PM Modi’s announcement of Make In India has boosted the nation’s startup economy. India has received support worldwide, including large companies and corporations, which has led to an increase in total FDI in the country. Moreover, the investment has not come only from outside of the country; various nation sources are also supporting the project. These sources are mostly celebrities who have stepped ahead to help boost the economy.
Here are a few celebrities and recognized faces that are supporting various startups
AMITABH BACHCHAN
Industry- Cloud
The Big B of the Bollywood industry and his son have invested nearly $2,50,000 in a blockchain research setup based in Singapore. Ziddu is a cloud service provided, and it tends to provide free file hosting in the cloud. Apart from this, Big B has prior experience in tech investment as he also invested in JustDial (1) at the initial stage.
Priyanka Chopra
Industry- Dating Application
After making her entry into Hollywood and grabbing some big shows such as Quantico and Baywatch, PC has now invested in a dating app Bumble. Bumble (2) at the initial stage was a dating app, but now it has evolved as a social networking site. It is also known for a women-centric approach, and PC has been an excellent example for women enforcement.
Sachin Tendulkar
Industry- Technology
The God of the cricket field has now stepped into the technological era. Smartron (3) is an IoT startup based in Bangalore. Sachin, in an interview, mentioned that he was impressed by the work done by engineers and staff at Smartron. Moreover, he noted that we should support Indian entrepreneurs and engineers’ products in the global market. Even Smartron’s website explains that the company has the vision to build India’s first global brand, focusing on innovation, engineering, and products.
Akshay Kumar
Industry- Health & Wellness
We all know that Bollywood’s Khiladi Kumar is concerned about health and living style, and there is no surprise that he is supporting this GOQii. GOQii (4) is a health-wearable that offers an entire package of health ecosystem for the users. This device includes a wearable device and a tracking app, a network of doctors and health experts. Additionally, you can keep a record of your health status with the help of this device. Health care industries are expected to grow immensely in the upcoming years.
Yuvraj Singh
Industry- Health tech
After battling his life through Cancer, the lion of Punjab showed his concern for other health patients. Yuvi invested in Healthians (5), which is a health tech firm based in Gurgaon. Apart from this, the sixer king invested in the beauty app Vyomo. JetSetGo (6) and Moovo are some other investments made by Yuvraj Singh.
Virat Kohli
Industry- Social media
Captain of the Indian cricket team and popular franchise RCB (Royal Challengers Banglore) Virat Kohli invested in Sport Convo back in 2014. Sport Convo is a startup aiming to reduce the gap between the Sports Industry stars and fans. Gareth Bale was impressed by this startup, and he also backed up this startup following Virat Kohli. Virat announced the support given by Bale on Twitter.
Ranveer Singh
Industry- Entertainment and Music
Bollywood’s most versatile actors, Ranveer Singh, informed that IncInk stands for Inclusive & Independent. He further added that this project means writing your own story in your way. Ranveer was also inspired to start this project as this project is a massive boost for local talent, and it will also provide a platform for young people to showcase their talent. He noted that he hopes to represent some of the most vital voices of India to the world.
Ajay Devgan
Industry- Tickets booking
The Singham of Bollywood, Ajay Devgan, made his first investment in one of the nation’s first ticket booking platform, Ticketplease. While investing in the startup, Ajay promised to be in touch with the customers through the company’s blogs, although it didn’t work out well, and it was shut down after a few posts. Ticketplease was a platform that aimed to provide service for different entertainment industries, including concerts, plays, and Movies.
Boman Irani
Industry- Sports media
Veteran Bollywood actor Boman Irani is among the Bollywood actors who have invested in startups. The actor invested in one of a kind social media platform, Rooter. Rooter (7) is a media platform used by sports fans. Rooter helps the different platforms to unite whenever a sporting event is on. Apart from this, Rooter engages fans before and after the match, as there are various quizzes and predictions available on the platform.
Robin Uthappa
Industry- Health
Robby has come a long way from just being a cricketer to doing something for better mental health. Uthappa made his ODI debut in 2006; he invested in the entrepreneurship and startup industry by investing in HealthEminds (8). This platform helps people to diagnose anxiety and depression. Ever since the launch, this application has helped millions of people. Different counseling sessions are arranged for various parties to cure the issue.
With this continous support from celebrities, the startup economy has faced an enormous boost, and soon India can become self-reliant. Although, the reason for this support is still unfolded.
Deepika Padukone
Industry- E-mobility
Following the footsteps of husband Ranveer Singh, the beauty of Bollywood Deepika Padukone has also invested in an e-mobility service provider Blu Smart (9). According to the sources, this Delhi-based franchise received funding of nearly $3 million. Apart from Deepika, this franchise has many followers, such as JITO Angel network, Survam Partners, Bajaj Capital Sanjiv Bajaj, and Kalpavrishk trust. Deepika, who has experience in investing, made her first investment in a health food brand Epigamia in January. “All about you” is another asset of hers, which is a well-known fashion brand.
Madhuri Dixit
Industry- Health & Wellness
Along with Akshay Kumar, Madhuri is also among the investors associated with GOQii. As discussed earlier, GOQii is a smart-tech that enables people to keep track of their health. A wide range of consumers is related to the service. This venture helps to promote fitness and healthy living by the power of technology. The primary aim of this venture is to raise awareness regarding exercise, healthy eating, and rest. Along with the family’s financial support, GOQii gets more help as Madhuri’s husband, Shriram Madhav Nene, serves as Chief Medical Officer of the organization.
Anil Kapoor
Industry- Social media
Anil Kapoor has been successful throughout his career in Bollywood and Hollywood. The veteran actor has contributed to the industry and nation in many ways. Anil Kapoor has also invested in Indi, Which is a social media platform. Although the amount invested is undisclosed, but it is expected to be massive. Indi is a platform that is a crossover of both Youtube and Facebook. Anil Kapoor Invested in Indi after their announcement in India. In 2012, the venue was launched into the Indian market.
Salman Khan
Industry- Travel and tourism
Salman has always been in the news due to different controversies and allegations over the years. He has invested in many startup projects, and one of them is Yatra. Yatra (10) is one of the largest tourism platforms in India. The Bollywood star signed an ad-for-equity deal initially and has a 5% stake in the company. Intel Capital and Norwest Venture partners Yatra with money.
Mahesh Bupati
Industry- Sports & Fitness
Mahesh is one of the most recognized faces of India. Although he has retired from the field of tennis, he still has got the limelight. Recently, Mahesh invested in Sports365 (11), which is a startup that focuses on sports and fitness products. He is serving as the firm’s director, and he also owns a production house along with his wife, Lara Dutta.
Farhan Akhtar
Industry- Film discovery app
Bollywood’s actor, producer, and writer Farhan Akhtar invested in a film discovery application, Flickbay. Flickbay is an online application that provides different information about the movies playing in the theater near you. This information includes trailers, songs, reviews, ratings, news, and everything crucial for a viewer. This platform provides unique content for the viewers by utilizing artificial intelligence.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Industry- Environmental intelligence startup
Another family member of the Bachchan family who is involved in startup investment is Aishwarya. Former Miss World invested a whopping amount of INR 50 Lakh in a Bengaluru based Environmental Intelligence setup. Ambee (12) is a startup that provides data regarding air quality to developers, consumers, and health researchers, and other companies that can utilize it for better decision making.
To conclude, it has been observed that people have understood the importance of startups and scope in a startup over the years. Even celebrities are focusing more on these startups because of technological development. Moreover, these startups provide a double benefit to the celebs as they can both run it and endorse it simultaneously.
These celebs are from different industries. A few have been a part of the Sports industry, whereas the rest have been a part of Bollywood. Their massive fan base helps to attract an enormous customer base. At the initial stage, the customer base is crucial for any company, and these celebs offer it without much effort.
