Actor-turned-investor Ashton Kutcher joins 'Shark Tank' ,shares three rules of investing

After successfully entertaining the public as an actor, producer and model, Ashton Kutcher entered the TV world as a guest investor on the seventh season of the American reality show, “Shark Tank,” on Friday. Investor Mark Cuban invited Kutcher to the set, where the actor-turned-investor discussed and explained three tried-and-tested rules of investing that he claimed will never disappoint investors.

Kutcher has been an investor for years, but it is the first time he has presented himself as one on television. His investment journey began with him seeking the assistance of Silicon Valley angel investor Ron Conway, who was his mentor in the late 2000s.

In 2010, Kutcher established his venture capital firm, A-Grade Investments, with entrepreneurs and investors Guy Oseary and Ronaldo Burke as co-founders. Prior to setting up his own firm, he worked as an angel investor. His connection with Silicon Valley’s premier investor Marc Andreessen proved beneficial as the latter convinced him to make investments in Skype in 2009. He has also invested in seed and Series-A rounds for Spotify, Uber, Houzz and Airbnb, which earned him the reputed appearance on the show.

In an interview with his website A-Plus, he explained three investing rules that he looks for before backing entrepreneurs. First, the entrepreneurs must be well aware of their products and the markets they are entering, but having their own idea might not always help them.

Secondly, entrepreneurs worth investing in must possess a personality that can withstand setbacks. “You can have the best idea in the world and absolute domain expertise and know how to do everything right, but if you want to do something great in the world, there are going to be obstacles; and you have to be a person who has ingenuity and sheer willpower to get through those times,” Kutcher said.

Thirdly, the entrepreneurs must get along with their investors well. An investor might not opt for investing in one’s business if he isn't comfortable with the person he is investing in.

Kutcher is the first guest judge to appear on "Shark Tank", which features entreprenuers trying to convince investors Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Kevin O'Leary and Robert Herjave to back their companies.

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