Ashton Kutcher’s most forward-thinking investments
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Who's a start-up's best friend? This guy
Who's a start-up's best friend? This guy
It’s been five years since the New York Times declared Ashton Kutcher was “no dummy when it comes to technology.”
The 38-year-old actor is the “A” in A-Grade Investments, a venture-capital fund that, according to a 2016 Forbes report, is worth $250 million. With partner Guy Oseary, Kutcher also call the shots on a new fund, Sound Ventures.
Here’s a look at 14 of Kutcher’s investments in the tech sector: the big successes and the big bets on the future.
Getaround
In 2012, the peer-to-peer car-sharing service scored $13.9 million in funding from Kutcher’s A-Grade and other A-list backers. Three years later, the start-up reported revenue “in the tens of millions of dollars.”
Casper
This online mattress start-up is a hot thing in a sector that’s likewise hot. Kutcher’s A-Grade got in bed with Casper in 2014.
Foursquare
Kutcher seems to have a soft spot for his first investment: In an unauthorized bit of product placement, he displayed the logo sticker for this ever-evolving tech company, now known for its two check-in apps, Foursquare and Swarm, on his character’s laptop in a 2011 episode of Two and a Half Men.
Uber
Before the car-service app connected its first paying customer to a driver, A-Grade chipped in $500,000. According to Forbes, the investment is now worth more than “100 times” that amount.
Tapstack
This “Snapchat for grown-ups” app allows you to send a photo to a friend by tapping the pal’s profile picture. Kutcher’s A-Grade became one of its funders in 2014.
YPlan
As the story goes, Kutcher hooked up with the U.K.-based event-planning app when he was setting up a London date with his now-wife, Mila Kunis. Kutcher became an investor via A-Grade; YPlan was named the “U.K.’s fastest-growing tech start-up” in 2015.
Couple
This social network for couples was known as Pair when Kutcher got involved. In 2013, its parent company “doubl[ed] down” on its model, snapped up the competition and rebranded itself as Couple.
BitGo
The Bitcoin security service scored $12 million in funding from Kutcher and other venture capitalists in 2014. And while the digital-currency market remains volatile, Kutcher remains a believer (and booster on Twitter).
Shazam
This song-identifying killer app has long been cited as one of the stars of the Kutcher portfolio, and it’s easy to see why: It’s everywhere (with 1 billion downloads and counting), and it’s reportedly worth a ton (an estimated $1 billion as of 2015).
SoundCloud
The audio platform scored the backing of Kutcher’s A-Grade in 2011. Five years later, it was said to be valued at $700 million, and in the hunt for $1 billion.
Product Hunt
This “buzzy,” “must-read” site about tech products has enjoyed “rapid hockey-stick growth” since its 2013 launch. Kutcher’s A-Grade joined the ride in 2014.
