Beyond the arc lights: 5 celebrities who are building brands and startups

Actors and celebrities are increasingly moving beyond endorsements to become entrepreneurs. Drawing on their own experiences and passions, and the market gaps they identify, they are building brands and ventures in beauty, wellness, health, artificial intelligence, and beyond.

Here’s a look at celebrities who have turned entrepreneurs in the last five years.

Kriti Sanon

In 2022, actor Kriti Sanon became an entrepreneur with her fitness startup, The Tribe. In 2023, she ventured into the skincare industry with D2C brand Hyphen, in partnership with PEP Technologies.

Hyphen gets its name from the idea of bringing different ingredients together to create effective skincare products. According to the actor, the brand reflects a blend of nature and science, combining traditional skincare wisdom with modern innovation. Its product range includes face creams, face serums, and sunscreens.

Recently, Hyphen was in the news for its innovative marketing campaign that first announced that Sanon had stepped down from her role as Chief Customer Officer, only to reveal that she was adding a new title to the list: Chief SPF Officer. The brand said it was a teaser for its All I Need Sunscreen.

Sanya Malhotra

When actor Sanya Malhotra decided to take a break from coffee, she turned to matcha and was soon hooked. Reading about the drink, she discovered that it has less caffeine than coffee, it relaxes your body, and cuts out the jitters, anxiety and crashes. 

What began as a personal search soon turned into a business idea.

Through her team, Malhotra connected with wellness entrepreneurs Dr Kunal Shah and Siddharth Shah, the founders of Mumbai-based Essenzaa Nutrition, which manufactures and exports herbal and nutraceutical products. The partnership eventually led to the launch of Bree Matcha.

The brand offers Everyday Matcha for daily energy and balance,  Ceremonial Matcha for purists, and a curated gift set with accessories for those seeking the full ritual experience.

Bree Matcha sources its premium matcha from Kagoshima, Japan—one of the world’s most renowned matcha-growing regions—and packages the products in India. 

Bhumi Pednekar

Actor Bhumi Pednekar’s Maya is an AI-led media startup she co-founded with Mihir Lath last year. The startup is focused on creating content across advertising, music videos, and films. The venture also aims to help build a stronger Indian animation ecosystem by telling stories rooted in everyday Indian experiences, moving beyond the usual mythology-led narratives.

Pednekar said the idea came from seeing how expensive filmmaking and marketing can be, especially while building a consumer brand. Exploring AI showed her how to significantly reduce production costs, making high-quality storytelling more accessible. She also emphasised the need for more women in AI to help shape inclusive technology.

Last year, the actor, along with her sister Samiksha, launched Backbay, a premium beverage brand, with its first product, Backbay Aqua, a natural mineral water sourced from the Himalayas.

Rashmika Mandanna

Last year, actor Rashmika Mandanna launched Dear Diary, a fragrance brand that reflects memories, emotions, and personal storytelling. For Mandanna, scent evokes memories of her mother’s body lotion and the coffee estates of Coorg, where she grew up. 

Dear Diary began as a digital journal on social media where the actor shared raw, reflective moments with her audience. That emotional honesty now shapes the fragrance brand’s identity, with each scent positioned as an extension of a personal story rather than just a beauty product. The debut collection includes scents such as National Crush, Irreplaceable, and Controversial.

The brand seeks to celebrate local stories and nostalgia through fragrance. The inspiration for its scents is rooted in India, especially in Mandanna’s South Indian upbringing, marked by strong notes of jasmine, pink lotus, and sugarcane that evoke familiar sensory memories. 

Lisa Ray

After being diagnosed with multiple myeloma at the age of 37, actor Lisa Ray publicly shared her diagnosis and her journey. What she did not share at the time was that her treatment led to chemo-induced or medical menopause. Though her doctors focused on saving her life, she says she received little guidance on managing menopause or understanding its wider impact on her health, leaving her to navigate symptoms like fatigue, mood swings, and thinning hair largely on her own. 

Her own struggles and those of her girlfriends led Ray to speak openly on social media. More women reached out with similar experiences, making her realise the scale of confusion, silence, and unmet need around midlife hormonal health. This year, she co-founded NuHer, a Mumbai-based midlife health clinic focused on integrated care for menopause and perimenopause. 

Ray says the goal is to create a trusted space where women are listened to and offered science-backed medical, psychological, and lifestyle support, while also pushing for wider awareness around menopause in India. 

(The story has been updated to correct a typo.)