7 Celebrities Who Are Making It Big In The Tech Industry

The tech market is the most successful business prospect today. The multi-billion-dollar industry has shaped global markets and in the process, made billionaires out of Bill Gates, Jack Ma, and Jeff Bezos, among others. 

The A-listers of Hollywood have joined the ranks of other entrepreneurs in making the smart decision to invest in tech startups and established brands. This list looks at 7 such celebrities and their investment in tech.

 1. Robert Downey Jr.

Playing the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark in the Iron Man movies must have had some effect on RDJ's real-life. 

The movie A-lister is the founder of Downey Ventures, a startup incubator that specializes in consumer entertainment tech companies.

He was also a stakeholder in the former Maker Studios that was responsible for YouTube mega-hits like Epic Rap Battles of History and PewDiePie. 

Maker Studios was assimilated into The Walt Disney Company for $500 million on March 24, 2014. 

2. Ashton Kutcher

In another instance of reel-life influencing real-life, Ashton Kutcher, who famously played tech giant Steve Jobs is something of a tech aficionado himself, and his early investments include such ventures as Airbnb and Uber.

Both Airbnb and Uber are currently business leaders and gross billions yearly.

3. Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian is one of the pioneers of the trend of Internet celebrity. She gained a majority of her global recognition by playing to the online market.

She is also an extremely tech-savvy entrepreneur, as evidenced by her hit mobile game, called Kim Kardashian: Hollywood which grossed $1.6 million within five days of its release.

4. Will.i.am

One of the founding members of the hip-hop act, The Black Eyed Peas, Will.i.am's eye for the potential of technology was apparent in his band's music videos and music. 

An avid fan of robotics, Will was recruited by Intel into their creative department. He also worked as the Chief Creative Officer for 3DSystems. A founder of e-commerce brand i.am+, the initiative would accumulate AI startup Sensiya and software and hardware producer Wink. 

5. Rainn Wilson

Rainn Wilson is perhaps most famous as part of the cast of the American sitcom, The Office, which is a travesty considering he is one of the creative forces behind SoulPancake, an online creator of uplifting content. 

The cross-platform content-creator was acquired by Participant Media in 2016.

6. Jared Leto

The Oscar-winning actor is the founder of VyRT. The company was started in 2011 as a platform for musicians to share their work and gain recognition.

The startup has since expanded to include social networking and online shopping.

7. Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake is an actor/singer/dancer, but a lesser-known fact is that he is also a tech aficionado.  He co-founded the Hollywood-based audio tech company Aftermaster Audio Labs with Larry Ryckman. He has also invested in such ventures as Stipple and Miso Media.