JARED LETO

Built an acting career spanning three decades — from "My So-Called Life" to an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in "Dallas Buyers Club" (2014) to playing the Joker in DC's Suicide Squad. Founded Thirty Seconds to Mars, which has sold over 15 million albums.

Started angel investing around 2011 and built a portfolio of over 100 startups. Early investor in Uber (pre-Series A), Airbnb, Snapchat, Spotify, Robinhood, Reddit, and Nest.

Many of these investments returned 10-100x. Co-founded The Hive, a digital media company.

Invested in fintech companies including Monzo and Acorns. Active in crypto — was an early buyer of Ethereum and various DeFi protocols.

His entertainment and investment careers run in parallel, with Leto attending tech conferences as often as film festivals.

Thirty Seconds to Mars (founder), The Hive (co-founder), angel investor in 100+ startups

High-conviction early-stage betting. Leto gets into companies at the earliest stages, often through personal relationships with founders.

His portfolio reads like a who's who of the 2010s startup boom. Prefers consumer-facing technology — products he personally uses or that his massive social media following would use.

Doesn't lead rounds. Takes small angel positions and lets them ride.

Uber. Leto invested before the Series A, reportedly turning a small check into a massive return when Uber went public at a $75 billion valuation.

Airbnb, Spotify, and Snapchat were also multi-billion-dollar exits. His overall portfolio — 100+ bets with several unicorn hits — gives him a batting average that rivals professional VCs.

Some of the later-stage tech investments and crypto bets didn't perform as well. The NFT and metaverse investments lost significant value.

But Leto's portfolio is diversified enough that the winners massively outweigh the losers. The biggest risk is reputational — celebrity investors who promote crypto face scrutiny when retail investors lose money.

Invest in what excites you and what you understand as a consumer. Leto doesn't pretend to be a financial engineer — he backs products he loves and founders he believes in.

Thinks creative people make better investors because they can imagine futures that analytical types dismiss. "The best investments feel obvious in hindsight but insane in the moment."

Very private about personal life. No public relationships or children.

Extremely close with his brother Shannon Leto, who is the drummer of Thirty Seconds to Mars. His mother, Constance, raised him and Shannon in poverty — they moved constantly during his childhood.

University of the Arts in Philadelphia, School of Visual Arts in New York City. Started in art before transitioning to acting.

No business degree — self-taught in investing.

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