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celebrities investing in food and agriculture technology

A List of 39 Celebrities Investing in Food and Agriculture Technology

December 15, 2016

Celebrities are investing in food and agriculture.

Celebrities influence everything from the latest styles, haircuts, exercise trends, and vacation hotspots. But can they also influence people to think more carefully about sustainability, foodtech, and innovation in agriculture? According to Dublin-based biotech and artificial intelligence startup Nuritas, it’s worth a shot.

The company recently announced that U2 musicians Bono and The Edge have financially backed the company in a $2.129 million round, reports DublinLive. While many celebrity financiers prefer to keep their involvement quiet, Nuritas reportedly convinced the musical duo to reveal their involvement to help ramp up the company’s image as it looks to expand its workforce by 60 employees.

And earlier this week, Ember Technologies, a different sort of food tech company, closed a $31.8 million venture round funded solely by pro athletes and chart-topping musicians. Its flagship product is a coffee mug that keeps your drink at your perfect temperature for two hours or all day if you keep it on the company’s charging coaster.

This got us to thinking: which other celebrities are investing in food and agriculture technology companies?

While there are likely more, the following chart of 39 names provides a snapshot of where professional athletes, musicians, movie stars, and other celebs are investing their cash in the sector.

Celebrity Company Investment round
Alternative Protein
Timothy Ferriss (entrepreneur, author and investor) Exo Protein $1.7M Seed
Amelia Boone (athlete) Exo Protein $4m Series A
Nasir “Nas” Jones via QueensBridge Ventures (US rapper) Exo Protein

 

$4m Series A
Bill Gates Beyond Meat $17m Series E
Bill Gates Impossible Foods $108m Series D
Arielle Zuckerberg (sister of Mark) Tiny Farms Undisclosed Seed
Biotech
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation AgBiome  $34.5m Series B (lead)
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Pivot Bio $16m Series A
Andrew Ference (ice hockey player) Full Cycle Bioplastics  Undisclosed Seed
Jamie McLennan (ice hockey player) Full Cycle Bioplastics Undisclosed Seed
Mike Commodore (ice hockey player) Full Cycle Bioplastics Undisclosed Seed
Cannabis
Snoop Dogg (via Casa Verde Capital – US rapper) Eaze $10m Series A
Whoopi Goldberg (actress) Whoopi & Maya Founding Investor
Snoop Dogg Merry Jane Founding Investor
Data & Software
Andy Murray (UK tennis pro) Hectare.ag (Graindex & Sellmylivestock) Crowdfunding
Andrew Ference Harvestport Undisclosed Seed
Jamie McLennan Harvestport Undisclosed Seed
Mike Commodore Harvestport Undisclosed Seed
Food Delivery & Related Tech
Demi Lovato (singer) Ember Technologies $31.8m Venture
Nick Jonas (singer) Ember Technologies $31.8m Venture
Joe Jonas (singer) Ember Technologies $31.8m Venture
Ted Lilly (baseball pro) Ember Technologies $31.8m Venture
Prince Amukamara (football pro) Ember Technologies $31.8m Venture
Ndamukong Suh (football pro) Ember Technologies $31.8m Venture
Roy Choi (celebrity chef) Munchery $85k Venture
Demi Moore (actress) Thrive Market $30m Series A
John Legend (singer) Thrive Market $30m Series A
Toby McGuire (actor) Thrive Market $30m Series A
Michael Pierce (football pro) Thrive Market $30m Series A
Aziz Ansari (comedian) Ando $7m Series A
Jimmy Fallon (comedian) Ando $7m Series A
Kevin Quinn (actor) Try the World $2.3m Series A
Ashton Kutcher (actor) GrubMarket $20m Series B
Jared Leto (actor) Plate Joy $1.7m Seed
Jared Leto (actor) Reserve $15m Series A
Jared Leto (actor) Nom $4.75m Series A
Andy Murray (tennis pro) Mindful Chef $1m on Seedrs
Victoria Pendleton (gold medal Olympian) Mindful Chef $1m on Seedrs
Will Greenwood – (rugby world cup champ) Mindful Chef $1m on Seedrs
Andrew Tobias (journalist and author) Gather $3m Series A
Food Products
Beyonce (singer) WTRMLN WTR Founding investor
50 Cent (rapper) Vitamin Water Unknown
Mark Cuban (entrepreneur and investor) Alyssa’s Cookies Unknown
Michael Pollan (activist) Back to the Roots $2m Seed
Leonardo DiCaprio (actor) Runa Undisclosed Venture
Jared Leto (actor) Blue Bottle Coffee $74.96m Series A
Tony Hawk (skateboard pro) Blue Bottle Coffee $74.96m Series A, $15m Series B
Snoop Dogg Philz Coffee $15m Series B
Nasir “Nas” Jones (via QueensBridge Ventures) Philz Coffee $15m Series B
Jonah Hill (actor) Philz Coffee $15m Series B
Jamie Kennedy (comedian) Philz Coffee $15m Series B
Indoor Ag
Timothy Ferriss Grove Labs $412k Equity Crowdfunding
Precision ag
Richard Branson (entrepreneur) 3D Robotics $7M Series B
James Cameron (movie director) Planetary Resources $21m Series A
Waste tech
Leonardo DiCaprio Rubicon Undisclosed

Did we miss a food & agtech celeb investor? Let us know! [email protected].

For more on the topic of celebrity investors:

ZNET: 18 celebrities who are huge tech investors

Business Insider: The 22 most active celebrity startup investors

Refinery29: Celebrity-Backed Investments

Guardian: Kobe Bryant joins long list of celebrities investing in tech

Inc: The 10 Top Celebrity Startup Investors

Forbes: Top Celebrity Investors And What They’re Invested In

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