Celebrity Net Worth: Sachin Tendulkar bats for digital tokens

Cricket star Sachin Tendulkar is batting for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in a partnership with digital collectibles platform Rario, the company said last month. Tendulkar joins the team as a strategic investor and brand ambassador. It is his first foray into the world of NFTs . The finances of the deal were not disclosed. The platform will offer fans digital collectibles and personalised experiences that highlight moments from Tendulkar’s career . The Indian batsman holds the international record for runs scored, and is the only cricketer to have scored 100 international centuries. “Fans are an integral part of any sport. While the on-field action happens for a few hours, fans carry the memories forward and immortalise those moments forever. It is exciting to see NFT technology bringing fans closer to sports, giving them an opportunity to treasure their favourite moments,” Tendulkar said. “The team at Rario was committed to building a cricket community using technology in a responsible way. I am, therefore, happy to partner with the team, to launch my digital collectibles exclusively on the Rario platform.” Rario already has agreements with other cricketers, including Aaron Finch, Faf du Plessis, Rishabh Pant, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan. Tendulkar, 49, has a net worth of $200 million, according to estimates by Celebrity Net Worth. From the 1990s to the early noughties, he had some of the biggest sports management deals in Indian sport. For five years in the 1990s, he had contracts with celebrity management agencies valued at 300 million Indian rupees ($3.6m), then signed a three-year deal with Saatchi and Saatchi’s Iconix for 1.8 billion rupees in 2006. He has endorsed a range of brands, including BMW, Castrol, Britannia, Pepsi, MRF Tyres, Adidas, Paytm and Bajaj’s Sunny scooters. The former India captain has had several business ventures. Since 2016, he has had his own sports management company, SRT Sports Management. With the Future Group’s Big Bazaar supermarket chain, Tendulkar launched a range of personal care products named Sach. He also has a stake in a venture between the Future Group and the Manipal Group for healthcare, sports and lifestyle products. He ventured into the food business with two restaurant brands, Tendulkar’s in Mumbai, and Sachin’s in Mumbai and Bengaluru. Both shut down in 2007, according to India’s Economic Times newspaper. Other investments have included travel portal Musafir, gaming company Smaaash Entertainment, garment brand True Blue, as well as stakes in teams within India's kabaddi, badminton and football leagues. Tendulkar has since exited several of these ventures. In a previous strategic partnership, he joined hands with smartphone manufacturer Smartron to produce and endorse a device made entirely in India. In January, the company said it had received a capital commitment of up to $200m from the Global Emerging Markets (GEM) Group, according to private equity website VCC Circle. Last year, he signed a similar strategic partnership with Bengaluru-based education technology start-up Unacademy. Sean "Diddy" Combs is hip-hop’s newest billionaire, according to a calculation by former Forbes magazine editor Zack O’Malley Greenburg. The Bad Boy founder joins Jay-Z in the hip-hop billionaires club, powering past Kanye West , whose fortunes have tumbled as a result of his anti-Semitic remarks. Combs, 52, known professionally as Diddy and Puff Daddy, now has a net worth estimated at an even $1bn, Mr O’Malley Greenburg wrote in a Substack post. A 30-year music career has provided the foundation for Combs’s wealth, with income coming in from his catalogue, start-up investments and business deals. He has entered into a partnership with beverage company Diageo, which reportedly earns him $60m annually. Other business ventures include the TV network Revolt, where he is the majority shareholder, and the black business platform Shop Circulate with US software business Salesforce. He has backed start-ups such as creative incubator REC Philly, hologram producer Proto, and electric boat start-up Arc, alongside Will Smith and Kevin Durant. Combs earned $90m in the year to August, Forbes magazine calculates. Jay-Z remains the wealthiest hip-hop artist on the list, with a net worth of $1.5bn. Writer JRR Tolkien, who died of pneumonia in 1973, earned $500m this year. That put the author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit top of Forbes magazine’s list of top-earning dead celebrities. The revenue came from the sale of Middle-Earth Enterprises — which owns the worldwide intellectual property rights for motion pictures, merchandise and video games based on the two famous literary works — to Swedish gaming company Embracer in August. In total, the 13 dead artists, athletes and entertainers on this year’s list earned a record $1.6bn, a 72 per cent increase over last year’s aggregate. Others on the list included Kobe Bryant, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Dr Seuss and Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro, who co-wrote the elevator classic Africa . Adding to his portfolio of vegan and socially conscious brands is Leonardo DiCaprio, who recently invested in British footwear label Loci. The investment was part of a £4m ($4.5m) seed round for the 15-month-old vegan trainer start-up. “I am proud to be an investor in Loci, a brand dedicated to minimising its environmental impact, and centred around creating cruelty-free, ethical footwear,” DiCaprio said. Each pair of Loci trainers is made from certified recycled ocean plastic, and 10 per cent of its online profits go to wildlife conservation charities. DiCaprio, 47, is one of the richest actors in the world, with a net worth estimated at $300m, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He has 27 investments, according to the investor information website Pitchbook. Among them are cultivated meat start-ups Mosa Meat and Aleph Farms, compostable packaging producer Cruz Foam and the wildlife conservation-focused digital company, SafariSwap. He is also an adviser at the venture capital businesses Data Point Capital and Obvious Ventures. DiCaprio is the founder of Appian Way Productions, which has produced several of his films, as well as the documentary series Greensburg , and runs the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, a non-profit organisation focused on raising environmental awareness. Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi has endorsed India-based education technology company Byju's. Messi will promote the cause of equitable education through Byju’s social impact arm, the EdTech company said this week. Byju’s has enrolled 150 million pupils and students in 21 countries. The company is focused on growing its footprint internationally. It is one of the official sponsors of the Fifa World Cup 2022 in Qatar. The agreement will see Messi promote Byju’s Education For All at the event. “I chose to partner with Byju's because their mission to make everyone fall in love with learning perfectly aligns with my values,” Messi said. “I hope to inspire young learners to reach and remain at the top.” The footballer has a net worth of $600m, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Last month, he launched Play Time , a company that invests in sports, media and technology around the world — a move widely viewed as a way to consolidate his post-retirement income stream. The company has already poured money into two football-focused start-ups: the upcoming interactive website Matchday.com and market app AC Momento. He also runs his own non-profit organisation, the Leo Messi Foundation, which he set up in 2007 to promote equal opportunity for children.

Celebrity Net Worth: Sachin Tendulkar bats for digital tokens

In our fortnightly celebrity investment and wealth round-up, Diddy joins the hip-hop billionaires club while JRR Tolkien’s two most famous books bring in $500m this year