CELEBRITY INVESTMENTS IN START-UPS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONSA STUDY OF THE INDIAN CONTEXT

Abstract

Celebrities have played a significant role in household purchase decisions for decades, even outside of movie theaters and cricket grounds. Indian celebrities have used their celebrity status to increase customer trust through endorsements for decades. However, there has been a noticeable shift in recent years. However, as India's economy became more digital, diverse, and decentralized, so did the place of celebrities in the corporate world.  The current study investigates the burgeoning phenomenon of celebrity investment within the dynamic global start-up ecosystem, exploring the unique intersection of star power, brand influence, and early-stage venture capital. Using secondary data that were published on various digital platforms, an attempt is made to present the trends of Celebrities who are now more clearly associated with start-ups. Despite difficulty in accessing the financials and reaching out to them for reliable data and information from celebrities, an attempt is made to present the findings. Using mixed analysis of qualitative and quantitative aspects, the implications for different stakeholders were presented. By tackling all-encompassing goals, this paper contributes important findings to the domains of economics, finance, and entrepreneurship by offering crucial insights into how non-traditional, high-visibility investment sources are changing the financial landscape for new ventures.