the first time that Theragun is mobilizing outside the capital. The initial capital from founders has been enough so far.

 

Growth

 

It was a chance for the influential people to become part of the growth and expansion ofa unique company that would still have survived without them.

 

Now that Therabody is already established as a massage therapy gun provider, the company is poised to conduct further research and development, penetrate new markets, and launch new offerings into the market.

 

Theragun is on an ambitious mission to launch in 10 more countries within the next two years.

 

At first, Therabody was branded as an alternative pain alleviation solution for survivors of motorcycle accidents.

 

Now, the product has evolved into a non-invasive pain management solution for fitness fanatics and professional athletes. This perhaps explains the huge number of athletes putting money into the venture.

 

Therabody has attracted soccer players like Kevin De Bruyne and Trend Alexander-Arnold who play for Manchester City and Liverpool respectively.

 

A record 9 football quarterbacks, both current and former, joined Rihanna in investing in the company.

 

CEO Nazarian said that the company achieved tremendous growth by committing itself to research and efficiency as well as winning the trust of customers in their products. He said that investors were interested in taking better care of their bodies in a natural way and building a company that makes an impact.

 

He says that Therabody is not yet done revolutionizing the field of recovery and health.

 

2017 was the first full year for the company and Therabody made a profit that year. Between 2019 and 2020, the company tripled its revenue.

 

One of the things that they did to grow their company was partnering with football clubs like Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Paris-Saint Germain as well as working with more and more retailers. They have grown their retail network from 40 stores in the US initially up to more than 10,000 retailers scattered across the globe at the moment.

 

Investor Larry Marcus had this to say about Therabody: “Ben, Dr. Jason, and the entire Therabody team are passionate about helping people and delivering innovative products and experiences. We deeply resonate with the company’s mission of providing recovery, health, and holistic wellness solutions for everybody.” Larry Marcus co-founded of Marcy Venture Partners, an investor in Therabody.

 

The Therabody CEO says that the company is poised to take advantage of massive opportunities for growth on a global scale.

Celebrity Investors Invest in a Black-Owned Company and Make History

It see s that 2021 is the year for black Venture Capitalists to expand access to capital for black owned businesses.

 

An A-list of celebrity investors are investing millions of dollars in a black-owned snack company, and helping the black female owner make history in the process.

 

Partake Foods which was founded by Denise Woodard, a black woman, just snagged a $4.8 million round of funding that will fuel the company’s operations, marketing, and manufacturing.

 

Among the celebrity investors is billionaire R&B star Rihanna as well as Black Capital and Black Star Fund belonging to ex NBA players Kevin Johnsons and Bobby Wagner.

 

All the new investors into Partake Food investments are said to be from black celebrities like Jay Z through his Venture Capital Fund Marcy Venture Partners.

 

H.E.R, a Grammy award winning singer is going to be pouring in her own substantial investment of $7.5 million.

 

It was no accident that these black A-listers chose to invest in a black owned business.

 

“That was very deliberate,” explained Denise Woodard. “I feel very passionate about continuing to increase wealth in the Black community wherever possible and so having investors on board that understand those missions and goals is really important to me.”

 

These investors come influencers have helped Woodard to make her mark in history as the first woman of color to receive $1 million in funding for a culinary startup.

 

Partake Foods has been growing rapidly, with 350 stores opening just last year.

 

By the sounds of it, she is going to need the money. Woodard wants to set up a massive 5,500 physical locations by the end of the year. Taking her company from just 350 stores last year to 5,500 locations will be an ambitious undertaking.

 

The exciting funding round is evidence that black investors are actively looking to invest in black enterprises

 

Rihanna’s participation in this funding round was unique because it is her first time to invest outside of her own ventures. Apart from Rihanna and Kevin Johnson, John Foraker, Jay Z, and HER were also investing. Rihanna was the lead investor though.

 

Partake is a snack brand that is allergy-friendly and it has catapulted founder Woodard to her own unique position as the first black woman of color to raise $1 million for a food startup. She plans on using the money to fuel her rapid expansion plans.

 

Woodard is well aware that even though black women are the fastest growing segment of entrepreneurs in America, they get less than 1% in funding. Woodard hopes that her work will help to change that situation so that black women are better able to raise funding for their businesses.

 

Partake is at the helm of a fellowship program called Black Futures in Food $ Beverage that is working to build inclusivity in the food industry. Her initiative brings together HBCUs, NC A&T, Clark Atlanta, Florida A&M, and Howard.

 

Woodard hopes that her remarkable story, which begins with her selling cookies out of her car, will inspire other people towards greatness.

 

“I sold cookies out of my car up and down the street in New York every single day; I drove to natural food stores and did demos every single day . . . there’s so much of a longer grind,” she says. “I say that to say that if I can figure this out and get here, anyone can.”

 

If Woodard succeeds in her vision, she won’t be the last woman of color to raise millions of dollars in funding for a food startup.

Indian Cricket Idols who turned Investors in 2020

We have witnessed a chain of unexpected occurences in 2020, and even elite cricket players in India had to keep themselves busy in other ways when their training was interrupted. We saw Indian cricketers deepen their interest in technology and business as they connected with their fanbase in different ways.

 

The cricketers invested in startup companies as well as growth stage companies that were already backed by Venture Capitalists.

 

Cricket players like Yuvraj Singh, ViratKohli, and Mahendra Singh threw themselves behind the latest entrepreneurs of 2020. They invested in ventures like dukaantech and healthtech startups among others like Digit Insurance, Sarva Yoga, and Khatabook. These ventures are in different niches across the economy.

 

Ravi Shastri, a coach and commentator went into male hygiene and grooming with 23 yards, which is a private label that he launched in a partnership with AdorMultiproducts, a Mumbai company that will be producing hand sanitizer and grooming products for men aged 25-40.

 

Startups appeared prominently in the Indian Premier League as sponsors as well as appeared as brand associations. This gave the startups a stronger connection to Indian cricket.

 

Here are some cricket stars and what they were up to in business:

 

AjinkyaRahane

 

We don’t know exactly how much the Indian cricket test vice captain invested in MeraKisan, but the cricket star is now an in vestor in the agritech company as well as a brand ambassador.

 

MeraKisan is backed by the Mahindra Group and founded in 2016. The company works with organic farmers to achieve certification, provide technical support and produce high quality organic food.

 

Rahane is also working with ELSA Corp as the global ambassador for their edtech products.

 

GautamGambhir

 

GautamGambhir is best known for cricket and politics, but he is now solidifying his portfolio of investments. Gambhir put an undisclosed amount of money in healthtech company FYI health. FYI is working to help offices reopen safely after the Coronavirus pandemic.

 

FYI provides education to employees as well as provide health checkups on the daily.

 

HarshaBhogle

 

HarshaBhogle is not a cricket player, but his popularity is at par with many popular Indian cricketers. He is diversifying his investment portfolio with a cash injection into Fantasy Akhada, a fantasy sports game.

 

Bhogle will be the public face of Fantasy Khada for the next two years.

 

AmitPurohit founded Fantasy Akhada in 2020. The platform provides players with a range of gameplay options. Bhogle’s addition to the brand has attracted an additional 1 lakh customers to the platform.

 

Bhogle has also invested in Chqbook, a Gurugram finance marketplace for bringing together borrowers and lenders.

 

KapilDev

 

KapilDev, a former India Captain and a winner in the World Cup has a diversified portfolio of investments. Dev has sunk some of his own money into Harmonizer India, a deeptech startup.

 

Harmonizer is a product that was founded in 2019 to help enterprises better manage their power usage using Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence solutions.

 

Dev has interests in other startups like PeopleEasy which is an online supermarket, Samco Ventures (fintech), VAOO, and WizCounsel.

 

 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

 

Former India Captain, or ‘Captain Cool’ as he is better known, Mahendra Singh Dhonialready  has an impressive investment portfolio.

 

In 2020, Dhoni invested in Khatabook, a business ledger app company based in Bengaluru. Dhoni serves as the brand ambassador as well.

 

Launched in 2018, Khatabook has already succeeded in raising $87million in capital from investors like Sequioa Capital Surge, Falcon Edge Capital, DST Global, Capital Group, Better Capital, Tencent Holdings, and angel investors like RohitBansal and Kunal Shah.

 

In 2019, Dhoni put money into Cars24, an online car bazaar that achieved unicorn status in 2020.

 

RudraPratap Singh

 

Singh was a fast bowler for the Indian team and he has now invested in a sports technology company called SportsUno.

 

He now serves as a board member for the startup which provides sports companies with technical support, specializing in cricket, badminton, football, basketball, and table tennis.

 

ShikharDhawan

 

ShikharDhawanhas thrown his weight, and his money, behind Sarva, a fitness startup based on yoga.

 

Sarva is a yoga studio chain founded by SarveshShashi in 2020 and which has attracted funding from individuals like mark Mastrov and David Giampaolo as well as Hollywood star Jennifer Lopez, AishwaryaRai, Mira Kapoor, Alex Rodriquez, and MalaikaArora.

 

SouravGanguly

 

SouravGanguly is an former India Captain as well as the president of the Board for Control for Cricket in India.

 

Ganguly invested in ClassPlus, an edtech startup and he doubled up ass the brand ambassador for the company.

 

MukulRustagi and BhaswatAgarwal established the company in 2018, as a Delhi based startup that provided tuition centers, private tutors, and coaches with mobile-first software to set online teaching.

 

Ganguly has also invested in Flickstree, a curated video platform based in Mumbai.

 

ViratKohli

 

Kohli is a former captain of team India who has been passionate about investing in startup companies. In early 2020, Kohli invested in Digit Insurance which is an insurance tech company from Bengaluru.

 

Digit Insurance is the brainchild of PremWatsa and KameshGoyal who launched it in 2016. The company provides customers with cheaper, customized insurance policies for their travel, health, smartphone, auto, and commercial needs.

 

Kohli has also thrown his weight behind Universal Sportsbiz which is a fashion startup backed by Sachin Tendulkar. he had also invested in Sport Convo, a socialmeadia startup based in London.

 

Yuvraj Singh

 

Yuvraj Singh is not just a perennial winner in the game of cricket, but also a serial investor.

 

Yuvraj invested in Wellversed which is a healthcare startup focusing on nutrition.

 

Founders AananKhurma, RipunjayChachan, and Aditya Seth started WEllversed in 2018. The service provides users with thousands of health transformation plans that enable skin health, sexual health, weight loss, sexual health, and hair care.

 

Other companies that have enjoyed a capital injection from Yuvraj include YouWeCan, EazyDinner, Cartisan, JetSetGo, Healthians, and Buddy.

Beyonce’s Brings her Music into Home Fitness with Peloton

Home workout enthusiasts will soon be able to workout to the sound of Beyonce. This is after the music powerhouse and cultural phenomenon went into a partnership with Home Fitness company Peloton that will see her release special themed classes featuring her music.

 

If you purchased a treadmill or Peloton bike during the pandemic to exercise at
home, you will eventually get a new collection class from the Queen Bey herself.
The collaboration is an unyielding pursuit expected to offer a motivating and
engaging experience to Peloton members and leverage the product’s expertise and platform for a happy and healthy community.

 

Beyonce is an American singer and actress who made her debut as the lead singer in the 1990’s girl group ‘Destiny’s Child.’ She she went from singing in one of the most successful girl groups of all time to launching a highly successful solo career.

 

Peleton is a media and exercise equipment company founded in 2012. It’s flagship products include the treadmill and stationary bicycle that allow subscribers to participate in streamed classes from the company’s fitness studio remotely. Peloton bikes come equipped with a touchscreen.

 

In January 2017, Peloton unveiled a bicycle version designed for the commercial environment. Besides cycling, various types of classes are available to users, such as cardio, strength training, running, yoga, meditation, walking, barre, boot camp, and stretching.

 

Every day, classes are recorded and live-streamed from Peloton’s cycling studio and then uploaded to their library for 24/7 on-demand access.

 

Peloton Tread+ and Tread are the treadmill products by the company. Peloton
Digital (app), a monthly subscription service, allows users to stream their classes on smart devices. Since April 2020, Peloton instructors have been streaming ‘live from home’ classes.

 

Beyonce will help to curate the fitness company’s class’s subscription service. It’ll start with Homecoming-themed classes to honor the legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

 

Just like other Homecoming festivities have adopted virtual celebrations since the global pandemic, a series of themed experiences have been created to help the extension of Homecoming to Peloton members across several fitness categories through classes.

 

Peloton stated that Beyonce is one of the frequently requested artists for their
playlists by over 3.6 million members. Beyonce-themed classes are already
ongoing. See for yourself. They include outdoor runs, meditations, bike rides, and many more on the way.

 

All monthly subscribers through the peloton app for $12.99 or via Peloton’s Tread+,Tread, Bike+, Bike devices for $39, could attend the classes.

 

If you aren’t a subscriber yet, there is a 30-day free trial offer by Peloton to see
Beyonce classes. Students from 10 HBCUs will be awarded two-year memberships of Peloton Digital that will give them access to Peloton’s full library of fitness content through the Peloton App.

 

The digital membership offer extends to students at Clark Atlanta University,
Bennett College, Grambling State University, Howard University, Hampton
University, Wilberforce University, Texas Southern University, Spelman College, and Morehouse College and Morehouse School of Medicine. It’ll help build relationships with each school for a long-term recruiting partnership.

Ryan Reynolds And George Clooney Aren’t The Only Celebrities In The Liquor Game

Ryan Reynolds

Last week Ryan Reynolds made news as Aviation Gin, the gin business he hadan interest in since 2018, sold for a great deal of money. Famously, George Clooney earned a big chunk of cash a few years back when he allowed the tequila business to continue selling for much more capital. Celebrities who own alcohol companies have become quite fashionable, so let’s have a peek at what other stars are serving up common libations.

 

Bethenny Frankel

Bethenny Frankel was also a popular producer when she was one of the founding cast members of New York’s Real Housewives, beginning a bakery company in 2003 and then appearing as a judge on the short-lived The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. It was her next idea, Skinnygirl, that really took off, although the baking company didn’t last. Like in all of these deals, the figures are typically confidential so it’s impossible to pin down just how much somebody really earned, so it’s fair to assume that Frankel received a fortune.

 

George Clooney

It’s a bit easier to guess how much George Clooney earned after his tequila company, Casamigos, sold for at least $700 million to Diageo. The figure will go up to a whopping $1bn after all is finished and done. Clooney stands to earn as much as $333 million as a one-third investor of the business along with Cindy Crawford’s husband Rande Gerber and real estate tycoon Mike Meldman. This deal, plus the reality that Clooney has been one of Hollywood’s highest-paid stars for decades now, is undoubtedly the explanation that the gossip press is so quickly inventing false rumors about George plus his wife, Amal Clooney.

 

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Tequila has proven a very common form of spirit to surround celebrities with. Including Clooney, when he formed Cabo Wabo way back in the late 90s, Sammy Hager became the first celebrity-turned-tequila distiller. Rita Ora has a tequila named Próspero, Michael Jordan, and Cincoro launched in 2019 with other NBA players and officials. Teremana was introduced earlier this year by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Today Dwayne Johnson is the Ceo and chairman of a corporation that strives not only to distill a luxury quality but also to do so sustainably.

 

Diddy

While for Johnson this could sound out of the left hand, note, this is a guy who has gone from getting hurt on the college football field to rising through the ranks of the WWE to being the best paying actor in the industry. His choices are challenged at your own risk.

Sean Combs is one of the early trendsetters in the field. Combs team to create and sell the CÎROC Vodka for alcohol giant Diageo. Combs acts as the company spokesman and as its chief marketer and has been in service since its 2007 introduction.

 

Dan Aykroyd

Funnyman Dan Aykroyd always had a nightlife fondness. In 1992 Aykroyd co-founded the nightclub chain House of Blues with branches in Boston and New Orleans. LiveNation acquired the company for $350 million in 2006. The Blues Brother singer launched Crystal Head Vodka in 2007 along with painter John Alexander. Crystal Head has a very strong reputation among vodka drinkers for its distinct bottle style, crafted by co-founder Alexander, and a robust price tag of about $70 a bottle.

Success Of Shaq’s Investment

It is observed that Most of the players go broke after retiring from the sport, but this did not happen to Shaquille O’Neal – a retired professional American basketball player. He also has mastered the business. The decision to pursue a degree was because of his fear that he might go broke once he retires from the sport. The same fear made him closely follow Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, primarily how they invest their money.


Today, Shaq is known as Hall of Famer, wrestler, podcaster, sports analyst, and venture capitalist. It is intriguing to know that a sports person became a venture capitalist. Shaq endorses the fact that it is investing that made him wealthy from rich. Shaq had started investing in companies while he was still playing; he was already building his portfolio. He has investments in companies like Ring, Lyft, vitamin water, and Google.    


It all did not happen all of a sudden, Shaq gradually learned the art of investment and started making the right investments. He missed his first investment opportunity because of no experience at all. Shaq was approached by the founder of the Idea lab to become an equity partner in one of his companies and become the face of the company, which Shaq rejected asking for cash instead. He did not understand the importance of equity at that time until he saw that some years later, the same company was worth lots of dollars, and the worth of his capital was much more than the cash.


Shaq’s learning from declining the equity offer and earnings up to $100 million by 2002 after winning three consecutive NBA championships, made him feel comfortable taking a smart risk. He believes his investment in Google was luck. He quoted; he met a top profile investor who was somehow linked to a kid who he was playing inside a restaurant. The high profile investor introduced him to the Google guys, who pitched him to become an equity investor. He knew it would be a wise decision to invest in Google as it was going to make the lives of people more relaxed, and he remembered Jeff Bezos saying that any investment made in a business that can make the world a better place is always a good investment. Thus, he invested. When Google went public, Shaq earned $15 for every $1 spent. At that point, he realized the actual worth of equity investment and that he could always use his celebrity status to buy equity in companies that are performing well and planning to go public shortly.     


Down the years, Shaq became a serial investor. He also appeared in commercials for companies like Ring, Lyft, and Vitamin water as they offered him a lot of stock. Further, he realized that his association with companies like Ring would help double the positive impact of business on society because of his PR, links, and relationships. This also made him invest in companies. He also made a fortune when Amazon acquired Ring for $1 Billion.


Shaq continues to invest in companies and enjoys his journey as a venture capitalist seeing his wealth multiply and grow.

Ashton Kutchers & Gaius Chibueze Investment Life

Ashton Kutcher is one of Hollywood’s most plorific Silicon Valley investors. He has developed a lucrative investing career, from taking a bet on Uber and AirBnb early on and growing a $30 million fund into $250 million in 6 years.

  • Ashton Kutcher is one of the more lively Silicon Valley investor in Hollywood. From angel investing early on to co-founding 2 venture capital funds, Kutcher has built quite the bountiful investing career over the past ten years.

Kutcher, aged 41 has invested over $3 billion in startups and taken part in 177 funding rounds over the past 10 years.

Kutcher and Oseary poured $1 million each of their own money into the fund, while Burkle contributed $8 million. A-Grade also received backing from experienced tech executives like Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt, as well as businessman Mark Cuban.

Kutcher’s money hunger began at a young age. As a teen, he held down multiple jobs, such as lawn mowing, cleaning work, and dishwashing.

Kutcher told the investing blog “Grow” that he saved fourteen hundred dollars for a snowmobile at age 13. He said “I pitched in after school and on weekends for 18 months, and deposited every cent into a savings account.”

Brought up in Iowa, Kutcher comes from blue-collar genes. His father made a living at a meat-packing plant while his mother was a school teacher, Jackie Lam reported for Business Insider. Kutcher was studying biochemical engineering at the University of Iowa where he was scouted as a model, which eventually let to his breakthrough in the acting world.

Actor and model is just a few of the many caps he wears as part of a multi faceted career. Kutcher is not only a producer and entrepreneur he is also a philanthropist, with many ventures in every field. As well as being a rather serious investor.

Whilst not the 1st celebrity to make it in investing, but over a decade in, Kutcher has made a brand for himself in Silicon Valley. Bani Sapra for Business Insider referred to him as the most active celebrity investor and, arguably, tinsel-town’s most knowledgeable tech investor.

His vision is to help connect the “everyday man” with new companies to solve everyday problems, Kutcher began as an angel investor before co-founding two venture capital funds: A-Grade Investments and Sound Ventures.

Concentrating on this basic goal of identifying and allowing top entrepreneurs to build a brighter tomorrow is the crux of my investment strategy,” Kutcher wrote in a blog post for Atrium, a legal and tech start-up.

“I spend a lot of time thinking about new and simpler ways to do things, but I’m too short on time to execute on all those ideas,” he told Grow. “So I found people who were executing on them and invested in their success.”

In 2013 the Telegraph reported that Kutcher is very drawn to consumer technologies. “The companies that will ultimately succeed are the companies that chase happiness,” he advises. “If you find a way to help people find love, or health, or friendship, the dollar will chase that.”

Kutcher’s foray into angel investing kicked off when he founded production company Katalyst in 2000, which led to Silicon Valley connections.

Forbe’s reports that Kutcher poached Katalyst’s digital chief from TechCrunch, the person that brought him to the big names in Silicon Valley. “I spent all of my time just listening,” Kutcher told him.

Kutcher soon became familiar with the tech scene. In 2009, billionaire Marc Andreessen asked if he could invest $1 million into Skype 2 years before Microsoft bought the company and tripled the value, according to O’Malley Greenburg.

A-Grade focused on early-stage investments, according to TechCrunch. O’Malley Greenburg wrote that these start-ups had to have three defining characteristics: founders A-Grade wanted to work with; a problem-solving mission statement that would make the most of time; and a business model A-Grade could grow.

While there were a few failed investments along the way, such as BlackJet and Fab.com, A-Grade made many successful ones: $500,000 into Uber, $2.5 million into Airbnb, $3 million into Spotify, $300,000 into Warby Parker, and $1.5 million into Houzz, among many others. These are all multi-billion dollar companies today.

In 2015, Kutcher and Oseary took a more formal approach to venture investing, co-founding venture fund Sound Ventures with $100 million from Investing other people’s money instead of their own allowed “them to make bigger investments, invest in later-stage startups, and put more money into investments that raise follow-on rounds,” according to TechCrunch.

As of 2017, Sound Ventures was managing more than $100 million in investments, reported Cat Zakrzewski for The Wall Street Journal. By 2018, it had made over 50 investments and led six rounds of financing.

Its portfolio includes Neighborly, a municipal bond crowdfunding startup, and OpenGov, a financial tech company for local governments.

The same year, Kutcher guest-judged on investment show Shark Tank after Mark Cuban convinced him to audition.

Kutcher was originally hesitant about going on, but felt it “might deliver the opportunity to bring an audience to the show that might not normally watch it.

He ended up splitting a $200,000 investment with Shark Tank judge Lori Greiner for 15% each of Beebo, a shoulder strap that holds a baby bottle for optimal bottle-feeding. Kutcher has three rules when investing, all focused on what he sees in entrepreneurs.

  • The primary rule is that entrepreneurs must deeply understand both their product and their industry, he told A-Plus. They must also have a personality that will allow them to withstand failure and setbacks, he said.

Kutcher continued: “You can have the best idea in the world and absolute domain expertise and know how to do everything right, but if you want to do something great in the world, there are going to be obstacles; and you have to be a person who has ingenuity and sheer willpower to get through those times.”

The third rule, he added, is that the entrepreneur must get along well with him.
“One of the critical tests that I try to run when I’m sitting across from a founder is: Can you sell me your idea?” Kutcher said at the conference.

For Kutcher, the ability to convey a company’s mission determines whether or not they’ll be able to snag the best talent in a competitive job market, Zoë Bernard reported for Business Insider. He sees telling the story of an early stage company as integral to its future growth.

“If you can’t sell me, how are you going to sell your first hire, your second hire, your third hire?” Kutcher asked. “How are you going to create the capacity for the rest of your team to sell those next hires?”

On Chelsea Handler’s Netflix talk show “Chelsea,” Kutcher offered up his best investment advice:

“Invest in the things that you know. If you drink beer all the time — if you go to microbreweries and you try all kinds of them — you probably know which ones are the best, and my advice is always to invest in what you know.”

He also emphasized this in his interview with Grow, where one of his top three tips for deciding on what to invest in was to invest in your own expertise.

  • He likes to help out others by giving investing advice such as invest in what you know, learn all you can about it, and create a plan to make what you invested into a reality.

Kutcher said you should invest in what you want to bring to life, but approach your vision carefully.

Kutcher told Grow you should invest in what you want to see become reality. “Worst-case scenario, you lose money — but at least you will get the life you want,” he said.

But for what you don’t know, he advises “in Atrium blog” finding out everything you can about it. “Learn what you don’t know.”

That involves asking stupid questions. Kutcher advised doing just that at a recent QuickBooks Connect conference. He said that when he was first introduced to key players in the tech world, he would ask every question he could think of.

When it comes to implementing that reality, Kutcher has said that while having a vision is important, making a plan is better. At the QuickBooks Connect conference, he advised starting with what you’ve done to work towards your vision or goal, then looking at what you can do next to finally achieve your vision. In other words, nail out the nitty-gritty details that get you from point A to B.

For his many investments, Kutcher said he considers his relationships the best investment he’s made.

He told Grow, “Taking the time to get to know people, what motivates them, what their challenges are,”?. “These things are often overlooked. Investors get so wrapped up in returns and numbers that they forget that the true privilege of their position is to share a journey with exceptional people.”

His views on investing and life in general all goes back to his Midwestern origins. He said he needs to give back to those who need a helping hand.

 At QuickBooks he said “I’m very appreciative of the things I have, I’m always fighting for the guy on the street, no matter what, because I always feel like I am the little guy. If you’re lucky enough to be doing well, it’s incumbent upon you to help folks who are struggling to grab that first rung on the ladder to start their climb.”

Gaius Chibueze & Crypto Currency

Gaius Chibueze is a little known crypto investor rarely mentioned in the public domain for this unassuming past of celebrity.

However Gaius was recently ranked amongst the leading cryptocurrency traders in 2019 according to Binance traders rankings.

At 27 years old, Gaius Chibueze began an obsession to meet all his 5,000 Facebook followers across the globe in person.

Well known as a champion for Blockchain solutions, and ardent crypto educator, not many are aware that Gaius Chibueze was once proudly entertaining audiences with rap music.

Mr Gaius’ history with rap music can be traced back to around 10 years ago as a student of College of Education, Akamkpa, Cross Rivers State .

Sosoflow, as he called himself, attended every concert in Calabar, performing for rap fans, and of course earning a living from it.

Channeling the same passion led him to invest in his growing music record label business, Konvest Music, a label that now houses budding music talents with unique sound and strong prospects.

Today, Mr Gaius Chibueze has deep interest in many industries, and markets, and is heading a team of global change makers in creating pertinent solutions to meet the demands of the ever mobile growing young African population.