Many actors and musicians had to continue to take on side jobs at the start of their careers. For example, Brad Pitt worked as a driver for a limousine service, and Eminem worked as a cook at a family restaurant. This kept them afloat on their rise to fame.
As for celebrities with tremendous success in the industry, they are turning to investing to build their brand, portfolio and also to be even more financially secure. Some of them became ingenious investors with diverse portfolios, including:
Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher has invested in a wide range of companies, from technology startups to consumer goods. He is a founding member of the venture capital firm A-Grade Investments, which has invested in companies such as Airbnb, Uber, and Spotify.
Kutcher also co-founded Sound Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm that has invested in a number of technology startups, including Shazam, Foursquare, and Warby Parker. As part of his personal portfolio, he’s invested in consumer goods companies, like Ritual, a vitamin company, and Nomad, a company that makes leather goods.
Jay-Z
Jay-Z has invested in a wide range of companies and industries, including technology, sports, and entertainment. Some of his notable investments include:
- Tidal: music streaming service
- JetSmarter: private jet charter service
- Uber: ride-sharing giant
- The ROC Nation: entertainment company that manages music artists and athletes
- United Masters: music distribution and services
He also invested in a number of startups like Aclima, an environmental sensors company, and The Players Tribune, a media company co-founded by Derek Jeter.
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres is known to have a passion for real estate and has been involved in several house-flipping projects over the years, including in Beverly Hills, Santa Barbara, and Montecito.
She was also an early investor in Stamped, a Pinterest-like app helping people track their favorite things, from movies and music, restaurants to books, and Miyoko’s Creamery, a producer of plant-based products (vegan cheeses and butter).
Furthermore, she’s a part of The Ellen Fund, which invests in conservation initiatives and organizations, including the ones dedicated to protecting gorillas, elephants, lions, and Sumatran tigers.
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber has launched his own fragrances and clothing brands. With popularity like his, it wasn’t hard to raise awareness and generate buzz for these products. But he was looking for new investment opportunities that didn’t rely on his personal brand and went with:
- Spotify: digital music streaming service
- Liquid I.V.: hydration supplement
- Stamped: restaurant review and recommendation service (along with Ellen DeGeneres, Ryan Seacrest, Columbia Records, The New York Times, Crunchfund, and more)
Nas
Nas founded QueensBridge Venture Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in technology startups. The firm focuses on investing in early-stage technology startups, with a particular emphasis on companies in the consumer internet, enterprise software, and mobile space. Some of the biggest and most notable investments are Lyft, Dropbox, and Genius.
Sources:
How did Ashton Kutcher amass a $250m investing fortune? His instinct to spot future winners, Benzinga
Jay-Z to invest in robot pizza truck start-up, NME
Inside Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi’s endless real estate portfolio, Architectural Digest
Ex-Googlers relaunch their startup Stamped and get Ryan Seacrest, Justin Bieber and Ellen DeGeneres to invest, Business Insider