 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Venture capital |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founders | Ashton Kutcher Guy Oseary Ron Burkle |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Products | Investments |
| AUM | $145 million [1] |
| Website | www |
A-Grade Investments, LLC is a venture capital firm founded in 2010 by actor Ashton Kutcher, entertainment manager Guy Oseary, and billionaire investor Ron Burkle to invest in technology start-up companies. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
Ashton Kutcher, Guy Oseary, and Ron Burkle had invested in private equity deals individually, then, in 2010, formed A-Grade Investments to invest in technology startups as a group. [2]
In 2012, Kutcher, Oseary and Burkle raised additional capital A-Grade from several billionaires, including David Geffen and Mark Cuban.[ citation needed ]
On May 1, 2013, onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt NYC, Kutcher and Oseary confirmed rumors that the fund was valued at over $100 million. [3]
In March 2016, Forbes published a comprehensive article on A-Grade Investments, entitled "How Ashton Kutcher And Guy Oseary Built A $250 Million Portfolio With Startups Like Uber And Airbnb," [4] with Kutcher appearing on the cover of the magazine, which became the most-widely read issue in Forbes’ 99-year history. [5] The Forbes article states that the team turned $30m into $250m.
Among its portfolio companies, A-Grade has invested in Spotify, Uber, Shazam, Couple, SoundCloud, Muse, and Airbnb. [3] The firm mainly takes part in Seed and Series A rounds.[ citation needed ]
The firm’s primary targets are consumer-focused businesses that change the way consumers share information, or that disrupt traditional marketplaces. [6]
In a 2011 interview with The New York Times , Kutcher said, “I look for companies that solve problems in intelligent and friction-free ways and break boundaries.” [7]
In a 2013 interview with The Daily Telegraph , Kutcher said, “If we can create efficiencies in that which is mundane, then we accelerate our paths to happiness. The companies that will ultimately do well are the companies that chase happiness. If you find a way to help people find love, or health or friendship, the dollar will chase that.” [6]
Christopher Ashton Kutcher is an American actor, producer and entrepreneur. Kutcher began his acting career portraying Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show (1998–2006). He made his film debut in the romantic comedy Coming Soon (1999), followed by the comedy film Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), which was a box office success. In 2003, Kutcher starred in the romantic comedies Just Married and My Boss's Daughter. That year, he created and produced the television series Punk'd, also serving as host for the first eight of its ten seasons. Kutcher starred in the science fiction film The Butterfly Effect (2004) and had a voice role in Open Season (2006).
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