Justin Bieber goes VC, leads $1.1m investment in teen social network

Apparently not content with being a pop mega star, a spell as most followed person on Twitter or the second most followed account on Instagram, Justin Bieber has entered the tech investment space.

The Canadian singer has reportedly led a US$1.1-million seed round into Shots Of Me, a social network aimed at teenagers. The social network is the product of social mobile games maker RockLive.

According to Fortune, other investors included venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar, boxer Floyd Mayweather and angel investor Tom McInerney. The publication reckons that the investment is something of a landmark for Bieber. Not only is it the first time he’s invested in a social network, it’s also the first time he’s made an investment independent of his manager Scooter Braun.

“We got to know Justin after he began playing our games and tweeting about it,” RockLive CEO John Shahidi told Fortune. Shahidi, who founded the company a few years back with his brother Sam, added “He’s been very involved in our products, helping us test things and providing feedback… When we told him that we were looking to create a social network for teens that really addresses what they aren’t getting on other networks, and which tries to deal with things like cyber-bullying, his eyes just lit up.”

At the moment, there aren’t too many details around what Shots of Me will look like or how it will work. Shahidi did however note that it will not have a gaming focus. “We’ve really enjoyed making games, and have made a lot of money doing so, but this is something new.”

Image: Joe Bielawa (via Wikimedia Commons).