While most of the celebrities forayed into fashion and hospitality sector, there are others who believed fitness as the ultimate thing.
A league of celebrities has shifted their focus from brand endorsements to part-financing consumer products firms, and help influence sales.
Venturing into businesses other than acting is not unheard of and joining the bandwagon is actor John Abraham.
John Abraham has picked up a minority stake in a Mumbai-based chain of health, wellness, and beauty stores, Guardian Healthcare, which works as a franchise partner of US-based health and nutrition company GNC in India. Though deal size remained undisclosed, the funding is speculated to value the company at about Rs 250 crore (USD 36.46 Million).
However, there are other celebrities, who have invested in the fitness and pharmaceutical industry. Take a look.
Hrithik Roshan:
Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan invests Rs 6 crore in Bengaluru-based fitness startup Cure.Fit.
In August 2017, the startup had signed on Hrithik Roshan as its brand ambassador valued at Rs 100 crore, which is touted as one of the largest endorsement deal signed by an Indian startup.
The five-year association includes the actor’s equity stake in the company in lieu of cash investment, promotions and royalty from his personal brand HRX’s specialized workout plan.
According to the MCA filings, Hrithik invested directly in Cure.Fit and also through his entity, Extreme Brands.
Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh:
Mumbai-based Welcomecure, an online homeopathic treatment, and consultation platform have raised an undisclosed amount of funding from the cutest B-town couple Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh.
The funds raised will go towards strengthening its infrastructure, expansion of the team and promotion of the brand through consumer engagement initiatives.
Welcomecure was founded by Jawahar J Shah, along with Punit Desai and Nidhi Desai in 2016.
Jacqueline Fernandez:
Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez had invested in Rakyan Beverages that makes juices under the Raw Pressery brand. The investment is pegged at Rs 3.5 crore.
Madhuri Dixit Nene:
Madhuri Dixit is an angel investor in a fitness brand GoQii. However, the size of the funding was not disclosed. GoQii offers a fitness tracker band couples with a personal coach.
Gul Panag:
Actress, Pilot and now a mother of a 6-month old son, invested in the formation of MobieFit with Prototyze. The app focuses primarily on fitness and measuring vital statistics using GPS to measure distance and other sensors for measuring exercise-related statistics.
She is the co-founder of this app and has also introduced her own online fitness platform named FirstRun.
