Actress Angelababy established venture capital fund AB Capital in May 2015, whose first batch of investment projects included the e-commerce company Ymatou and fruit and vegetable juice brand HeyJuice.[Photo/IC]

Celebrities joining venture capital investments and startups has become a very significant trend in the fast-growing private equity market in China over the past 12 months.

Their investments have changed from running restaurants and clothing shops to setting up VC funds or being the capital providers through limited partnerships, according to a report from China Venture.

For instance, in May 2015, actress Angelababy established venture capital fund AB Capital, whose first batch of investment projects included the e-commerce company Ymatou and fruit and vegetable juice brand HeyJuice. In January, TV host He Jiong invested, as a limited partner, in Changba.com, a social networking platform.