Big brands in the industry have always been keen on sponsoring and nurturing young talent. Now, call it a sense of reimbursement or recognized potential, star cricketers are investing in budding new age startups. Indian Cricketers’ caliber in the field is known, now they are proving their potential as entrepreneurs by supporting startups. There are plenty of startups, invested and endorsed by them and the list is long.

The Helicopter has arrived

Recently, drones have been deployed to support rescue operations in flood hit Assam and the task has been undertaken by Garuda Aerospace, a homegrown startup that has emerged as a market leader by providing “Drone as a Solution”. Their innovative plans translate perfectly to Tunnel inspection, Solar panel cleaning, Delivery, Thermal inspection drones and more. This Chennai based startup got investment from MS Dhoni and appointed him as their brand Ambassador.

Expressing his happiness to be a part of Garuda Aerospace, MS Dhoni claims to be looking forward to witnessing their growth story with the unique drone solutions they have to offer.

He has also made some big investments previously: 7InkBrews-a food and beverages company, HomeLane-one stop home interior solutions, Khatabook-tracking business transactions safely and securely

Retro

Yuvraj Singh’s exclusive firm YouWeCan (YWC) Ventures to promote the growth of startups. Yuvraj Singh has shown a great zeal in startups that solve some unique problems of the society. On a long vision, he has focused on startups that affect the society and environment positively based on healthtech, edtech and sports. They include Wellversed, dealing with nutritional products, JetSetGo aiming at private air travel and Eazydiner, an online restaurant booking platform.

Not far behind, Virat Kohli, along with Anushka Sharma has invested in BlueTribe, a startup on plant based meat products. He has also invested in RageCoffee, MPL and Digit.

Benefits and the Beneficiaries

All these investments clearly indicate the growing interest of funding startups among cricketers, on a general note, celebrities. Celebrity investments don’t just bring funds, they build credibility, and provide recognition. This is a great boost for the startup community as they gain funds and a new market opens up.