Cricketing greats Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and Virat Kohli also wear another hat: all three are angel investors. They’re not the only celebrities who have taken this route. Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, and Suniel Shetty have also invested in start-ups, infusing star power and business acumen into promising ventures. Data from Tracxn shows Indian celebrities have supported more than 110 start-ups as angel investors. Here’s a look at the data collated in The Point in ‘Business Today Magazine - BT Upstarts: India’s Coolest Start-ups’ special issue
30+ celebrities from Bollywood and sports have invested in start-ups so far while 25 celebrity-backed start-ups that have secured Series C+ funding, as per Tracxn (as of December 21, 2023)
Among Indian celebrities, actor and cricket presenter Gaurav Kapur has backed the highest number of start-ups. Sachin Tendulkar, Suneil Shetty, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and Shraddha Kapoor are among celebrities backing multiple start-ups in India
Start-ups from the insurance and broking space dominate the list of the top 10 most-valued celebrity-backed firms
B2C e-commerce and internet-first brands are top picks among celebrities for their investments in start-ups
Mumbai and Bengaluru-based start-ups were the most successful in attracting investment from celebrities as location was a key factor
So far in India, six start-ups that received funding from celebrities have become unicorns, which includes Shraddha Kappor-backed MyGlamm and Anushka Sharma-backed Digit Insurance
Investments by Shikhar Dhawan in Upstox, Sachin Tedulkar in Spinny, Virat Kohli in MPL and MS Dhoni in Cars24 were all fruitful as these start-ups became unicorns
Business Today Magazine - BT Upstarts Special Issue - On Stands Now!
Magazine story by: Rahul Oberoi & Prince Tyagi Graphics by: Raj Verma Produced by: Prashanti Moktan Designed by: Manoj Kumar
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