In recent years, more and more people are following the startup culture and indulging themselves in the startup ecosystem. People are following their dreams of starting their own companies and presenting their innovative ideas in front of the world.
In between all these, the most important thing is, getting funds for your business, because, without that, your business will not survive and your dreams will crash down. In fact, it is impossible to even think about going ahead without funds.
Fortunately, there are investors out there who willingly invest in startups that they find promising. In the list of these investors, celebrities also had added their names. A number of celebs take interest in startups and invest in them. Not only does it show, that they are supporting new entrepreneurs but also it becomes an advantage for the startup that they are associated with a popular celeb.
With India being one of the biggest startup hubs, Bollywood celebs are taking interest in the startup ecosystem. Bollywood actor, Varun Dhawan also has shown his interest in funding some startups. Varun Dhawan is surely one of the most popular Indian actors of the current generation. The 35-year-old has served us with some popular and fine hits in his 10 years of career. He debut with the film Student of The Year in 2012 and is currently one of India’s highest-paid actors.
Some of his films like ‘Badlapur’, ‘Sui Dhaga’, ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’ and ‘ABCD 2’ have been described as clear hits at the Box office and also some of them are critically acclaimed films.
He has won Filmfare Awards, IIFA Awards and other recognizable Indian film awards for his performances. Apart from being a good actor, he is also a good dancer and has shown his tremendous dancing skills in dance movies like ‘ABCD 2’ and ‘Street Dancer 3D’. Varun Dhawan, as mentioned has invested in startups, in this article we will talk about those startups. So let’s get right into the business.
“Don’t do a startup unless you’re ideologically driven to make it succeed beyond the economic motivation.” -Balaji Srinivasan
Fast&Up is a plant-based active nutrition brand that provides all kinds of nutritional products to fulfil the needs of Indian athletes. Fast&Up is founded in the year 2015 by Vijayaraghavan Venugopal and Varun Khanna. The brand’s products mainly are all kinds of vitamin supplements and multivitamin drinks.
The startup has started attracting attention and has been able to reach out to 100 million people in just a month. The company has also won the ‘Best Health & Fitness Brand’ of 2019 by The Economic Times. The headquarters of the company is situated in Mumbai, India.
Fast&Up made quite a noise when Varun Dhawan funded an undisclosed amount to the company. It received the investment from the Bollywood actor after securing funds of INR 165 Crores from Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA).
Apart from that Varun Dhawan has also been appointed as the Good Vibes Officer of the brand. The main aim of this investment is to make more Indian people aware of intelligent nutrition and get them to associate with it. He has also appeared in the commercials for Fast&Up.
Curefoods
Curefood is a cloud kitchen operating company, under which brands like EatFit, Frozen Bottle, CakeZone and Great Indian Khichdi operate. The main of the company is to provide foods that come under the regular normal diet of customers and cater for their nutrition needs.
Curefoods was founded in the year 2020 by Ankit Nagori and since then has been working on providing healthy and nutritional foods to its customers.
Recently, Varun Dhawan invested an undisclosed amount in the brand, right after the company secured $62 million of funding from companies like Iron Pillar, Accel Partners and entrepreneurs like Binny Bansal.
Apart from the investment of Varun Dhawan, he has also become the brand ambassador of EatFit, which is a food ordering platform under Curefoods. Varun Dhawan invested in the cloud kitchen operator right after the company came forward with its new direct-to-consumer food ordering platform EatFit. As per reports, Varun Dhawan will also appear in the marketing campaigns of Curefood.
Varun Dhawan himself being a health-conscious person and a fitness freak doesn’t really surprise us that he is investing in these startups. With his popularity, it seems the startups will also experience growth in the future and their association will only bring positive responses from the public to them.
FAQs
What is the age of Varun Dhawan?
Varun Dhawan was born on 24 April 1987 and is 34 years old.
Who is the wife of Varun Dhawan?
Varun Dhawan married fashion designer Natasha Dalal on January 24 2021.
What are some of the investments of Varun Dhawan?
Varun Dhawan has invested in Fast&Up and CureFoods.
Endorsing brands with celebrities is a common marketing strategy used in the Advertising Industry. Having a celebrity brand endorser comes with many advantages, they help advertising the company’s products, brand and services, reach their target audience and raise brand equity. Varun Dhawan is one of the top upcoming celebrity endorser in India.
Varun Dhawan is an Indian actor that works predominantly in the Hindi film industry. Currently, Varun Dhawan is also one of the highest paid actors and has also been featured in the list of Forbes India’s Celebrity 100, since 2014. Varun Dhawan at a young age of 34, became the only actor in Bollywood to get 11 box office successes in a row.
The actor is known for his work in movies such as Student of the Year, Main Tera Hero, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Dilwale, Dishoom, Judwaa, Badlapur, Sui Daaga, Street Dancer, etc. The net worth of the Varun Dhawan is estimated to be over $29 million in 2021. While the actor is known to charge over Rs 1 to 3 Crore.
The brands endorsed by Varun Dhawan are Reebok, Parle Agro Frooti, Layer’r Shot, Maruti Suzuki Arena, Resiquick, Lux Cozi, Fossil Watches, Tasty Treat, Brylcreem, FBB, Buffalo Clothing, SkyBags, Adar Poonawalla Clean City Initiative, Adiction Deodorant, Campus shoes, Philips, Dhawan & Only, We Chat, Nestle Fruita Vitals, Mazaa, Iconic Clothing, Panasonic, Gatsby hair gel, Idee, Ponds Men, Colgate, Oppo, Coca-cola, Bournvita, Navratna, Haathi Cement, Indian Cancer Society, etc.
Here is the list of brands endorsed by Varun Dhawan
Reebok
Reebok is globally known British footwear and clothing company that is a subsidiary of Adidas. The company was founded by J.W Foster and Sons in 1895 in Bolton Lancashire, England and currently has its headquarters based in Boston, Massachusetts, with offices in Amsterdam, Montreal, Hong Kong and Mexico City.
Reebok is the official footwear and apparel sponsor for popular companieslike CrossFit and Spartan. The company is known for its products such as fitness, running and CrossFit sportswear which include clothing and footwear. Reebok signed Varun Dhawan along with Katrina Kaif as its brand ambassador in 2019.
The duo have made fitness related ad commercials for reebok, recently the company launched its biggest campaign on Sole Fury, which is a dynamic new silhouette that is equal parts sport and style, featuring Varun Dhawan.
According to Sunil Gupta, the brand director of Reebok India, “Being a fitness enthusiast, the actor complements the brand brilliantly. Varun echoes Reebok’s enthusiasm and dedication to fitness, and we are confident that together we will continue to revolutionise the fitness industry.”
Parle Agro Frooti
Frooti is the second largest mango flavoured drink sold in India and a flagship brand of Parle Agro which is a FMCG Company. The brand was initially launched in 1985 and then became the most successful drink launched by Parle Agro. The drink used to be sold in a tetra pak packaging and are now available in PET bottles.
Frooti can be found in the countries such as USA, UK, UAE, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Maldives, Singapore, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia, Mozambique, Ghana, Malawi, Zambia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Japan, and Ireland. The company signed Varun Dhawan as its brand ambassador in 2019 and was also featured in a commercial for its new campaign called #TheFrootiLife along with Alia Bhatt.
Commenting on their association, Nadia Chauhan, the CMO of Parle Agro said that, “Introducing Varun Dhawan as Frooti’s new brand ambassador is a step towards accelerating our ambition to be the number one in mango drinks segment. The presence of both Varun and Alia will help us connect better with the consumers to take the brand to newer heights.”
Maruti Suzuki is one of the most known and trusted automotive company which is a subsidiary of Suzuki which is a Japanese automotive manufacturer. The company was earlier founded and owned by the Government of India until 2003. As of 2018, the company had achieved a market share of 53% in the Indian passenger car market.
Maruti Suzuki is currently the country’s largest car manufacturer and has launched Maruti Suzuki Arena. These new showrooms will be modern and will enhance transparency and offer a warm, friendly and comfortable environment to the customers.
The Maruti Suzuki Arena have four distinct retail channels which are Maruti Suzuki Arena, NEXA, Commercial and True Value. The company signed Varun Dhawan as an endorser for Maruti Suzuki Arena, the ad campaign for this will based on the tagline ‘A destination called you. A feeling called Maruti Suzuki Arena.’
In an interview, R.S. Kalsi, the Senior Executive Director of Maruti Suzuki said that, “Led by Varun Dhawan, our new campaign will showcase Maruti Suzuki Arena as a youthful and modern destination for a dynamic, trendy, social and connected car buying experience.”
Lux Cozi
Lux Cozi is a popular brand of men’s underwear that is owned by Lux Industries with its headquarters based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Lux Industries Ltd is one of the oldest underwear companies in the country, known for its Hosiery products for men, women and children. The brand was launched 1963, that now has a turnover of Rs 200 crores.
Lux Cozi is known to be sold in more than five lakh retail stores across the country. The company has also sponsored for some IPL teams such as Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warriors India. Lux Cozi signed Varun Dhawan as it brand ambassador in 2017, and the actor has so far been the face for the brand for a few years now and has appeared in many ad commercials.
In an interview, Mr. Udit Todi, senior vice president, Lux Industries said that, “A significant section of young audience connects with Varun and we believe will work in favour with our strategy to reach out to the youth of this country.”
FBB is a clothing brand that belongs to Big Bazaar and was founded in 2008, making it the oldest and largest retail hypermarket chains of India. Big Bazaar has more than 250 stores in over 120 cities and towns across the country with FBB stores available in every Big Bazaar store.
FBB has been trying to redefine affordable fashion which is why it has a strong presence across all metropolitan cities of India. FBB signed both Katrina Kaif and Varun Dhawan as its brand ambassadors. The company launched its ‘Everything Below 599’ campaign with Varun Dhawan in order to attract more customers especially during the pandemic.
Commenting on the association, Akshay Mehrotra, the CMO of FBB said that, “Katrina Kaif and Varun Dhawan represent the youth of today, who are independent, confident and have individualistic and inimitable style quotient. Both the actors personify fbb’s brand preposition of contemporary and comfortable style with mass appeal and with an aspiration that relates to youth across India.”
Fossil watches
Fossil is an popular American Fashion designer and a manufacturer that was founded in 1984 by Tom Kartsotis. Fossil Group is headquarters in Rishardson, Texas and has brand like Relic, Michele Watch, Fossil, Skagen Denmark, Misfit, WSI and Zodiac watches under it. The company also makes licensed accessories for other luxury brands such as BMW, Puma, Emporio Armani, Michael Kors, DKNY, Diesel, Tory Burch, Chaps, and Armani Exchange.
Varun Dhawan became the brand ambassador for Fossil Watches in India and has been featured in multiple fossil ad commercials. Fossil also collaborated with Varun to make a limited edition watch collection, a portion of the sales from the range is said to be donated to the Magic Bus. Magic Bus is a NGO with a mission to end poverty through education.
Commenting on his association with the company, Varun said that, “Fossil is an iconic brand that has always celebrated creativity, authenticity and optimism, everything that I swear by when it comes to my style. I am honored to be associated with a brand that is so close to me, to create a watch that truly personifies what I believe in something new, exciting, and affordably classy.”
Philips is one of the most trusted electronic multinational company that was founded by Gerard Philips in 1891. Philips has its headquarters based in Amsterdam and is the largest electronics companies in the world. As of now, Philips has more than 80,000 employees in over 100 different countries.
Philips is segregated into the sectors of Personal health, connected care and diagnosis and treatment, while the lighting division became a separate company. In 2012, Philips went on to became the largest manufacturer of lighting in the world as measured by applicable revenues. Varun became the Philips’s brand ambassador in 2015 and endorsed the male shaving category in some multimedia ad campaigns.
The company in a statement said that, the actor was roped infor the brand as he exemplified the modern man who is suave, confident and well-groomed. ADA Ratnam, President of personal health for Philips India, added that, “Who better than Varun Dhawan to endorse the new shaver’s range that is designed for all the men to get the perfect shave without any nicks and cuts.”
Pond’s Men
Ponds is an US brand known for its beauty and health care products, and is currently owned by Unilever. Ponds is was first patented medicine by Theron T Pond, a pharmacist in the 1846. By the 20th century the company was mainly selling cosmetic products. Today, the pond’s wide variety of creams are sold worldwide and are especially popular in countries like Spain, India, Japan and Thailand.
Ponds is known for its products that are specialized for different ethnicities, ages, environment and lifestyles. Ponds launched its skincare range for men in India with Varun Dhawan as it brand ambassador. When Ponds men was going to launch it was said to be the first of its kind, as it offered skincare range that instantly brightened and recharged skin for Indian men.
Varun so far has been the face of the brand in many of the ponds ads and also added, he loves the new Pond’s Men range of face washes and moisturizers because they are an effective and no-fuss solution to my skin needs. Pond’s is amongst the most reputed skincare brands in the world. He also added that, it is exciting to be the face of this product range for men.
Layer’r Shot is a deodorant brand that is owned by Adjavis Venture Limited. The company was initially established in 2013 by Devendra N Patel. Adjavis Venture Limited came up with LAYER’R Shot and Wottagirl which were both successful in the market. Layer’r Shot recently became one of the top selling fragrance brand for men and offers a wide range of world class, long lasting fragrances crafting especially crafted for the Indian customer.
Varun became the brand ambassador for Layer’r Shot in 2018, the last campaign featuring the actor is based on how older adults who are judgmental about today’s youth. The ad showcases how the new fragrance spreads good thoughts and removes the negative or judgmental thinking happening around them.
Commenting on the commercial, Virendra Saini, the Executive Director said that, “Varun Dhawan is a perfect fit for this campaign as this product appeals to the youth and who better than Varun to represent today’s youth and their thinking. The script demanded someone who has humour and also, someone who can bring freshness and liveliness to the brand.”
Oppo
Oppo is a popular Chinese consumer electronics and a mobile communications company and is among the top ten smartphones sold in India. The company has its headquarters in Dongguan, Guangdong and offers a variety of products ranging from smartphones, audio devices, power banks, blu ray players to other electronic products.
The company was initially launched in 2004 and is currently is available in over 40 countries selling smartphones in more than 200,000 retail stores. Oppo signed Varun Dhawan as its series ambassadors in 2021 for the range of smartphones called OPPO F19 Pro+ 5G and F19 Pro.
The actor launched the smartphone through its latest ad campaign with the tagline of ‘Flaunt the Nights’. In 2019, OPPO India also made actors such as Ranbir Kapoor as their brand icon, Katrina Kaif and Badshah as brand friends for the Reno smartphone series of OPPO. The three stars will be featured together for an ad film of OPPO India.
Adar Poonawalla Clean City Initiative
Adar Poonawalla Clean City is an initiative that focuses on sustaining environment and is undertaken by Adar Poonawalla. The initiative started in 2014 when Mr. Poonawalla found garbage piling up and being dumped across the city and even went on to pledge Rs. 100 crore for this initiative.
The main aim of this organization is to ensure that more and more cities adopt it to make Urban India becomes cleaner, greener and healthier. Both Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt were made endorsers of the Adar Poonawalla Clean City Initiative in 2017.
The two have been featured in ad films that highlights the need to keep your cities clean and dispose of garbage in the bin. The ad film was successful and gained over 1.5 million views in a single day.
Varun Dhawan is an Indian actor that works predominantly in the Hindi film industry. Currently, Varun is also one of the highest paid actor in the country.
How much does Varun Dhawan charge for brand endorsement?
Varun Dhawan is known to charge over Rs 1 to 3 Crore for brand endorsements.
What is the net worth of Varun Dhawan?
The net worth of the Varun Dhawan is estimated to be over $29 million in 2021.
Conclusion
After the success of many his movies, Varun Dhawan has also become quite popular in the advertising industry as the actor has endorsed many brands in a short span. The actor is in demand because he is young hence appeals to the youth and has huge fan following.
Varun can be seen endorsing big brands from the sectors of FMCG to automobile to even lifestyle on virtually every platform. Varun is known to endorse brands that generally appeal to the masses, which why it look like actor’s brand value will only continue to grow in the future.
Piyush Mishra
