Cricketers Have Stepped Into The Startup World: What’s Next?

Celebrities endorsing products for companies and startups is nothing new. But now these very celebrities have entered into startup world and started investing their hard-earned money in them too. Amitabh Bachchan invested in Ziddu, a Singapore-based cloud storage solutions startup. Anil Kapoor has invested in an online video social network Indi. Madhuri Dixit and Karishma Kapoor have also made investments in various startups.

Cricketers, never to be outdone by their Bollywood counterparts, have stepped up their game and are investing and supporting many new startups in India and abroad.

Here are some of them:

Sachin Tendulkar

Retired from the game, Sachin now has more time for other pursuits. His instincts on the field are legendary, but his instincts off the field have now led him to invest in a new smartphone and tablet manufacturer in India, Smartron. Sachin Tendulkar is not only the company’s brand ambassador but also the key investor. Established in August 2014 by Mahesh Lingareddy, Smartron has already launched its smartphones in April 2016 and is ready to launch a tablet as well.

Yuvraj Singh

After battling cancer and conquering it, Yuvraj has embarked on another journey, that of being an angelic investor for startups. He started YouWeCan ventures in 2015, which aims to invest around INR40-50 Cr. over the coming 3 to 5 years. Yuvraj has even set up a team of consultants to help him along the way. Yuvraj not only invests but also brings his celebrity status into branding and advertising. YouWeCan are in talks with many startups and are interested in investing in various fields from healthcare to technology. Yuvraj has supported startups like Vyomo, Moovo, etc.

Robin Uthappa

Yuvraj’s teammate Robin Uthappa is not far behind in getting on the startup bandwagon. Recently married Robin Uthappa has invested in HealthEminds through his fund Caffeine Ventures. HealthEminds was founded in 2013 by Ankita Puri and Sunita Maheshwari. It provides emotional and mental health consultation through a safe online platform. Robin Uthappa’s investment helped them launch their product and extend their reach to newer regions. Robin had earlier invested in the online tiffin service portal iTiffin.

Virat Kohli

The current Indian superstar cricketer, and not one to be left behind, Kohli has made investments in Sport Convo which is a tech startup based in London. It is a platform where fans can get together and talk about sports and current news. Real Madrid footballer Gareth Bale also joined Kohli as an investor in December 2015. No wonder Vishal Patel, CEO, and co-founder of Sport Convo is exuberantly grateful for the support of the two famous athletes as they bring their celebrity status to his venture.

With so many cricketers also jumping into the startup pond, you should be brave to approach these investors. If you can dream it, their golden touch can give you wings in reality too.

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