Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma has invested in Indian education technology start-up Leo1.
The value of the investment was not disclosed.
The company also received funding from Qed Investors, Aavishkaar Capital and additional investors, it announced on LinkedIn.
Over the last three years, Leo1 has raised $35 million through two investment rounds.
The investment will be directed towards innovation, technology, expansion and steps to resolve pending cash flow issues in educational institutes, the company said.
“I am thrilled to support Leo1 in its mission to revolutionise learning and make quality education accessible to everyone,” said Sharma, 37, the Indian cricket team captain.
“Their approach, unwavering commitment and entrepreneurial spirit are truly inspiring as they work to positively impact the lives of aspiring students and their parents.
“This partnership presents an incredible opportunity for me to back initiatives that can make a significant difference for an entire generation.”
Established in 2018 by Rohit Gajbhiye, Leo1 is committed to streamlining fee collection through a reward mechanism that gives students incentives to make advance fee payments, encouraging responsible financial behaviour.
The investment by Sharma “represents a significant step forward for Leo1 in its goal to resolve the long-pending cash flow issue in educational institutes along with providing innovative solutions for students across India”, the start-up said.
Sharma has a personal fortune estimated at $25 million, according to wealth-tracking platform Celebrity Net Worth.
He earns an annual salary of 70 million Indian rupees ($837,400) from India’s cricket board. Additionally, he receives match fees for international matches: 1.5 million rupees for every Test match, 600,000 rupees for every ODI match and 300,000 rupees for every T20 match, Celebrity Net Worth estimated.
He also earns 160 million rupees a season playing for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League tournament.
The cricketer has endorsement deals with brands such as adidas, Hublot and Jaguar, and is reported to charge 50 million rupees for every brand deal.
Niall Horan
Singer-songwriter Niall Horan announced on June 19 that he has invested in a golf league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
The former One Direction star said he is now an investor and ambassador for Boston Common Golf, one of six teams involved in the virtual TGL golf league, through his investment vehicle Greenbridge Ventures.
Boston Common Golf is owned by Fenway Sports Group and McIlroy’s investment firm Symphony Ventures.
Announcing the news on social media on June 19, Horan said: “Excited to announce I am an investor & ambassador for @commongolf! Boston is a very special place to me & I am excited to work with Fenway Sports, Rory, Keegan, Adam & the whole team on the Boston franchise.”
“Golf has been a lifelong passion of mine. Being able to combine my love for the game and my friendship with Rory into a relationship that helps launch a new concept in golf is truly special.”
TGL, a new tech-inspired golf league, was formed by sports executive Mike McCarley and professional golfers Woods and McIlroy in partnership with the PGA Tour.
Its first season is due to launch next year and will feature six teams, each comprising three PGA Tour players, competing on a virtual course.
Celebrity investors in TGL include Lewis Hamilton, Justin Timberlake, Steph Curry, Serena Williams and Shaquille O’Neill.
Horan, 30, has a net worth of $70 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
In 2015, Horan launched a sports agency focused on golf, Modest! Golf Management, with his business partner, Mark McDonnell. Their clients include Tyrrell Hatton, who has won six European Tour events and one on the PGA Tour.
Deepika Padukone
Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone’s personal care start-up 82°E is planning to raise 500 million rupees from new and existing investors, according to a regulatory filing.
Ka Enterprises, an investment entity owned by Padukone and her family, is set to participate in the funding round, along with other investors.
The new capital will be used for expansion and growth, the filings showed.
Founded in 2021 by Padukone and venture capitalist Jigar Shah, the Mumbai-based brand offers a range of skincare products for men and women.
The company last raised $7.5 million in a seed round led by DSG Consumer Partners and Ideo Ventures, along with Padukone’s family office, in December 2022.
Padukone, 38, and her family office own 59.6 per cent of the start-up’s shares, while her husband – actor Ranveer Singh – controls 5.32 per cent of the company, according to start-up data intelligence platform TheKredible.
The actress, one of the highest paid in India, has a personal fortune estimated at $40 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
She also made history in 2022 by becoming the first Indian to be a Louis Vuitton ambassador.
Padukone made her Hollywood debut in the 2017 action film xXx: Return of Xander Cage.
In 2015, she started the Live Love Laugh Foundation to promote self-care through conscious living and being in tune with one's body and mental state.
Martha Stewart
Businesswoman and TV star Martha Stewart purchased a duplex unit in an upscale apartment complex in the Upper West Side of Manhattan for $12.3 million last month, Celebrity Net Worth reported.
The apartment at The Belnord sits on the 11th and 12th floors and covers about 4,600 square feet, with six bedrooms and seven baths, according to the website.
Her primary residence remains the Westchester estate in New York that sprawls across 156 acres, which she bought for $15.2 million in 2002. Last year, she sold a West Village triplex for $31 million, the platform said.
Stewart, 82, was once a billionaire but her net worth is now estimated at $400 million.
She earned her net worth through a business conglomerate that, over the years, has included television shows, magazines, endorsements, home products and a media and merchandising company she launched called Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
The former Chanel model and stockbroker made her fortune by taking Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia public in 1999.
The initial public offering raised $1.9 billion, with the stock reaching a record high of $39.75 a share the following day, according to ABC News.
On the day her company went public, Stewart became the first self-made female billionaire in the US. She later sold the company for more than $350 million in 2015.
However, it was her venture into the catering business in the late 1970s that set the foundation for her future fame.
Stewart's first cookbook, Entertaining, published in 1982, was a bestseller. Television appearances followed, leading to her own show, Martha Stewart Living, which aired for more than a decade.
Her property portfolio is worth more than $100 million and she owns a number of homes across the US, Celebrity Net Worth estimated.
