Today at TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2013 Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary held a Fireside Chat where the tech entrepreneurs spoke about different topics, including how the two met and became partners, as well their favorite apps that they have invested in, and how the Hollywood connection helps the tech world.
When Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary took to the stage of TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2013 the speaker asked how the two met and decided to partner up on projects in the tech world. Guy Oseary has been Madonna's long-time manager and was introduced to Ashton Kutcher by his ex-wife Demi Moore, which caused some laughs from the audience. Guy Oseary said that after he had been on Madonna's world tour and wanted to take a break and try something new, he knew the only person to do something successful with in the tech world was Ashton Kutcher. Oseary saw Kutcher's enthusiasm for tech and was overly impressed. He revealed that he felt he could never beat Kutcher finding the next big investment and contacted him to join forces on a new project. The two soon began an investment firm called A-Grade with Ron Burkle which was designed to opportunistically invest in technology start-up companies.
Ashton Kutcher revealed that being a major celebrity didn't initially help the firm earn its way into the tech world. He said that 9 out of 10 times there were many misconceptions about a celebrity getting involved in tech startups, but now that number has shrunk to one out of 10. A-Grade Investments is now seen as a very valuable firm to partner with when creating the next big thing.
Ashton Kutcher stressed that his company brings something very different to the table than typical tech investment firms since tech people surround the latter. He believes that the key to his company's success lies in the partners and people employed who are focused on investing in new products, services, ideas, apps, and more. He likened it to a Steve Jobs quote that stuck with him when he was playing the late Apple CEO in the movie, Jobs. He told a story about how Steve Jobs always thought that the best business people never went to school and were able to create things that more seasoned professionals would never dream up. Kutcher believes his sets of experiences are very different from business people and that allows him and his partners to take chances on new ventures.
Ashton Kutcher also spoke about his biggest focus in the tech world currently. He believes that "intelligent objects" are going to be the next big thing. He gave examples of seeing early prototypes of devices that work by thinking, allowing a user to think about something and have it happen virtually, like thinking of turning a light on and it turns on by thought. He thinks Google Glass is a great example of extraordinary forthcoming technology.
When asked about how Hollywood using tech devices in films influences new products in the future, Ashton Kutcher replied that it's starting to equalize at a faster rate due to Moore's Law; the type of futuristic objects in films are being created faster than they could ever be created in the past.
Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary also spoke about some of their favorite apps and services that they have invested in. These include:
A-Grade is focused on finding new areas in the tech world with a focus on social integration, and from the looks of it Ashton Kutcher isn't just the famous face of his company. The actor has a real love for technology and is even more active than the world realizes. It was a great discussion and you can also watch a video of the discussion below.
