Actor Akshay Kumar has invested an undisclosed amount in wearable devices maker GOQii, participating in the company’s Series C funding round. The company hopes to raise $50-70 million in the latest round of funding.
“We are extremely happy to have Akshay Kumar as part of our GOQii Family. He personifies the values that GOQii stands for and is a living example of what we advocate — exercise, eat healthy and rest well,” Vishal Gondal, founder and CEO of GOQii told The Economic Times.
Gondal added that Kumar will be a strategic adviser in the company, but did not divulge further into the details citing confidentiality.
“I believe in the GOQii preventive health ecosystem, and am proud to be associated with such a passionate team. Health is not a short term goal and can be achieved by adopting a healthy lifestyle” Kumar said in a statement.
Kumar is the second Indian actor to make an investment in GOQii. Madhuri Dixit Nene had invested in the company in 2014.
Other Bollywood celebrities who have made investments in startups include Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Arjun Kapoor.
The latest round of funding comes eight months after GOQii raised $30 million in a funding round led by Japanese conglomerate Mitsui & Co.
GOQii is in discussions with several parties and has sought help from GCA Corp to find investors, according to The Economic Times report.
The new funding round might also be led by Mitsui & Co, and could see investments from insurance and healthcare companies, the report added.
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