Pune: Celebrity investors are increasingly participating in India’s startup funding ecosystem, with the top 10 celebrity investors taking part in 49 disclosed funding rounds across 34 startups between 2021 and 2026 YTD, according to a new listicle released by Tracxn, the global market intelligence platform for private company data.
The celebrity investors featured in the ranking collectively participated in disclosed funding rounds with a combined round value of approximately $458 million.
Shilpa Shetty Kundra leads the list with 10 disclosed rounds, followed by MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar with six rounds each.
Shraddha Kapoor and Virat Kohli recorded five rounds each, while Alia Bhatt and Anushka Sharma participated in four rounds each. Ranveer Singh, Rohit Sharma and Suniel Shetty recorded three rounds each.
The Tracxn listicle, titled Notable Celebrity Investors Shaping India’s Startup Ecosystem (2021–2026 YTD), ranks the 10 celebrity investors by the number of disclosed startup investment rounds they participated in between January 1, 2021 and 2026 YTD.
The ranking covers funding rounds raised by India-headquartered startups in which at least one of the 10 featured celebrity investors participated as an investor.
Only rounds with disclosed funding amounts are included, and celebrities are ranked according to their total number of individual disclosed funding rounds rather than the total amount of capital they invested.
Shilpa Shetty Kundra Leads Celebrity Investors Ranking
Among the celebrity investors, Shilpa Shetty Kundra ranks first with 10 disclosed funding rounds.
Her participation spans sectors including food and beverage products, fashion tech, online grocery, air pollution management technology and beauty and personal care products.
Her disclosed rounds include a $2 million Series A round in October 2025, an $85,000 Angel round in August 2025, a $5 million Series A round in January 2025, and a $2 million Series A round in November 2024.
She also participated in funding rounds during 2024, 2023 and 2022.
Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s 10-round participation makes her the most active of the celebrity investors included in the Tracxn ranking during the period under review.
MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar Record Six Rounds Each
MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar occupy the next position among the celebrity investors, with six disclosed funding rounds each.
Dhoni’s startup investments span solar energy, drones, electric vehicles, fitness and wellness centres, food tech and OTT video.
His disclosed rounds include a $53 million Series C round in June 2026, a $4 million Series B round in August 2024 and an Angel round of $154,000 in electric vehicles in April 2024.
His participation also includes rounds in fitness and wellness, food tech and OTT video.
Sachin Tendulkar has also participated in six disclosed rounds, with all six rounds listed in auto e-commerce and content or apparel brands.
His disclosed participation includes multiple rounds in Spinny, including a $250 million Series E round in November 2021, followed by Angel and Series F rounds in subsequent years.
The report highlights repeat investment activity among celebrity investors. Nine celebrity-company pairs account for 22 of the 49 disclosed rounds.
Sachin Tendulkar’s five rounds in Spinny and Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s three rounds in WickedGud are among the examples cited in the report.
Also Read: India Startup Funding Falls 10.53% to $151 Million in August 28–September 3 Week
Shraddha Kapoor and Virat Kohli Complete Five Rounds Each
Shraddha Kapoor and Virat Kohli have each participated in five disclosed startup funding rounds, according to the ranking of celebrity investors.
Kapoor’s disclosed investments cover fashion tech, electric vehicles, nutraceuticals tech and K-12 edtech.
Her participation includes a $12 million Series E round in June 2024, a $7 million Seed round in electric vehicles in February 2022 and additional Seed and Series A rounds.
Virat Kohli’s five disclosed rounds cover footwear brands, food and beverage products and food tech.
His participation includes two $5 million Series C rounds in footwear brands in 2025, along with Series A and Angel rounds in food and beverage and food tech.
Alia Bhatt and Anushka Sharma Record Four Rounds Each
Alia Bhatt and Anushka Sharma are next among the listed celebrity investors, with four disclosed funding rounds each.
Bhatt’s disclosed startup investments cover online mom and baby care and home care products.
Her rounds include a $2 million Series A round in April 2023, a $5 million Seed round in February 2023, and two Series A rounds in home care products in 2022 and 2021.
Anushka Sharma’s four disclosed rounds span footwear brands, food and beverage products and food tech.
Her participation includes a $24 million Series C round in May 2026, alongside Angel and Series B rounds in food and beverage and food tech.
Ranveer Singh, Rohit Sharma and Suniel Shetty Record Three Rounds Each
Ranveer Singh, Rohit Sharma and Suniel Shetty each participated in three disclosed funding rounds, completing the list of the top 10 celebrity investors identified by Tracxn.
Singh’s three rounds are concentrated in beauty and personal care products, including a $5 million Seed round in June 2023, a $138,000 Angel round in September 2022 and an $8 million Seed round in May 2022.
Rohit Sharma’s three disclosed rounds span logistics tech, home care products and drones.
His participation includes an Angel round of $173,000 in February 2025, a $3 million Series A round in August 2022 and a $500,000 Seed round in July 2021.
Suniel Shetty’s three rounds cover industrial safety, K-12 edtech and beauty and personal care products.
His disclosed participation includes a $3 million Series A round in September 2024, a $450,000 Seed round in October 2023 and a $1 million Seed round in May 2022.
Early-Stage Rounds Dominate Celebrity Startup Investments
The activity of the 10 celebrity investors is weighted towards early-stage funding rounds.
Of the 49 disclosed rounds, 27, or 55%, were Angel or Seed rounds, while 13 were Series A rounds.
The 34 startups covered by the ranking are spread across Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka and Delhi.
Maharashtra accounts for 15 of the 34 companies, including 12 headquartered in Mumbai. Haryana accounts for six companies, Karnataka five and Delhi three.
The companies span multiple consumer and technology-oriented sectors, including food and beverage, beauty and personal care, fashion, mobility and other consumer categories.
The distribution reflects the range of sectors in which celebrity investors have participated in India’s startup ecosystem.
Spinny, Sugar Cosmetics and XYXX Among Key Portfolio Companies
The 34 companies in the Tracxn ranking cover different stages of startup maturity.
The report identifies Spinny as the cohort’s sole unicorn, while Sugar Cosmetics and XYXX are classified as soonicorns. Seventeen companies are classified as minicorns.
Five portfolio companies have reached an acquisition or public-listing event since the rounds included in the ranking.
The report notes that Ed-a-Mamma was acquired by Reliance Retail in September 2023, while Shunya was acquired by Reliance Industries.
Klassroom is now a publicly listed company. Purple Style Labs launched its initial public offering in August 2026, while Mamaearth, operated by Honasa Consumer, has been publicly listed on the NSE and BSE since November 2023.
How Tracxn Ranked the Celebrity Investors
Tracxn’s ranking focuses on the number of disclosed funding rounds rather than the total capital invested by individual celebrity investors.
The amount shown for each round represents the startup’s total disclosed funding value and does not indicate the specific amount contributed by the celebrity investor.
The report also notes that celebrity investors generally participate alongside institutional and/or other angel investors. Funding rounds where the amount was not disclosed were excluded from both the table and the underlying ranking.
Where a celebrity invested in the same company across multiple distinct funding rounds, each round is counted separately.
The report also states that in some cases, the featured celebrity may simultaneously be a founder, co-owner or brand partner of the company in addition to being an investor in the round.
All funding amounts in the list are in US dollars and rounded to the nearest whole number.
The funding rounds considered are for startups headquartered in India, with company sector classifications based on Tracxn’s platform.
Overall, the Tracxn list provides a snapshot of the startup funding activity involving prominent celebrity investors in India between 2021 and 2026 YTD, with 49 disclosed rounds across 34 startups and approximately $458 million in combined disclosed round value.
