Many celebrities become startup founders when they come up with an idea and believe it has the potential to become a profitable business.
With accessible means of funding, celebrities have it easier than the rest of us when launching their own business.
Not to mention the attainable corporate connections.
Some celebrities decide to build their business independently, while many others opt to be one of the co-founders.
The following are a list of seven celebrities turned entrepreneurs that have become startup founders.
Rainn Wilson
(Image Credit: Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Actor Rainn Wilson co-founded is own company SoulPancake in 2009 as a creative approach to a media and entertainment company.
The star of the hit show, “The Office” created his business to highlight and spread optimism through digital, television and branded entertainment.
Subsequently, SoulPancake is known for creating upbeat, positive, inspirational content.
Wilson and his team describe their brand as a platform for asking life’s big questions, celebrating humanity and championing creativity.
will.i.am
(Image Credit: Forbes)
will.i.am is notable for his multi-talented music career as a singer songwriter, rapper and music producer.
However, he’s also a savvy businessman and the co-founder and CEO of i.am+, a technology company launched in 2013.
The focus of the company is to create wearable products that combine fashion with technology.
The company operates with artificial intelligence and machine learning. Having earned $123M to date, i.am+ has a post-valuation of $267M.
Will Ferrell
(Image Credit: The Hollywood Reporters)
Another celebrity on our list of startup founders is Will Ferrell.
Ferrell is known for being the funny man in movies, but off-screen he’s the co-founder of Funny or Die.
Funny or Die was established in 2007 along with co-founders Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme and Chris Henchy.
The comedy-orientated media company releases daily videos on their website as well as being a film/television production company.
In recent years, AMC provided $44.5M of operating capital in exchange for a minority stake.
Chamillionaire
(Image Credit: Matt Licari/Invision/AP)
With a stage name like Chamillionaire, you just know that entrepreneurial pursuits are on the horizon.
The rapper turned entrepreneur is next on our list of startup founders for his umbrella company, X Empire.
Chamillionaire a.k.a. Hakeem Seriki, serves as the executive officer, president and board member of his business.
The multi-platinum, Grammy-winning rapper has also invested in startups such as Cruise and Maker Studios which was bought by Disney.
With his interests in technology, the rapper also started his own video messaging platform, Convoz which raised $3M in its early stages.
KIm Kardashian
Kim Kardashian is regarded by a lot of people as merely a TV personality and a Los Angeles socialite.
However, the famous Kardashian proves to be an extremely savvy businesswoman since co-founding the brand, shoedazzle.com in 2008.
In 2013, the shoe company was acquired by its competitor, JustFab but Kardashian remained an investor.
However, since then the social media queen has built an empire based on the business knowledge she acquired over the years.
Not only is Kim Kardashian a lawyer, she also runs her own cosmetics company, KKW Beauty.
The line of cosmetic products generated over $100 million in sales in 2018 alone.
The reality star turned entrepreneur also launched her own mobile game, emojis, and fragrance line.
Jessica Alba
(Image Credit: Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Jessica Alba has openly admitted that her career as a full-time entrepreneur has overridden her job as an actor.
In 2011, Alba developed The Honest Company, an e-commerce website that sells environmentally-friendly products for babies and homes.
The Honest Company sells diapers, soaps, skincare products, and vitamins geared towards mothers and their babies.
However, the actor’s eco-friendly brand came under fire when it faced more than one lawsuit for false advertising.
Contrary to the lawsuit, the company still did well, selling $250 million worth of products in the US and Canada in one year.
Dr. Dre
(Image Credit: Getty Images)
Rapper and entrepreneur Dr. Dre is one of the most lucrative startup founders on our list with his highly profitable, Beats Electronics.
Following a successful career as a rapper in the 90s, Dr. Dre launched his very own headphones company in 2006.
Subsequently, Beats by Dr. Dre became a bestselling product with a market share of 64% for headphones priced over $100.
Evidently, HTC wanted a share of the pie and bought 50.1% of the company for more than $300 million.
Come 2013, The Carlyle Group had their eyes on the prize and invested a staggering $500 million for 50% of Beats.
Furthermore, a mere 8 months later, Apple bought Beats for the colossal amount of $3 billion.
As a result of this substantial deal, Dr. Dre landed himself a net worth of $550 million.
