In the world of music, rockstars party while MCs invest.
Following the泭launch of Jay Zs new VC vehicle, , earlier this month, we did a data pull on how music industry moguls spend their ducats. And hip hop artists are way ahead of rock stars when it comes to making tech investments, according to an analysis of 蹤獲弝け data.
There are more than a dozen who have invested in startups. Several of them have only done one deal or last invested years ago.
About six, however, are pretty consistent investors or are deeply enmeshed in the tech scene. 泭Rock stars, by contrast, werent prolific investors, with the occasional exception like U2s Bono, a co-founder of media and technology investment firm .
On the hip hop and pop side, heres a rundown on the top celebrity investors and the deals theyve done.
- : Snoops portfolio is interesting 泭because it contains investments in both cannabis and caffeine. It remains a whether these two substances are a complementary or toxic combination. As investments, however, both appear to be growth sectors. Snoop is a co-founder of , a media site for the cannabis lifestyle, and a founder of , an investment firm that has backed cannabis delivery service and pot packaging provider . Hes also a backer of social media site Reddit and invested in the chain , sports content startup and commission-free stock buying platform .
- : Though still most famous as a rapper, musician and founding member of the Black Eyed Peas, Will.i.am is well known in techie circles too. Hes founder of i.am+ , a Hollywood-based technology company that developed a smartband and recently rolled out hip-looking bluetooth earphones. Hes also made investments in , a retirement savings app and startup incubator , according to 蹤獲弝け.
- : In addition to selling millions of records, Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, better known as Nas, has been a remarkably prolific investor, holding stakes in at least 42 startups, according to 蹤獲弝け. Like Snoop, hes invested in Philz Coffee and Robinhood. More recent investments include , a mobile app for diabetics, and , a maker of protein bars containing cricket flour. 泭In addition to making personal investments, Nas is a partner at , a Los Angeles-based early stage tech investor.
- : 泭Much like his musical career, Hakeem Chamillionaire Serikis turn as a venture investor started out on a very lucrative note. He participated in a $1.5 million Series A round for digital media talent scout in 2010. The company sold to Disney a few years later for upwards of $500 million. Chamillionaire liked venture capital so much, he signed on as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Los Angeles VC firm two years ago.
- : 泭The Grammy-winning R&B singer is a co-founder of , a seed-funded online clothes shopping service that pairs customers with personal stylists. 泭He also invested in a Series A round for , a socially conscious online food retailer, and , which offers media project management tools.
- 泭The rapper and business mogul has both a large portfolio of investments and a track record for generating exits or big follow-on rounds. In January, Sprint bought a 33 percent stake in l, the online music service he co-founded, paying around $200 million according to some media outlets. He also participated in a $5.2 million Series A round for air travel startup , which closed on $105 million in Series C funding in December. His entertainment company, Roc Nation, has made a number of early stage investments too, leading to its involvement this month in the launch of Arrive, a platform for developing and funding startups.
Jay Z isnt the only one on the active investor list who has invested in early stage companies that have gone on to raise larger rounds. Snoop, for instance, joined a $10 million round for Eaze in 2015, and company went on to close a $13 round the next year. Legend, 泭meanwhile, participated in a $33 million round for Thrive, which went on to raise $110 million a year later.
Still, when it comes to return multiples, it will be hard for anyone to top Chamillionaires Maker Studios investment. If he keeps making those kinds of deals, many are predicting hell have to change his name to Chabillionaire.
via Flickr user泭 under泭. Image has been cropped
Stay up to date with recent funding rounds, acquisitions, and more with the 蹤獲弝け Daily.


67.1K Followers