01
Venus Williams
Williams is primarily a founder-operator — activewear brand EleVen, plant-based protein brand Happy Viking, AI startup Palazzo — and an operating partner at private-equity firm Topspin Consumer Partners.
Who backs it
Ellevest
Invested in Sallie Krawcheck's women-focused robo-adviser as part of a $9M round (2016), alongside Mellody Hobson and Khosla Ventures; her amount undisclosed.
3 profiled backers
The backers
Who invested in Ellevest
02
Melinda French Gates
Founded Pivotal Ventures in 2015 as her personal investment and incubation company, blending venture investing, fund-of-funds LP stakes, grants and advocacy, concentrated on women, families and the care economy..
03
Sallie Krawcheck
Co-founder and (until 2025) CEO of Ellevest, a digital investing platform built by women for women (goals-based ETF portfolios).
What the record doesn't say
Read this with the gaps in mind.
This page lists the celebrity backers of Ellevest that we have been able to source, not its full cap table. Institutional investors, founders and private angels are outside what this site covers, and terms are rarely disclosed on either side.
Frequently asked questions
Which celebrities have invested in Ellevest?
Venus Williams, Melinda French Gates and Sallie Krawcheck are the profiled backers of Ellevest on this site. Each entry links to the reporting it comes from. Other investors — funds, founders and angels who are not public figures — are not covered here.
How much did they invest in Ellevest?
Cheque sizes are almost never disclosed. Where a round size, stake or valuation has been reported we cite it above; where it has not, we say so rather than estimate.