After growing up near Chicago, and then living in Hollywood for two decades, Jenny McCarthy returned to her Midwest roots and moved back to the Windy City.
That was a year-and-a-half ago. Today, ABC television network announced that McCarthy will be the newest host on “The View.”
Turns out that the former Playboy playmate, actor, and now television show host, is also an active investor when it comes to Chicago startups. McCarthy says that, when looking for companies in which to invest, she prefers to give homegrown entrepreneurs in Chicago a first look.
After taking a string of meeting with various companies and finding none which interested her, she took a meeting with the founders of Snip.ps — a site that enables celebrities, like McCarthy, or anyone with a large following, to monetize their social media content. After hearing the pitch, she plunked her money down.
“I’ve been an investor in many other businesses, but this one was a local company,” says McCarthy. “I had been searching and searching for a company like this. It’s a great idea.”
We caught up with McCarthy at TechWeek, where she tells us why she was helping to promote Snip.ps — one of 70 companies entered in the Launch competition. ❒
