Investing in tech startups seems to be the latest trend amongst celebrities. Heres a unscientific look at which ones have had success and which ones should focus on their day jobs. Since the entrepreneurs behind techs hottest startups often become celebrities, it isnt so surprising that actual celebrities are trying their hand at becoming Silicon Valley insiders. Here is an unscientific look at some stars who have demonstrated a talent for spotting good investments--and some who shouldnt quit their day jobs. Tech investments: A portfolio of more than 20 startups, including Flipboard, Airbnb, Spotify, Uber, Skype, and Fab Second act: Kutchers come a long way since Dude, Wheres My Car? Tech investments: His private equity firm, Elevation Partners, has stakes in Facebook,Yelp, and analytics company MarketShare. Beautiful day: While Facebooks IPO didnt make Bono a billionaire as originally speculated, it certainly added millions to his bank account. Tech investment: Launched e-commerce site The Honest Company with ShoeDazzle co-founder Brian Lee. Mother knows best: Alba, a young mom herself, has a genuine passion for the baby-product companys mission. Its paid off--the company has raised more than $50 million. Tech investments: Some 40 startups, including Coinbase, Rap Genius, and deviantART. In good company: Nas has a fan in Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Ben Horowitz, with whom he has teamed up on a number of investments. Horowitz once tweeted, Nas is my homie!!! Tech investments: Square, Bump Technologies, and more. (He is also co-founder of Dancejam.) Back on top: Hammer gained notoriety for the bankruptcy that cost him his mansion, but lately hes made a name for himself as a social-media guru. Tech investments: Maker Studios,MediaSpike,and Epoxy Smart move: Downey brought in a group of Stanford alums to help run the venture branch of Team Downey, his production and investment company. Tech investments: Spotify, Tinychat, Stamped, Sojo Studios, and more. He made a $1.1 million investmentin selfie appShots of Me. Growing pains: Biebers a social-media pro, but the download stats of Shots of Me are pretty bleak. Tech investment: Part of a $4 million round in Israeli photo-sharing app Mobli. Wolf of Silicon Valley?: Not quite. Mobli faces some stiff competition--namely, Instagram. Maybe the $60 million round led by billionaire Carlos Slim last November will help. Tech investment: Teamed up with Ashton Kutcher in a $1.5 million round in video-chat company Tinychat. Diddys dud: Combs had big hits with his record label and clothing line, but Tinychats popularity has waned. Tech investments: MySpace, Stipple,and Miso Media. Tough act to follow: JT played Sean Parker in The Social Network,but his investments havent fared quite as well as his characters. Tech investment: Co-founded and invested $1 million in Typo,a keyboard device for iPhones Rough start: BlackBerry is suing Typo, claiming that it is ablatant infringement against BlackBerrys iconic keyboard. Tech investment: Video-sharing app Viddy. Star overload: In addition to Jay Z, Viddys investors included Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, Shakira, pro skateboarder Rob Dyrdek, and soccer star Gerard Pique. However, the app has been overshadowed by Vines success. Tech investment: Part of a $1.75 millionseed round in Senator Cory Bookers since-sold video site, Waywire What Oprah Effect?: Oprahs star power has done little to boost Waywire, which has struggled since Booker sold it. Tech investments: Part of a $7 million round in the now-defunct Turntable.fm Wishful thinking: Predicted his name is going to mean something similar to what Steve Jobs means. Tech investment: Part of an equity-for-publicity deal in karaoke app Just Sing It Fading star: Much like Lohans career, the app hasnt been generating a lot of buzz lately.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 18:07:22 +0000
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