Madhuri Dixit Nene
Back in 2014, Madhuri and her husband invested in GOQii, a fitness tech start-up. The start-up offers a wearable fitness band with a mobile-app for personalised remote coaching. The platform’s integrated surface creates preventive healthcare measures by tracking health parameters every day. The start-up has also been backed by Ratan Tata and Akshay Kumar.

Samantha Akkineni
Tollywood’s favourite, Samantha Akkineni is an entrepreneur and investor too. She has reportedly backed the Hyderabad based start-up, UrbanKissan. The start-up aims at leveraging vertical farming to produce much healthier vegetables and save the carbon footprint. It sells directly to consumers and also offers kits for buyers to grow vegetables at home. Apart from her investment in UrbanKissan, her stint also includes launching her fashion label, Saaki. Her brand focuses on providing affordable and accessible fashion.

Aishwarya Rai
Just like her movie, Aishwarya’s investments have been versatile as well. She and her mother have invested in Ambee, a Bengaluru based environment start-up. This was her first angel investment in a start-up. The start-up provides detailed air quality data to medical companies, health researchers, consumers and developers. In 2019, she further funded a nutrition-based healthcare start-up, Possible. The start-up is focused on offering diet-based weight loss programs and diet plans for chronic ailments.

Shilpa Shetty Kundra
When it comes to fitness in Bollywood, Shilpa Shetty Kundra is amongst the first names that come to mind. Her investments are as diversified as owning a book, creating a wellness app or owning an IPL team. Mamaearth made headlines when she funded their start-up and also endorsed it. The start-up is known for its toxin-free products for mothers and children.

What’s in it for me?

Start-ups these days have several ways to raise funding. When you sign any Bollywood actresses or actors, your start-up will make it to the limelight instantly. This is a great way to get exposure if your start-up is related to consumer products or caters for the masses at large. Also, somebody who has made an investment in your company will be more likely willing to endorse your products/services.

The list of Bollywood celebrities joining the investment club is huge but let’s look at a few:

Priyanka Chopra Jonas believes in the idea of ‘Power over the Business’. She stated in one of her interviews that a right entrepreneur will be able to identify the gap in the market, act upon it by creating the opportunity to allow the business to monetise. She believes if there is something new in the market (sustainability, good product and a reasonable price) that will work. With this understanding, she launched Anomaly (beauty/hairline product), Holberton School (education start-up) and Bumble (dating app). With her investment in Bumble in 2018, the company launched its services in India. Priyanka also believes in social responsibility and takes it very seriously.  

Deepika Padukone, owner of a clothing line, All About You stated in an interview to Financial times that chose her investments in start-ups just like she would  choose her film scripts. Thus, the investments in Bellatrix Aerospace (Space company), Blue Smart (Electric taxi), Epigamic (Greek Yogurt company), Furlenco  (furniture rental) and Frontrow (learning platform). Like her unique choices, her reasons are also very different. The risk involved excites her and she finds it really interesting to interact with people from a completely different world. Her investments are purpose-driver and add value. She likes to get involved and engage with the brand intensely. These criteria explain her investments.

Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhat’s investments in Nykaa where Alia called it a purely emotional decision.

Anushka Sharma in Digit (insurance start-up), Aishwarya Rai invested in Ambee (monitors air quality).   

The living legend, Amitabh Bachchan along with his son, Abhishek Bachchan invested $250,000 in Ziddu.com in 2015 (Singapore based block-chain research start-up). Akshay Kumar invested in GOQii. Similarly, Ayushmann Khuranna joined the club by invested in The Man Company.

What’s in it for me?

Bollywood is one of the biggest industries in India. And, India is home to the world’s second-largest start-up ecosystem. Superstars already get huge payments for their projects so capital is not an issue. This combination creates a perfect set-up for looking forwards to investments i.e., easy and extra money and good use of money. Celebrities are guided for investment when returns are sure-shot.

Both Start-ups and Tinseltown have understood the new ways and they understand that start-up endorsements and the presence of Bollywood Stars as an investor would bring credibility, visibility to the brand. Stars are influencers and their association with the brand as an investor means more engagement and alignment with the product for the business growth.  

This is not an effect of pandemic or corona times that celebrities are looking for investments. If you look at history, celebrities have been investors for a long time. However, the only change is now more female stars in the picture and pitching in for investments in start-ups that are growing exponentially due to their financial capability, individualistic approach to living life and growing wealth like any other logical mind irrespective of their gender would do.

Bollywood Biggies Endorsing Startups

Akshay Kumar for GOQii 

When it comes to having a healthy and athletic lifestyle we cannot think of a name other than Akshay Kumar. Akshay Kumar was recently seen in a YouTube video where he encouraged people to purchase smart wearables from GOQii that helps people to track their heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, tracks steps, and other physical activities. 

As the work from home model confined people to their rooms, the demand for smart wearables has shot up. People have become conscious about leading a healthy lifestyle for which routine monitoring of body performance is essential. As per International Data Corporation, the wearables market in India posted 144.3 percent growth in 2020. 

GOQii was founded in 2014, by Vishal Gondal which is a smart wearable brand whose smart health ecosystem integrates tools for real-time personalized coaching, schedule health checkups, etc. Apart from the face of this brand, Akshay Kumar is also an investor and strategic advisor. He will also be conducting quizzes and LIVE coaching sessions on GOQii Play. 

Ayushmann Khurrana for The Man Company

Ayushmann Khurrana has created his niche in the Bollywood industry by selecting film scripts that are unconventional and highlight the relevant issues in the Indian culture. He is the brand ambassador for the male-only grooming startup -The Man Company and has also invested in this startup. These funds will be used for branding and marketing purposes and building presence in the country. 

The personal care and grooming range for men was largely untapped in India for ages. The Man Company was founded in 2015 by Bhisham Bhateja, Hitesh Dhingra, Rohit Chawla, and Parvesh Bareja that offers men’s head-to-toe range of grooming products. Ayushmann Khurrana, in the commercial for The Man Company – ‘Gentleman Kise Kehte hai,’ breaks the narrative of a man who is perceived to be mentally tough and strong always and does not have the word ‘weak’ in his dictionary. 

Deepika Padukone for Epigamia

Mumbai-based fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company Epigamia that specialises in Greek artisanal yogurts, snack packs, Indian Smoothies, etc. has roped in Deepika Padukone as a strategic advisor and face for the brand. Deepika Padukone, in its series of commercials for Epigamia, promotes healthy food choices like yogurt as snacks between work intervals or in the evening under the hashtag #YourHappyBalance. 

Salman Khan For BharatPe 

BharatPe – a fintech startup that empowers small and medium business owners to accept online payments from any payment app directly into their bank account for free had roped Salman Khan to be its brand ambassador. 

Salman Khan, becoming the face of BharatPe App, seems relevant because of his recent movie ‘ Bharat’ that has the same name as the product. Salman Khan has ardent fans among youngsters due to his masculine presence on silver screen and film stories that forms better connect with Tier-II and Tier-III masses. The campaign with Salman Khan was focussed  towards educating merchants and users about UPI payments along with driving adoption of BharatPe app for all their business needs. Salman Khan has a brand value of $55.7 million which gives him the sixth spot in highest brand valued Bollywood celebs. 

What’s in it for startups?

Startups are currently using Bollywood faces to leverage their already existing huge fanbase on social media handles and in general to maximise brand reach. Startup owners are roping in actors whose films have been consistently a blockbuster hit. Hence, holding that audience emotion, they intend to use faces of bollywood biggies in order to garner more traction for the campaigns.