Celebrity Net Worth: Olivia Wilde starts venture capital company to invest in start-ups

In our fortnightly celebrity investment and wealth round-up, Mike Tyson invests in a plant-based fast-food chain in Los Angeles and Sonam Kapoor buys Mumbai music store for $5.7 million

US-Irish actress and director Olivia Wilde has a personal fortune estimated at $10 million. AFP

Actress, director and producer Olivia Wilde has cofounded an investment company known as Proximity Ventures, Bloomberg reported.

Wilde – who has starred in movies including Tron: Legacy and directed Booksmart and Don’t Worry Darling – formed New York-based Proximity late last year with Neil Sirni, formerly of entertainment company Roc Nation’s venture division Arrive.

The value of her investment was not disclosed. Wilde has a personal fortune estimated at $10 million, according to wealth tracking website Celebrity Net Worth.

Last year, Wilde paid $5.9 million for a home in Studio City, California.

She separated from Jason Sudeikis, star of the television comedy Ted Lasso, in 2020. In 2019, Wilde and Sudeikis purchased a four-bedroom home in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, for $3.49 million. In their divorce, Wilde received this property, Celebrity Net Worth reported.

The new company, which is focused on consumer and enterprise investments, has backed four start-ups since its formation.

Wilde, 40, and Mr Sirni are partners at Proximity, as are singer-songwriter Santi White, who performs as Santigold, and venture capitalist Jason Mack.

Proximity aims to raise both an early-stage fund, through which it plans to write eight equity cheques of $500,000 to $2 million each a year and a $100 million growth-stage fund, with aims to write cheques of $10 million to $25 million about four times a year, Bloomberg reported.

The company, which counts family offices and founders among investors, expects to hold a first close on the early-stage fund this month, and will formally begin fund-raising for the growth-stage fund next year, according to Bloomberg.

About 75 per cent of the company’s investments will be in the US, with foreign investments focused on South-East Asia.

Proximity has teamed up with JP Morgan Chase’s Morgan Private Ventures arm to raise capital for at least one deal, sources told Bloomberg.

Hollywood stars and professional athletes, both active and retired, have increasingly sought to leverage their profiles and networks to invest in start-ups.

Ashton Kutcher’s Sound Ventures last year raised $243 million for an artificial intelligence-focused fund, while Gwyneth Paltrow cofounded Kinship Ventures, which in 2022 said it invested in FinTech MoonPay. Serena Williams’ Serena Ventures and US basketball star Kevin Durant’s 35V have made a series of investments as well.

Boxer Mike Tyson has an estimated net worth of $10 million. At his peak, his net worth was $300 million. Reuters

Mike Tyson

Former heavyweight world boxing champion Mike Tyson has invested in the plant-based quick-service restaurant space.

On October 23, Carma HoldCo, the parent company behind the boxing champion’s Tyson 2.0 brand, announced a strategic investment in Mr Charlie’s Told Me So, a plant-based fast-food chain.

Terms were not disclosed. With backing from Tyson, Mr Charlie’s TMS will aim to carry out expansion plans with new locations throughout the US and overseas. This will add to its current locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sydney, Australia.

Mr Charlie’s TMS prioritises giving second-chance employment opportunities to those from underserved backgrounds, including people recovering from addiction or homelessness.

The global plant-based food market is projected to exceed $77.8 billion by 2025, with consumers increasingly seeking sustainable, healthy alternatives to traditional meat-based products, according to a report by MarketsandMarkets.

Tyson has embraced veganism at various points in his boxing career and personal life.

“Mr Charlie’s is a natural choice for Carma Holdco as we diversify into the food industry. I very much believe in the healthy benefits of a vegan diet and was a strict vegan for many years,” Tyson, 58, said.

“I’m proud to align myself with partners bringing healthy alternatives that taste good to the fast-food space. Mr Charlie’s mission to help and hire those from the homeless community is something that I am truly passionate about, and I look forward to helping many people and communities with the expansion of Mr. Charlie’s across the globe.”

Tyson has a personal fortune estimated at $10 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. At his peak, his net worth was $300 million.

He had declared bankruptcy in 2003. According to the bankruptcy filing, he was reportedly $23 million in debt at that point. He was able to make a financial comeback thanks to lucrative appearance fees, movie parts, exhibition matches and investments. He is now reported to charge $75,000 for a two-hour personal appearance.

During his career, Tyson earned at least $430 million from fights and endorsements.

At the peak of his wealth, he spent on a car collection that, at one point, featured more than 100 cars, Celebrity Net Worth reported.

Sonam Kapoor has an estimated net worth of $13.7 million. Getty Images

Sonam Kapoor

An apparel company owned by Indian actress Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and her husband Anand Ahuja, a garment and fashion entrepreneur, has bought Rhythm House, a music store in India’s financial capital Mumbai, for 478.4 million Indian rupees ($5.7 million), Bloomberg reported on October 22.

The 3,600-square foot Rhythm House had been shuttered in 2018 after Nirav Modi, the owner of Firestar Diamond International, who ran the music store, defaulted on billions of dollars of bank loans.

Mr Modi acquired the building in 2017 through his company, with plans to turn it into a luxury jewellery showroom. However, following his involvement in the Punjab National Bank scam in 2018, he fled the country and the Enforcement Directorate seized his assets, including Rhythm House.

A resolution professional appointed by the Indian bankruptcy court oversaw the sale of the store and confirmed the value of the deal to Bloomberg.

“The stakeholder committee has approved the sale of Rhythm House for 478.4 million rupees,” said Shantanu T Ray, the official liquidator overseeing the sale of Firestar’s assets.

An official for Bhaane Group, which manufactures various clothes under its label, confirmed the purchase to Bloomberg, but declined to share the value of the deal.

The company is an arm of Shahi Exports, owned by Anand’s father Harish Ahuja and is one of the largest apparel makers in India which supplies international brands including Uniqlo, Decathlon and H&M.

“We have completed our due diligence and plan to expand our retail presence in the city. As private companies, we are unable to comment on any financial information regarding the bid,” a representative for Bhaane said.

Bhaane’s retail unit operates the chain of Nike and Converse stores in India.

Established in the 1940s, Rhythm House had once hosted musicians like classical artist Pandit Ravi Shankar, British rock band Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson and many Bollywood stars.

Kapoor Ahuja, 39, has a net worth of $13.67 million, according to estimates by Indian media websites. She and her husband own VegNonVeg, a multi-brand trainer store with outlets in Mumbai and Delhi.

The star has her fashion brand, Rheson, which she launched in 2017 with her sister, Rhea.

The couple reportedly share a home in London and own a bungalow in Delhi.