14 Hot Startups Funded by High-Profile Entrepreneurs Find out which startups are attracting the attention -- and the dollars -- of some of the most high-profile entrepreneurs.

By Kara Ohngren Prior

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

A creative mind never stops working. It's always searching for new ideas, new methods, and most importantly new inspiration.

Here are nine entrepreneurs who have found wealth and success with their own creative ideas and have used the money earned from their ventures to reinvest in new startups that they find inspiring. After all, what good is making a little bit of cash if you can't use it to make even more?

Kevin Rose, investments: Foursquare and Fab

Rose is the founder of Digg, a user-submitted news site where readers "Digg" the stories they like most, promoting them to the site's coveted front page.

Investments:

Foursquare: Part of a $1.35 million, nine-participant angel investment in 2009 for the location sharing app.

Fab.com: Part of a $7.7 million, 18-participant series A funding round in 2011 for the design-centric online marketplace.

Peter Thiel, investments: Facebook and Zynga

Thiel is the co-founder of Paypal, an online money sending site.

Investments

Facebook: Part of an early $500,000, two-participant angel investment in 2004. Thiel's stake in the social media giant is now estimated at $2.13 billion.

Zynga: Part of a $10 million, 10-particpant series A round of funding in 2008 for the creators of numerous hit Facebook games including Farmville.

Related: PayPal Here Joins Mobile-Pay Apps Already There

Reid Hoffman, investment: Shopkick

Hoffman is the co-founder of LinkedIn, an online professional networking site.

Investments

Shopkick: Part of a $2.5 million, four-participant series A funding round in 2009, for the shopping deal app.

Related: Innovator: Shopkick's Cyriac Roeding Reinvents Retail

Kevin Hartz, investments: Pinterest and Milo

Hartz is the co-founder of Eventbrite, an event promotion and ticket-sales website.

Investments

Pinterest: Part of a $500,000, 10-participant angel investment in 2010 and a $10 million, seven-participant series A funding round in 2011 for the virtual pin board site.

Milo: Part of a $950,000, seven-participant seed investment in 2008 and a $4 million, 17-participant series A round of funding in 2009, for the product comparison site.

Eduardo Saverin, investment: ShopSavvy

Saverin is the former CFOand co-founder of Facebook , he has also invested in other early-stage tech startups Qwiki (an interactive video site) and Jumio (a mobile payments and identity verification company).

Investments

ShopSavvy: $7 million in venture round funding in 2011, for the comparison and mobile shopping app.

Related: Inside the Competitive Mind of Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg (Infographic)

Chris Sacca, investments: Twitter, Kickstarter, and Instagram

Sacca is the founder of Lowercase Capital, a company that manages more than 50 early-stage tech startups.

Investments

Twitter: Part of a $5 million, nine-participant series A funding round in 2007, for the popular social media site.

Kickstarter: Part of a $10 million, 18-participant venture round of funding in 2011, for the online fundrasing site.

Instagram: Part of a $7 million, five-participant series A funding round in 2011, for the social photo-sharing app.

Caterina Fake, investment: Esty

Fake is the co-founder of Flickr, a photo-sharing site.

Investments

Etsy: Part of a $1 million, five-participant series A round of funding in 2006 for the online handmade marketplace.

Related: Caterina Fake on Stepping into the Unknown

Chris Dixon, investment: Voxer

Dixon is the co-founder of Hunch, a recomendation-sharing app.

Investments

Voxer: Part of a $30 million, six-participant venture funding round in April 2012 for the walkie-talkie smartphone app.

Timothy Ferriss, investments: Twitter and Posterous

Ferriss is the author of The 4-Hour Workweek (Crown Archetype, 2007) and has created a huge following and is a sought-after public speaker.

Investments

Twitter: Part of a $15 million, six-participant series B funding round in May 2008 for the micro-blogging site.

Posterous: Part of a $725,000, 11-participant angel investment in December 2008. Posterous has simplified blogging and now has more than 15 million monthly users.

Kara Ohngren is a freelance writer and part-time editor at YoungEntrepreneur. Her work has appeared in publications including Entrepreneur Magazine, The New York Times, MSNBC, The Huffington Post and Business Insider.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Leadership

Lead From the Top: 5 Core Responsibilities of a CEO

Knowing exactly what the chief executive's role entails is critical for steering a company to success.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

Here's How Much a Typical Google Employee Makes in a Year

Compensation for the median Google employee was up 5% in 2024 compared to 2023, according to a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Business News

Jeff Bezos Launches a Tesla-Rival That's 'Affordable' and Customizable. Here's What the EV Truck Looks Like.

Slate Auto has launched its reservation site, where truck buyers can create a vehicle with a spate of customizations.

Leadership

What Makes You a Unicorn in Your Industry? Start by Mastering These 4 Pillars

We all want to achieve elusive unicorn status. But how do you attain such a lofty goal among stiff competition, all vying for the same thing?

Leadership

This Overlooked Leadership Skill Will Help You Build Trust, Influence Teams and Thrive Under Pressure. Here's How to Develop It.

Executive presence is a critical but underrated leadership skill in 2025. Here are the steps you can take to develop it.