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Anirudha Yerunkar
He is working as Chief Sub Editor with India.com and has experience in Digital Media and YouTube. He has covered Budget 2023, 2024, 2025 for reputed channels. Born and brought up in Mumbai, he is an e ... Read More
In recent years, celebrities and prominent personalities have increasingly diversified their investments into high-growth startups, aiming for substantial returns when these companies go public. Among the latest to join this trend are Bollywood stars Madhuri Dixit, Gauri Khan, and Amrita Rao, who have purchased shares in OYO, the popular online hotel services company.
As per reports, Gauri Khan, Bollywood producer and wife of superstar Shah Rukh Khan, purchased 2.4 million shares of OYO during its Series G funding round in August 2024. The funding round enabled the company to raise over Rs 1,400 crore from a group of investors.
While Shah Rukh Khan’s team has not issued a statement, the investment highlights Gauri Khan’s foray into startups with high potential returns.
Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit, along with her husband, Dr. Sriram Nene, a clinician and entrepreneur, has also joined the list of investors in OYO. The couple has collectively acquired 2 million shares, according to the company’s official statement.
Their investment aligns with the growing trend of celebrities exploring new avenues in high-growth startups.
Celebrity couple Amrita Rao and her husband Anmol Sood, a popular radio jockey, have also purchased OYO shares through the secondary market. The couple’s decision to invest reflects their confidence in OYO’s potential as a profitable venture.
In addition to celebrity investments, Nuvama Wealth recently acquired OYO shares worth Rs 100 crore at Rs 53 per share through a secondary transaction on behalf of its investors and family offices. This transaction values OYO at approximately $4.6 billion.
While this valuation represents growth, it remains significantly lower than the company’s peak valuation of $10 billion.
The rising interest of celebrities in startups like OYO is part of a broader trend of diversifying portfolios to include high-growth companies. Many stars see such investments as opportunities to secure lucrative returns once these companies go public or further expand their market dominance.
Of late, there is a growing trend of actors and celebrities diversifying their investment bets into high-growth startups aiming for handsome returns once these companies go public.
“Madhuri Dixit, her husband Dr Sriram Nene, along with Dr Ritesh Malik, the clinician doctor, founder of flex space company Innov8, founding member of Plaksha University, and angel investor have bought 2 million shares of OYO at an undisclosed valuation”, the company said in a statement.
While the valuation has been on the upswing, it is still a far cry from the USD 10 billion OYO commanded at its peak.
(With inputs from PTI)
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