There is a thumb rule for any business model to work, for build the business, product or service you allocate 25% of your energies/resources to the end product or service & for getting the word out you allocate the rest of 75% resources. The problem is that its easier said than done, not all can manage to amass such massive resources especially at the launch of product. Here where the celebrity endorsement comes in handy, although it’s a practice usually exercised by large corporations but recently this has taken a new trend. Startups are reaching out to celebrities to not only endorse their products but even invest with them at times. As ludicrous as it sounds, it actually has worked for many, and we’re talking not just the celebrities but the startups as well. It’s a surprising win-win for both.
The cash starved startup gets the much needed investment & marketing exposure, plus the celebrity gets to invest their famous dollars & make a profit. So hang in there while we walk you through the list of apps & services that you must be using & hey your favorite celebrity might own those… enjoy!
Honest Co. (Ecommerce Site) Backed By Jessica Alba
This is one of the most amazing celebrity endorsement success story. Yeah! A story currently valued at $1 Billion.. Yeah so it all started with a $70 Million funding only an year ago. The site is ships mainly into Eco friendly baby products. Jessica you go girl!
Mobli (Image Sharing App) Leonardo DiCaprio
So yeah the guy invested a total of $24 F*&^%ing million in an image sharing app that puts it into direct competition with Instagram. So how do you compete with something like this? What were you thinking Leonardo but I guess there is always a room for everything on the internets. Plus Mobli distinguish itself from Instagram by offering geo based filters like snapchat & you can search based on people & places.
Shots (Selfie App) Backed By Biebes
Yes Justin Bieber joins the latest façade of selfies & frankly who won’t, especially if you’re a celebrity popular with the millennial demographic, for whom selifie has become an integral part of daily routine. Justin Biebers thought the same & decided to invest in this App. The apps adds a few filters & frames, just the usual selfie app but beliebers they beliebe in it & it has a large user base of beliebers. SO this app certainly benefit from the star power of the Justin Bieber and have active users to date.
Funny or Die (Video Portal) Backed By Will Ferrell
It’s a very amazing site, it not only has user generated content but exclusive content featuring celebrities, even some A-listers. Its backed by Will Ferrell, Judd Apatow, HBO, Sequoia Capital & SV Angel. Quite a list of backers this portal has hence the amazing content. As the name suggest, the videos are monitored by a rating system & only those manage to stay live on site that are users’ favorites. The site is live & kicking..
Backplane Backed by Lady Gaga
The target audience of Backplane were celebrities & large brands, where they could create private social networks. This startup really knew how to pull strings coz they not only secured investment from Lady Gaga but even got former Google CEO Eric Schmidt on board.
Nest Shareholder Jared Leto
The talented singer and actor has invested in a lot of tech related companies but one of his favorite is Nest. The startup that big ol G acquired for $3.2 Billion! Well many people think that Nest inability to venture into more innovative and novel technologies indicate that the acquisition may have been little over prices. But Hey, it’s a done deal & people like Jared got over night rich after that little acquisition of 3 Billions.