Almost Famous

Launching a company with a public figure whether a political activist or a star from Hollywood's A-listcan give your company a jolt; just be prepared to share the stage. Here's how five entrepreneurs skillfully navigate the vagaries and victories of joining forces with a celebrity.

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The Ex Factor: Kate Foster

The longtime beauty exec had seen startup success before, and then Scarlett Johansson gave her a new role.

In 2020, Kate Foster had just sold her startup, the product review site SwearBy, when a friend suggested she talk to Scarlett Johansson, who was looking for a partner to help launch a skin care company.

Foster, 46, was reluctant to jump right back into the fray. "Startup life is allconsuming," she says, and she wasn't interested in being the workhorse behind a celebrity's vanity project.

Curiosity, however, eventually won out. The longtime fashion and beauty executive took the meeting and quickly learned that the Oscar-nominated actress wanted to build a company on more than just her own image. Together, they agreed to share starring roles as co-founders of the Outset, which made its debut in 2022.