Samantha Prabhu invests in wellness startup Secret Alchemist as co-founder

South Indian actress Samantha Prabhu has invested in D2C wellness startup Secret Alchemist and joined it as a co-founder, the company announced on Thursday. Samantha’s investment amount in the startup has not been disclosed but the capital will be used in marketing and expanding customer reach.

“The ‘Secret’ is officially out! We are beyond ecstatic to welcome Samantha Ruth Prabhu on-board as our newest co-founder and big thank you to Inflection Point Ventures and Vinay Bansal for leading the round and supporting our vision!” an official statement from the firm read.

Investing in holistic wellness

Aromatherapy-based wellness brand Secret Alchemist was founded in 2021 by Ankita Thadani and Akash Valia. The brand offers a range of products for holistic well-being.

“Samantha’s personal journey with aromatherapy perfectly aligns with our philosophy of addressing wellness at its roots…,” Thadani told Inc42.

Secret Alchemist has also raised $500,000 in a seed round led by Inflection Point Ventures, with participation from Pharmeasy founder Siddharth Shah and Plix founder Rishubh Satiya, the report added. The investment holds key significance because of the upcoming festive season.

Celebrities turn into investors

In 2023, a record number of celebrities turned investors with at least 19 personalities taking a bite of as many as 26 startups. In July, Olympian PV Sindhu joined the wellness brand Hoop as an investor and brand ambassador. Other noted celebrity investors include Amitabh Bachchan and Siddarth Malhotra and they both made headlines for becoming early investors in initial public offering-bound Swiggy. 

Cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni are also among celebrity investors. Tendulkar holds an undisclosed stake in ed-tech firm Uacademy; Kohli invested in Digit Insurance, which recently went public. Kohli also co-owns the clothing brand Wrogn. Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra owns a stake in the regional language streaming platform Stage.