Where are female celebrities investing?

Did you know that, according to the Celebrity Investments Index, a third of the world’s thirty most prolific celebrity investors are women? World-famous TV presenter and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey takes the lead among these women as the most successful female investor. 

An ever-increasing number of female celebrities are putting their wealth toward causes they care about — in many cases, startup businesses with an emphasis on inclusivity and sustainability.  While most male celebrities invest in finance and tech startups, female celebrities cover a broader spectrum of industries and humanitarian causes. Women are also more inclined to support female-led businesses and those owned by minority groups.

1. Health and wellbeing

The health and wellbeing industry is backed by more female celebrities than any other industry. More than 20% of the women listed in the Celebrity Investments Index include health brands in their investment portfolios. These companies cover everything from dieting and at-home exercise equipment to meditation and mindfulness apps.

Jessica Alba is one of the most prolific celebrity investors in the health industry. Back in 2012, she established The Honest Company, a publicly-traded company selling safe and ethical beauty and baby products. She has also donated many of the proceeds from this enterprise to Baby2Baby, a charity organization that donates necessities to impoverished families all across America.

There are other examples of well-known female celebrities who have also supported companies in the health and wellness sector. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow famously launched her own wellbeing company, Goop, back in 2008. Since then she has also invested in Real, an online therapy service.

Professional tennis player Serena Williams is another example. Williams is known for her investments in Lola, a company selling feminine and reproductive care products.

2. Sustainable food companies

As well as investing in health and wellbeing companies, numerous female celebrities have invested capital into the sustainable food and drink business. Some of the earliest investors in the industry helped to establish and develop such sustainable food giants as Partake and Impossible Foods. Newcomers are hoping to usher in another wave of sustainable food companies.

For example, Oprah Winfrey and Natalie Portman are shareholders of the oat drink business Oatly. At its initial public offering, the company had an implied valuation of $10 billion, with a share priced at $17. Oatly uses the stock ticker “OTLY” and trades on the Nasdaq. Oprah Winfrey is also an investor in a popular American health food restaurant chain, True Food Kitchen.

Other examples of female celebrities who have invested in sustainable food are singer-songwriter Madonna, who has invested over $1 million in one of America’s fastest-growing drinks brands, Vita Coco; musician Beyonce, who has investments in 22 Day Nutrition, a vegan food company based in the US; and singer Katy Perry, who since 2019 has had investments in Impossible Foods, a developer of plant-based meat substitutes.

Perry also has made more recent investments in the sustainable food industry. In 2020, she placed funds in Apeel Sciences, a food science startup developing ways to make fruit last up to three times longer. The company was valued at $1 billion after the singer-songwriter’s fundraising efforts. 

3. Women’s interest

Who better to know what women consumers are looking for in the market than other women? That’s why so many startups with backing from female celebrities were founded by women. In the US in 2021, only 2% of venture capital was given to female founders. This represents the smallest share seen since 2016 and demonstrates that recent efforts to diversify the male-dominated investment industry are lagging.

In 2008, Serena Williams launched Serena Ventures, an investment firm “by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs.” Since its launch, Williams’ company has invested in over 30 companies, placing a strong emphasis on startups led by women and other minority groups. 

Williams’ philanthropism stands out because of its intersectional nature, with roughly 60% of her investments in companies led by people of color. The majority of these companies also sell products and services aimed at a female audience.

4. Inclusive beauty companies

Carrying on from this theme of intersectional feminism and inclusivity, another industry that sees many female investors is the beauty sector. 

World-renowned singer Rihanna is an example of a female celebrity who has done a lot to support inclusive beauty. In 2017, she launched Fenty Beauty, a makeup brand with a focus on diversity. The company produces lines of makeup for all skin tones and for people of all genders.

Actress Priyanka Chopra is another example of a female celebrity who has launched her own beauty company. In 2021 she launched Anomaly, a hair-care brand with a focus on affordability and being environmentally conscious. All of their bottles are made from recyclables. 

Conclusion

This article has shown the good that female celebrity investors have enacted across the globe. These women do their best to support sustainability and inclusivity across a wide range of industries, including everything from sustainable food businesses to inclusive beauty startups.