Ashton Kutcher, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber: 23 Celebrities Trying To Score Big In The Tech World

In the last few years, a number of celebrities have moved from the silver screen to smartphone screens: They've had a hand in founding (or funding) some of the best-known companies in tech.

Facebook, Foursquare, Skype and Myspace are just a few that have benefited from the creative and/or financial help of a well-known celeb.

But what's the impetus for these stars to step from behind the mic or screen and into the tech-funding spotlight? The reasons vary greatly from person to person, but, at least for actor and angel investor Ashton Kutcher, it's all about technology's potential to change people's lives.

The "Two And A Half Men" star, who has invested in more than a dozen different companies, told TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington in September of last year:

I really think that, like, technology probably has the greatest potential to accelerate happiness, of most things in the world....Everybody sort of looks at investing and, you know, for me, if I don't make any money, but what we deliver people -- love and happiness and connectivity and friendship and health and whatever it is, their education, whatever it is that we can deliver that ultimately leads to people's happiness -- I'm fine losing my money, if that's the case.

To discover what other celebrities, from Justin Bieber to Will Ferrell, have tried their hands at scoring big in the tech world, flip through the slideshow below. Make sure to let us know: Which celebrity were you most surprised to see on this list?

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Comments

[ewj1]

05:38 PM on 03/14/2012

Because you invest in a tech company or write a blog does not mean you are geeky.

How about setting up a network or writing code. Then you would have at the head of the list Dexter Holland, Vin Diesel, Wil Wheaton, Richard Ayoade, Alan Ada, or Masi Oka.

[ewj1]

05:42 PM on 03/14/2012

Forgot Hedy Lamarr and Felicia Day.

[WthyrBendragon]

01:11 PM on 03/14/2012

None of these celebrity geeks have the tech gravitas of Hedy Lamarr. The Austrian born film star co-invented the frequency hopping technology that makes WiFi possible. Patent number 2,292,387 was granted on 11th August 1941 under her married name Hedy Kiesler Markey, along with co-inventor George Antheil.

http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/radio_history/gtnames/hedy_lamarr.php

[Neats]

02:30 PM on 03/13/2012

Being an investor or even an angel investor in a tech company does not mean one has expertise. It means one has money. I have invested in a company that makes cardiac stents. Would you like me to do your open heart surgery?

[Bob Almond]

11:20 AM on 03/13/2012

Will Wheaton! He's an acting superstar! Who could forget Wesley Crusher? And now a tech guru.

[Proud Bay Man]

01:59 AM on 03/13/2012

Ashton Kutcher now has Joker face. He was so cute.

[ProgressivesWin]

09:53 PM on 03/12/2012

I get the feeling Ashton, besides being one of the best looking guys on the planet, is also a genuinely good guy. I wish him well.

[firewired]

08:40 PM on 03/12/2012

Maybe those "stars" should just stick to doing what they know best (or are still trying to learn). Who gives a hoot that they might learn how to "tweet" something stupid? Yet that's about as close as most will come. That, or trolling on the HP!