From Ben Affleck to Tiger Woods, the celebrity founders behind today’s buzziest companies

Netflix recently revealed it paid $587M for Ben Affleck’s AI startup InterPositive. That’s $37M per employee.

In August, Unrivaled, the basketball league started by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart raised at a $650M valuation.

Being famous used to mean getting paid to endorse someone else’s product. Then it meant backing startups (check out our celebrity VC index). Now it means owning the company.

This week, we’re looking at celebrity founders: the famous names behind companies started in the last few years, and what that means for the industries they’re entering.

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When actors build AI tools

Hollywood spent 2023 fighting AI on the picket line. Meanwhile, a few actors were building it. Most of their tools handle production work like lighting, editing, and effects, as opposed to replacing performers. 

A few worth knowing:

• InterPositive (Ben Affleck): trains AI models on a production’s own footage to fix problems after filming, like missing shots and bad lighting. Netflix confirmed in July that it paid $587M in cash for the company, and it plans to keep the tools for its own productions rather than sell them.
• Wonder Dynamics (Tye Sheridan): lets filmmakers add CGI characters to live-action footage without a VFX studio. Autodesk acquired it in 2024 after it had raised $12.5M, and the product now lives on as Autodesk Flow Studio. 
• Asteria (Natasha Lyonne): an AI film studio backed by CAA and Comcast Ventures that only uses models trained on licensed content. In March, it launched Continuum Suite, software for running film and TV productions. Lyonne is also directing its first feature, Uncanny Valley.

AI is still a small slice of what actors build. Historically, most start production companies, including Affleck himself, who co-founded Artists Equity with Matt Damon in 2022. The space’s biggest exit so far is Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, which Candle Media bought in 2021.

When athletes start their own leagues

New leagues usually lose money for years, since ticket sales and broadcast deals take a while to cover the costs. Famous athletes start with a fanbase, but they still need investors willing to wait. 

A few we’re watching:

• TMRW Sports (Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy): the company behind TGL, an indoor golf league played on simulators. It’s reportedly finalizing a round at more than $1B, double its valuation from 2024. Next up, it’s launching a women’s league in November, and the NFL picked the startup to run a new professional flag football league.
• Unrivaled (Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart): a 3-on-3 women’s basketball league. Its valuation nearly doubled in a year, from $340M to $650M, with backers including Steph Curry, Carmelo Anthony, Giannis, and Dawn Staley. Players own a large piece of the startup, and their equity pool is now worth nearly $200M.
• Baller League (Mats Hummels, Lukas Podolski): an indoor six-a-side soccer league that has raised $32M, led by EQT Ventures. Its first US season, with teams run by stars like Usain Bolt drew in as many as 173K live viewers in March.

A few investors have started making repeat bets on new leagues. Ares Management alone has backed Shaun White’s Snow League, Paul Rabil’s Premier Lacrosse League, and League One Volleyball. 

When influencers launch their own brands

Influencers used to get paid to post about other companies’ products. Now the biggest ones are launching their own CPG brands and using their audiences as a built-in marketing channel. 

A few standouts:

• W (Jake Paul): a men’s personal care brand Paul co-founded in 2023. It launched at Walmart and set a record as the retailer’s best launch in its “Emerging Brands” category. 
• Khloud (Khloé Kardashian): a protein popcorn brand that launched in spring 2025 and is now in Target, Walmart, and Starbucks. It has raised $27M, including a $15M Series A in May, and Fortune reported in August that it’s growing faster than Poppi did.
• Sprinter Spirits (Kylie Jenner): launched as a canned vodka soda and has raised $17M. In April, it expanded into alcohol-free hydration packets.

Many of these brands come out of the same playbook. Night, the talent firm that helped build MrBeast’s Feastables and Sprinter’s new hydration line, raised $70M in February from Founders Fund, House Capital, and K5 Global. House Capital and K5 are also on Sprinter’s and Khloud’s cap tables. 

Still, not every audience turns into customers. Alex Cooper shut down Unwell’s drink line in August, days after her media company was valued at $500M.

The list keeps growing

Celebrity-founded businesses span more than leagues, AI tools, and consumer brands. Jalen Brunson launched Thirty Third Management in September to manage his off-court business and represent other athletes and entrepreneurs. Coco Gauff’s iROC announced its first two documentaries for Tennis Channel in June.

Earlier launches include Issa Rae’s Ensemble, which connects brands with creators to make sponsored content. MrBeast’s Viewstats sells tools to other YouTubers. Dua Lipa’s Service95 publishes articles, newsletters, and podcasts, alongside a book club.

Some are selling to fans; others count creators, athletes, and brands as customers.

We’ll keep tracking who turns these companies into a payday.

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