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Oprah Winfrey

Winfrey invests like an operator, taking sizeable equity positions in consumer brands she personally uses and promotes, often joining the board rather than going through a fund. Her best-known move was buying about 10% of Weight Watchers in 2015.

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$43M Weight Watchers

~10% for ~$43MWeight Watchers stake (2015)

~$400MReported peak gain on Weight Watchers

$200MOatly round joined (2020)

$250MApeel Sciences round joined (2020)

$4.4BGuild Education valuation (Series F, 2022)

$110MMaven Clinic Series D (2021)

Watch

Oprah Winfrey in her own words

Oprah Winfrey on Career, Life, and Leadership · via Stanford Graduate School of Business

The thesis

How Oprah Winfrey invests

Winfrey invests through her Los Angeles family office, OW Management, in companies whose missions line up with her public brand across health, wellness, sustainability and education, and where her endorsement itself can move the business. Her signature deals are operator-style stakes with a board seat and an active role, such as Weight Watchers and True Food Kitchen, rather than passive checks, though she has also joined later-stage rounds in Maven, Guild, Oatly and Apeel. The through-line is buying into consumer-facing brands she can credibly champion to her own audience.

I believe in the program so much I decided to invest in the company and partner in its evolution.

Forbes, 2015 ↗

I believe deeply in the power of education to change the trajectory of a person's life, and Guild is creating a more equitable path to quality education.

Crunchbase News, 2022 ↗

The portfolio

What Oprah Winfrey has backed

8 documented positions — each sourced to named reporting.

Weight Watchers (WW International)

Weight-management and wellness company.

When: October 2015, bought about 10% (~6.4M shares) for ~$43M at $6.79 a share, joined the board and became an adviser
Why: She credited the program with her own results and wanted to partner in its turnaround, not just endorse it.
Status: The stock more than doubled on the news; Money reported she booked around $400M at the peak before selling down her position and leaving the board.

Forbes, 2015 ↗Money, 2020 ↗

OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network)

Cable network she launched in 2011 as a joint venture with Discovery.

When: Co-founded 2011; operator equity
Why: Her own television platform after The Oprah Winfrey Show ended.
Status: In December 2020 she sold most of her stake to Discovery for more than $35M in Discovery stock, keeping roughly 5% and remaining CEO.

Variety, 2020 ↗Forbes, 2020 ↗

True Food Kitchen

Health-focused restaurant chain built on Dr. Andrew Weil's anti-inflammatory menu.

When: July 2018, an undisclosed equity investment plus a board seat
Why: A wellness and food brand aligned with her health focus, where she took an active board and marketing role.
Status: Private (Centerbridge Partners is the controlling shareholder); the chain has expanded nationally.

CNBC, 2018 ↗PR Newswire, 2018 ↗

Oatly

Swedish oat-milk maker.

When: July 2020, part of a $200M private round with Blackstone, Jay-Z's Roc Nation, Natalie Portman and Howard Schultz that valued Oatly around $2B
Why: A plant-based, sustainability-aligned consumer brand.
Status: Oatly later listed on Nasdaq (OTLY) in 2021.

AgFunderNews, 2020 ↗

Apeel Sciences

Food-tech startup making plant-based coatings that extend produce shelf life to cut food waste.

When: 2020, joined a $250M round alongside Katy Perry
Why: Reducing food waste is a cause she has spoken about repeatedly.
Status: Private; the 2020 round valued Apeel around $1B.

CNBC, 2020 ↗Food Tank, 2020 ↗

Maven Clinic

Virtual women's and family health clinic.

When: Backed the $110M Series D (2021) that pushed Maven to a $1B+ valuation, the first women's-health unicorn
Why: Women's health, values-aligned and female-led.
Status: Later valued at $1.7B at its 2024 Series F.

STAT News, 2021 ↗PR Newswire, 2021 ↗

Guild Education

Education-benefits platform that connects workers to employer-funded upskilling and degrees.

When: June 2022, participated in the $175M Series F at a $4.4B valuation
Why: Education access aligns with a cause she publicly champions.
Status: Private; later rebranded to Guild, with its valuation cut in the tech downturn.

Crunchbase News, 2022 ↗Forbes, 2022 ↗

Spanx

Shapewear and apparel brand founded by Sara Blakely.

Founder on Celeb Investors: Sara Blakely ↗

When: November 2021, joined as an investor alongside Blackstone's majority purchase
Why: Backing a female-founded consumer brand at scale.
Status: Private; the deal valued Spanx at about $1.2B.

Fortune, 2021 ↗Blackstone press release, 2021 ↗

Photo: U.S. Embassy South Africa — Wikimedia Commons, public domain

What the record doesn't say

Read this with the gaps in mind.

The True Food Kitchen and Oatly amounts weren't broken out individually (the Oatly figure was a group total), and her stakes shift over time as she buys and sells.

Go deeper

Frequently asked questions

What has Oprah Winfrey invested in?

Oprah Winfrey has backed Weight Watchers (WW International), OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), True Food Kitchen, Oatly, and 4 more. Each one is listed on this page with what the company does and a link to named reporting.

How much has Oprah Winfrey invested?

Cheque sizes are almost never disclosed, and Oprah Winfrey's are mostly private. Where a round size, stake or valuation has been reported we cite the source; otherwise we flag it as undisclosed rather than guess.

How does Oprah Winfrey invest?