Ashton Kutcher Net Worth

The Rise of Ashton Kutcher: From Modeling to Venture Capital

Ashton Kutcher’s success as a model, actor, entrepreneur, and TV host has been nothing short of amazing. His career began in the fashion industry that led to runway shows and successful modeling assignments for Calvin Klein. However, his ambition to venture into the acting industry led him to move to Los Angeles where he finally made it big by portraying the character of Kelso in That 70’s Show that turned him into an overnight sensation. Now, he’s better-known as a technology investor and is hailed as a successful venture capitalist with an estimated net worth of $200 million.

Early Life and Education

Born on February 7, 1978, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Ashton Kutcher was raised with his twin brother Michael, who suffered from cerebral palsy. At 18, Kutcher enrolled in the University of Iowa to study biochemical engineering.

During his time at college, Kutcher developed an interest in modeling and dropped out of college in 1997 to pursue his dreams. Soon enough, he signed on with Elite Modeling Agency in New York City and became quite successful.

Acting Career

After being cast as Kelso in That 70’s Show, Kutcher gained a lot of popularity due to his comic timing and good looks. He acted in several films, including Just Married with Brittany Murphy and Dude, Where’s My Car? with Sean William Scott.
Despite gaining a sizable fan base during his TV career, Kutcher’s most significant contribution to the filming industry was through Punk’d. As part of Punk’d, Kutcher orchestrated a series of elaborate hidden camera pranks on his fellow celebrity acquaintances and parlayed his success in the show to executive producer credits on other MTV reality shows.

Kutcher’s journey in the entertainment industry didn’t end there even though he had to scale back appearances in his final season of That 70’s Show. In 201, Kutcher played an assassin in Killers (which he co-produced), and the following year, he replaced Charlie Sheen in CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men — earning $800,000 per episode.

Kutcher’s high-profile venture into startups has been through his venture capital firm — A-Grade Investments, which attracted $30 million from investors to invest in technology startups before shutting down in 2017. Kutcher made early investments in startups such as Airbnb, Uber, and Spotify and brought on Guy Oseary and Ron Burkle into his team to help widen the scope of their investments.

Personal Life

In 2005, Kutcher famously married actress Demi Moore but they separated six years later citing personal differences. Currently, he is married to Mila Kunis, with whom he has two children.

Quote on Business

“Good-looking people turn me off. Myself included. Being aware of one’s physical flaws dictates fashion trends. I thought that was a funny idea.” – Ashton Kutcher

Achievements

Kutcher’s career trajectory matched that of very few in the entertainment business. He became a popular comedy star for his performances in many TV sitcoms such as That 70’s Show, and Two and a Half Men. In terms of film success, Kutcher appeared in several successful films over the course of his career. His investment firm, A-Grade Investments boasted dozens of successful startups in its portfolio.

Ashton Kutcher may have started as just another pretty face topped-off with innate goofiness and great timing, but he’s proved to be a talented actor with an outside savvy for deals as an angel investor and venture capitalist, connecting most with savvy, high-growth startups with fundamentally sound models.

• Social Media Stats: Twitter (17.2 million followers); Instagram (3.4 million followers)
• Projects of Interest: The Butterfly Effect, That ’70s Show, acting in Two and a Half Men, A-Grade Investments
• Awards: Nominated twice at the Teen Choice Awards under Choice Male Hottie category; Screen Actors Guild Awards (Won, Received an Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series award for “That 70’s Show” in 1999.); Webby Lifetime Achievement Award excepted in May of 2019

The Bottom Line

The life of Ashton Kutcher is quite an unexpected one that has required perseverance, dedication, and reinvention. Ashton Kutcher’s smart business sense and dynamic career choices have led him to succeed first as a model, transition smoothly into acting roles with the leads in television sitcoms and movies, then become one of the more noteworthy angel investors in Silicon Valley. His investments over the years have transformed him into one of the most sought-after venture capitalists. And yes, he is part of one of the cutest families we’ve ever seen on social media.