Snoop Dogg - Venture Investor

With the latest investment in Reddit, the rapper and the unsurpassed "Travokur" Snoop Dogg actually received the status of a venture investor, and this is only the tip of the iceberg of its activities.

Nick Adler , a development specialist at Cashmere , who manages Snoop’s investments, claims that they will make more than 20 investments of various sizes over the next year. And that's not counting Snoop Dogg’s time, which he will spend on consulting.

Already, the rapper has invested in about 15 companies, most of the deals are still not revealed. However, it is known exactly about such companies as: Ustream (video hosting), Secret (anonymous messenger), Robinhood (budget network of supermarkets in northern Europe), Philz Coffee (coffee company).
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This fashion for investment among the stars of show business was introduced by Ashton Kutcher, who is currently the face of Lenovo. But if Ashton has a biochemistry engineering education, Snoop Dogg has a gangster reputation, and it’s wild to see him in Ralph Lauren’s sweater along with Google’s founder, Larry Page.

At the end of October, representatives of Fast Company agreed to hold a conversation with Nick Adler to determine the potential of Snoop as a successful investor.



When was Snoop Dogg first interested in investing in startups?

At first, he began to invest in projects at an early stage. We did not have a specific strategy, just a few interesting proposals at hand. I think it all started about 5-6 years ago with Ustreams. And it was really fun. Snoop arranged a conference in Palo Alto with the project developers and greatly encouraged the guys to create a valuable product. Of course, this was not something extremely important for the company itself, but it meant a lot to its individual employees.

And we approached serious investments a year ago. We didn’t just sit down in one day, thought it over and decided to invest, but approached this issue smoothly. It was very difficult to convince companies to believe in our intentions, and not just to present themselves as a “shocking star” with a bag of money.

How did you decide to present Snoop as an investor?

We began to regularly attend The Bay (a party for investors and startups). We started meeting people, and it was fun. You can find photos of Snoop, Mark Zuckerberg and Sean Parker on the Internet. We went to San Francisco and visited Square (https://squareup.com/), and also met with Jack Dorsey. We also met with a business angel, who offered us his 8 cases. It was extremely informative.



Did you have problems in the investment rounds?

Of course, many times, we could not agree on investments. At the moment, the situation is such that having done a bit of hype, companies in the it field get investment quickly. For them, this is not a problem. Fortunately, our advantage is that we provide them besides money and promotion.

And what exactly is the promotion?

You get the benefit of working with Snoop Dog and his solid team. At the moment, it is more than 30 people, ranging from specialists in media and advertising, to literate economists. You also get access to the international name of Snoop Doga, and this is more than 60 million fans and connoisseurs of his work. And this opens up incredible opportunities for the promotion of any brand.
How do you make investment decisions?

It sounds pretty banal, but we put on an understanding. If we meet people and have a dialogue with them for a while, we begin to like them. We want to meet people who understand the image of Snoop, who understand the agency Cashmere. However, this is at least the most important, but not the last detail.

We focus on the conformity of the product to the brand Snoop and Cashmere. In order to promote a product, it must organically fit into the framework of our image, it is reasonable.

Also there is always a share of chance and perseverance. Show your interest in us, and we will consider you.

How are you looking for a company to invest?

We have good relations with venture funds, hedge funds and business angels. They often come to us with suggestions.
Does Snoop address you personally with suggestions?

Of course. From time to time he introduces some ideas that he wants to deal with.
What does Snoop do while making a decision?

He is very methodical, calm and reasonable. I think he expects his investment expectations. Usually this is loneliness and light hip-hop in the background, just like it is in the media. After that, it opens for communication and discussion.

What does Snoop seek to get in addition to the profits from its investments?

Our goal is business, with elements of innovation. We want to associate ourselves with things that change the rules of the game. You can observe the devaluation of music, this industry is enslaved by technology (hello South Park series - link ). We want to be at the forefront, we want to make innovative and advanced products.

With all his peace of mind, Snoop loves to make out of the ordinary things that no one could even expect from him. This is part of his charm.

- From Terras : Honestly, it seemed that Snoop just wants to look fashionable, so he invests money in trendy cool stuff ... nothing more.

A source