From Hollywood actor to super investor

sQuashie

May 18, 2015 4:44 PM

After achieving success in modelling and acting, Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher went into venture capitalism and investment. Now, he has successfully invested in several tech start-ups.

Ashton Kutcher

Hollywood actor turned serial tech investor, Ashton Kutcher, recently gave a hint of what might possibly be his next investment when he Tweeted about Taptalk to his 16 million followers. The tweet raised speculations that Kutcher has his eyes on the photo and messaging app.

Before now, Kutcher has invested about $100 million in a number of tech startups through his venture capital firm, A-grade Investments. Here are some of Kutcher's most successful tech investments:

In 2009, Kutcher invested in popular over-the-Internet voice and video calling program Skype. Luck smiled on Kutcher two years later when Microsoft bought Skype for over $8 billion. According to reports, that acquisition tripled Kutcher's money.

In 2011, Kutcher invested in Airbnb, an online marketplace that helps travellers find accommodations in their destinations. Three years later, Airbnb's listings had grown from 60,000 to 500,000, with over 10 million nights booked by travellers.

Following his successes with Skype and Airbnb, Kutcher went on to invest in Spotify, a commercial music streaming service that provides digital rights management-restricted content from a range of popular record labels.

In 2013, Kutcher invested in YPlan, an events app that helps users to find last-minute events and allows them to buy tickets with one click. The app, which was founded in London, has now expanded to New York and San Francisco.

Other successful tech investments by Kutcher include Foursquare, a local search and discovery mobile service app; Path, a social networking and photo sharing service; and Fab.com, an e-commerce company.

Born in 1978, Kutcher is presently worth about $150 million.

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