Celebrity involvement in India’s startup ecosystem has become markedly more substantive in 2025, with actors and musicians taking equity positions, launching brands and publicly articulating why they believe in the businesses they back. Rather than limiting themselves to endorsement deals, these celebrities are increasingly aligning capital with sectors they personally relate to, including health, fashion, food and digital media.
Badshah
Rapper and musician Badshah entered the health-tech space this year by investing in Bengaluru-based startup Gabit. The company offers a smart ring that tracks key health metrics and combines this data with AI-led coaching around sleep, fitness, nutrition and stress. Explaining his decision to invest, Badshah said that health and performance are inseparable in his line of work, adding that the platform’s focus on habit-building stood out to him. “In my world, performance is everything — and it starts with health,” he said, according to MediaBrief.
Gabit’s founders have positioned the product as a practical, everyday wellness tool rather than a complex medical device. “We built Gabit to make wellness doable, not daunting,” co-founder Gaurav Gupta said after announcing the celebrity-backed funding round, underlining the company’s ambition to simplify health tracking for a wider audience.
Badshah’s interest in consumer businesses goes beyond technology. In July 2025, he launched Badboy Pizza in partnership with Ghost Kitchens India. The mass-premium quick-service brand opened its first outlet in Mumbai and is aimed at delivering globally inspired flavours at accessible price points. In interviews around the launch, Badshah described the venture as a reflection of his personality and taste, with plans to expand aggressively across Indian cities over the next few years.
Ranbir Kapoor
Actor Ranbir Kapoor joined the same Gabit funding round, further strengthening the startup’s celebrity backing. Kapoor had earlier been associated with the brand as an ambassador before taking an equity stake. Speaking about his involvement, Kapoor said the product appealed to him because of how seamlessly it fits into daily life. “What I love about the Gabit smart ring is that it quietly fits into your life,” he said, highlighting its ease of use and non-intrusive design.
Kapoor’s broader startup journey has largely focused on early-stage opportunities and lifestyle ventures. Alongside his tech investments, he continues to scale ARKS, the premium fashion brand he launched in 2024, which focuses on minimalist clothing, footwear and accessories.
Shraddha Kapoor
In the consumer lifestyle space, Shraddha Kapoor has taken on a more hands-on role than most of her peers. She joined jewellery brand Palmonas as a co-founder in 2024. The brand operates in the demi-fine jewellery segment, offering everyday pieces positioned between fast-fashion accessories and traditional gold jewellery. In 2025, Palmonas raised ₹55 crore in a Series A round led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India to expand its retail presence and product categories.
Articulating the brand’s philosophy after the funding announcement, Kapoor said, “Jewellery should feel like a second skin — beautiful, effortless and part of your everyday life.” Investors echoed this view, with Vertex Ventures partner Kanika Mayar stating that Palmonas is “redefining what jewellery means for the modern Indian consumer,” signalling confidence in the brand’s ability to scale nationally.
Salman Khan
Veteran actor Salman Khan made headlines in 2025 by investing in Purple Style Labs ahead of its proposed initial public offering. The company owns and operates several Indian designer fashion platforms and filed its draft red herring prospectus with the markets regulator later in the year for a fresh issue of equity shares. Khan has previously backed travel platform Yatra and short-form video app Chingari, and his latest investment reflects growing celebrity interest in businesses approaching the public markets.
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan has focused his attention on technology-driven and IP-led ventures. Through his family office, he invested in Mythik, an AI-based media startup that adapts mythology and historical narratives into modern video formats. He also participated in a ₹150 crore capital raise by early-stage investment firm Venture Catalysts, reinforcing his long-standing interest in backing platforms that support emerging entrepreneurs.
Taken together, these investments point to a broader shift in 2025: celebrity capital is becoming more deliberate, more vocal and more aligned with long-term business fundamentals. By backing products they publicly believe in — and explaining why — India’s stars are helping shape not just consumer perception, but the direction of the startup ecosystem itself.
