Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary on Investing in Tech Startups

Right now, Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary are on stage with Michael Arrington at TechCrunch Disrupt NY.  The two just shared that they are raising money for a new fund at a $100 million valuation.  They also shared a few of their investments which include a number of big names such as Spotify, Uber, Airbnb, Rapgenius, Getaround, Zaarly, Skype, and Flipboard.

The two focus on startups that are more consumer facing and are really interested in social, service industry disruptors, and digital currencies such as Bitcoin.  While many founders are now onboard with the idea of having big time celebrities invest in their startups, both noted that they had to earn their way in the investment/startup community in order to get past the stereotypes associated with them at the beginning.  “It’s not pimp my startup,” said Mr. Kutcher.  Guy said that in the beginning, there were a lot of stereotypes in terms of what they could actually bring to the table as investors, but noted that founders soon realized that they are both “way more valuable than just the stereotype.”

Ashton also added on to that statement, “You never know who that great one contact will be,” and went on to say, “We will work our asses off for the companies we invest in.”

Obviously, these guys have made some great investments as a number of the companies they shared are doing very well or have been acquired.  And now that they are raising even more money, it sounds like they’ll be investing even more.