Dua Lipa
London-born Dua Lipa has invested in hair and body care brand Dizziak, she shared in an Instagram post. The financial terms were not disclosed.
“London girls do it best! Dizziak is in a category all of their own, and I am so thrilled to be an investor in their journey,” Lipa posted on Instagram.
“When I was first introduced to Loretta and the brand in London, I was drawn to her ethos of making healthy haircare products accessible to people of all hair types. I love the story, love Loretta, love the brand and the products and think you will too!”
Founder Loretta De Feo launched the vegan brand in 2018. Disappointment with commercial hair products led her to create her own conditioner and test it among friends.
Ms De Feo launched with a direct-to-consumer approach but soon entered into partnerships with stockists such as Selfridges, Liberty and Cult Beauty.
“Dua discovered the brand after using it,” Ms De Feo told WWD magazine. “She is fresh and she has got strong opinions that she is not afraid to voice. She says London to me, and Dizziak is rooted in London with universal appeal.”
Lipa, 27, had a net worth of £47.2 million ($52.7m) in 2021, according to the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper.
She began modelling as a teenager, while also uploading her songs to SoundCloud and YouTube. Since signing to Warner Bros Records, the English singer-songwriter has had three number one tracks in the UK, including 2018’s One Kiss with Calvin Harris.
The Grammy winner has sold the equivalent of 30.2 million albums, according to music analysis website Chartmasters.
Outside of music, Lipa endorsed brands such as Yves Saint Laurent fragrances and Evian Water. She has also collaborated on fashion lines for Pepe Jeans and Puma.
Dizziak is her first private equity investment, according to business information platform Crunchbase.
Serena and Venus Williams
They may have crashed out of the US Open doubles last month but Serena and Venus Williams aren’t done teaming up.
The tennis siblings were among the most high-profile investors into London-based social investing app Shares. They will also help to promote the start-up’s services.
The FinTech company raised $40m in funding this month, the Evening Standard reported. It will use the funds to expand into other markets, including Europe.
PayPal founder Peter Theil also joined the round.
The app hopes the Williams sisters will strengthen investor diversity, as well as bring in more female investors, chief executive Benjamin Chemla told the newspaper.
Serena Williams retires — in pictures
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Serena Williams waves to the crowd after losing to Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the US Open at Flushing Meadows on Friday night, September 2, 2022. EPA -
USA's Serena Williams shakes hands with Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia at the US Open in New York. EPA -
USA's Serena Williams gets emotional in a post-match interview after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic. AFP -
Serena Williams hits a return to Ajla Tomljanovic. AFP -
Fans cheer Serena Williams. AFP -
Serena Williams reacts after a point during her third round match against Ajla Tomljanovic. AFP -
Serena Williams hugs Ajla Tomlijanovic after the match. AFP -
Serena Williams react after losing a point on Friday night. EPA -
Serena Williams after her defeat to Ajla Tomljanovic. EPA
“The first time I heard about Shares, I was blown away by the vision. It is rare to find companies that are equally as passionate about opening up opportunities and breaking barriers to entry that have prevented traditional spaces like investment from being totally inclusive,” Serena said.
Serena is a prolific angel investor, backing dozens of companies over the past decade, including Impossible Foods, Daily Harvest and MasterClass.
She also runs an early-stage venture firm, Serena Ventures. It raised $111m earlier this year from banks, family offices and individual investors. Forbes magazine estimates her net worth at $260m.
Her career on-court income totals nearly $94.6m. That puts her top of the list of highest-earning female tennis players, more than twice that of the player in second place — her older sister Venus, who has banked $42.3m from the game.
Venus Williams’ net worth is estimated at $95m, according to Celebrity Net Worth. She has made eight private equity investments.
Miley Cyrus
Among those to have benefitted from skyrocketing house prices is Miley Cyrus, who has closed one of the Nashville area’s priciest real estate deals of 2022 at $14.5m.
The home was not on the market, but land registry records confirm the sale of the singer’s ranch in Franklin city, about 30 kilometres outside the home of country music, celebrity real estate site Dirt.com reports.
The Party in the USA singer bought the five-bedroom, five-bathroom farmhouse for $5.8m in 2017. Those figures equate to a 150 per cent increase in value over five years.
She has owned at least three other homes, including in Studio City, Malibu and Hidden Hills, all in California.
Cyrus, 29, has a net worth of $160m, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Born in Franklin city, the American singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist began her career as a child star, finding fame as the lead for the Disney sensation Hannah Montana.
She has since become the female artist with the most US Billboard 200 albums in the top-five in the 21st century, with 13 entries. Besides seven albums and more than a dozen films and TV series, she has launched at least six tours.
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She holds a Guinness World Record for the highest-grossing film of a music tour, off the back of the Best of Both Worlds Tour, which grossed a record $53.4m in only two weeks in February 2008.
Outside music, Cyrus launched a fashion label with US retailer Walmart, a partnership she subsequently lost. She has worked with brands such as Converse, Beats by Dr Dre and Eos lip balm.
In April 2020, she teamed with MAC cosmetics to start a $10m dedication towards 250 organisations helping at-risk groups during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kevin Durant
Basketball player Kevin Durant has extended his investment portfolio with a further foray into Athletes Unlimited (AU) as the network of women’s sports leagues raises $30m in funding.
The US brand aims to reimagine the traditional sports league by bringing in athletes as stakeholders, instead of treating them as employees.
Each league is run by committee of players. Athletes are represented on AU’s board of directors and share in its long-term profits.
Durant, 34, invested through Thirty Five Ventures (35V), the fund he founded with entrepreneur Rich Kleinman.
“We have been advisers for AU since the very beginning,” Durant said. “Athletes Unlimited is at the forefront of women’s sports and an inspiration for how sports leagues can thrive with an athlete-first business model.”
Durant is an active investor, principally through 35V. He has channelled his income from professional basketball into 42 different companies, according to equity tracker Crunchbase.
The Olympic gold medallist invested in three sports companies last month, including women’s pro volleyball league League One Volleball, Spanish fantasy sports platform Draftea and web3 chess platform Immortal Game.
Woody Harrelson
Cheers alum Woody Harrelson has joined a $20m funding round into plant-based ready meals company Wicked Kitchen, the brand said.
Indian investment fund Ahimsa VC and Thai food producer NRPT were among others participating in the funding round.
Founded by chefs and brothers Chad and Derek Sarno, the consumer packaged goods company will use the funds to improve global brand awareness, expand retail distribution and grow its food service business.
The Hollywood actor has a net worth of $70m, according to Celebrity Net Worth estimates. The bulk of his income has come from television and movie work.
Harrelson, 61, also has a penchant for investing in vegan brands.
Last October, he and his wife Laura teamed with actor Owen Wilson to take part in a $7m series A round at California vegan start-up Abbot’s Butcher.
In 2015, Harrelson and Wilson invested in Canva, when the multimedia and design software company was valued at $165m. It is now valued at $25 billion.
