Celebrities funding brands is extremely common, the influence that some of the prominent celebs hold on people turned out to be an advantage for the brands, that in turn increase their visibility and makes them stand out in the crowd. Celebs are turning into entrepreneurs and are investing in startups that they are founding promising.
These deals are good for both the parties, the celebrity also get benefits from these deals, like as they are getting accustomed with some of the new brands in the world, this way the image of celebs are also getting stronger as it shows that they are supporting new innovations and this brings a positive impact in their career and life.
One of Hollywood’s prime and loved names is Willard Carrol Smith II, mainly known as Will Smith. Will Smith is married to Jada Pinkett Smith, who is also an American actress. This multitalented Hollywood gem is known for his groundbreaking contribution to the industry with his acting and rapping. Smith made his debut in 1992 with the feature film ‘Where the Day Takes You’. It was followed by ‘Bad Boys’ in 1995 the action movie that made him a household name. With a global box office record of $9.3 billion, Will Smith has given some of the greatest hits in Hollywood.
His music career was not at all something that one should keep quiet of. Some of his singles like ‘Parents Just Don’t Understand’, ‘Ring My Bell’ has been a part of the Billboard Hot 100. Smith’s roles in ‘Ali’, ‘Men In Black’, ‘I, Robot’, ‘I Am Legend', ‘Independence Day’, ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’, ‘Aladdin’ and ‘King Richard’ are astounding as well as outstanding.
He has won some of the greatest awards of all time like the Golden Globe Award, Critics Choice Award and Grammy Award for the portrayal of roles and his music. Will Smith also won the Academy Award for the first time for the best actor for his movie, King Richard in 2022.
Apart from all that, the man holds numerous international box office records in his name. In this article, we will talk about the startups funded and owned by Will Smith. So, let’s get started.
“Products are made in a factory but brands are created in the mind.” -Walter Landor
List of Startups Funded by Will Smith
List of Startups Owned by Will Smith
List of Startups Funded by Will Smith
Some of the startups that are funded by the Hollywood actor, rapper and film producer, Will Smith are:
BioBeats
BioBeats is a company founded in the year 2012 that focuses on making digital artificial intelligence products such as wearable devices that takes care of mental health. Mental health disorders if not taken into consideration at right time can lead to disability.
The company was founded by David Plans, Davide Morelli and Nadeem Kassam. The devices take the help of user data, AI and human insight to take care of mental health. In 2015, Will Smith funded the startup and contributed at least $650,000.
Carol’s Daughter
The multi-cultural American beauty brand that specializes in developing, body, skincare and hair products was founded in the year 1993 by Lisa Price. Lisa first opened a physical of this brand in 1999 before the products were made in her kitchen. The company is famous for the haircare products that it produces.
In 2005, Will Smith invested in this beauty brand along with other investors and the company raised $10 million from them. The brand is now acquired by L'Oréal in 2014.
Chromatik
Chromatik was founded in the year 2010 by Matt Sandler. The company works on developing products that help musicians to learn, play and share their music with other musicians through music sheets, guitar tabs and others. The headquarters of the company is situated in Los Angeles, United States of America. In 2013, Will Smith made an undisclosed amount of investment in Chromatik.
Julep
Julep is a cosmetic brand founded in the year 2007 by Jane Park; the company has mostly focused on selling its products online since it opened its e-commerce in 2008. The USP of the brand is that they manufacture and sell products according to the feedback of customers that they get from social media platforms. Will Smith in 2014, funded Julep and invested an undisclosed amount.
Landis
Landis Tech is a company that helps in making your rented home your own. Here, you can rent your preferred house and can purchase it whenever you want to in the first twelve months. They mainly help the consumers in building their credit and down payment. It was founded in the year 2018 by Cyril Berdugo and Tom Petit. Will Smith invested in the company in the year 2021, along with other investors the company was able to raise $165 Million in funds.
Titan
It is mainly an operating system founded in the year 2018 by Clayton Gardner, Joe Percoco and Max Bernardy. The system helps in managing investments and charging up investment products of investors. The asset managing system is specially made for millennials and Generation Z. In 2021 Will Smith along with some other celebrities funded the company and raised $58 million.
Socionado
Socianado focuses on helping companies on creating their social media presence. It was founded in the year 2018, by Kofi Frimpong and William Lee. The company’s headquarters is situated in Los Angeles, The United States of America. Socionado participated in TechCrunch Disrupt which is an annual conference where startups attend and launch their products, in 2019.
During the time, Will Smith was present there and Socionado pitched the Hollywood star as an elevator pitch. Will Smith decided to invest $10k in the startup.
List of Startups Owned by Will Smith
Apart from investing in some promising brands Will Smith himself has worn the entrepreneur’s hat and is the owner of some startups. Those startups are:
Overbrook Entertainment
Overbrook Entertainment is an American film production company that was founded in the year 1998. The company is co-owned by Will Smith and it focuses on producing films, music and TV shows. Under, Overbrook Entertainment Smith works as a film producer. The production company has produced some of the greatest films like, The Karate Kid, The Pursuit of Happyness and I Am Legend.
Westbrook Inc.
The multimedia and entertainment venture company was founded in the year 2019 and is co-owned by Will Smith. The company mainly produces short and medium-sized content for digital and traditional media like television.
Dreamers VC
Dreamers VC was founded in the year 2018, the headquarters of the company is situated in Los Angeles, The United States of America. It is co-owned by Will Smith. The company provides venture capital funds for startups that focus on social problems and address them.
Conclusion
Academy Award winner Will Smith has been associated with some of the brands by investing in them. Apart from that he has also, donned the hat of an entrepreneur and has founded some companies of his own. He is one of the finest actors in Hollywood and is now emerging as one finest entrepreneur as well.
FAQs
How old is Will Smith?
Will Smith was born on 25th September 1968. Currently, he is 53 years old.
What is the net worth of Will Smith?
The estimated net worth of Will Smith is $350 Million.
Did Will Smith win an Oscar?
Yes, Will Smith won his first-ever Oscar for the movie King Richard. The event didn't go well as Will Smith slapped the host, Chris Rock for cracking a joke on his wife, Jaden Smith.
Source :- https://startuptalky.com/ Author :- Damini Bhandary Date :-March 28, 2022 at 05:15PM