Sometimes a hidden gem slips through the cracks in the investment world. This was the case for Kevin Hart.
Hart once turned down the chance to invest in Uber, a company now valued at $93.74 billion, according to Companies Marketcap.
On his podcast “Hart to Heart,” Hart shared that talent manager and investor Troy Carter presented him with the opportunity to fund the rideshare company during its early stages. However, Hart didn’t see the vision at the time.
“There’s nothing worse than being pitched something that you just can’t see… I had the opportunity to invest in Uber in early stages,” Hart explained on the podcast. “This makes me so mad. Shout out to Troy Carter. Troy Carter tells me, ‘Kev, there’s this thing, man. It’s called Uber. You gotta invest in it. Listen, it’s easy to understand, right? It’s basically like strangers giving people they don’t know rides. Like people can call on other people for rides.’ I was like, ‘What?’ He was like, ‘People can just, there’s an app and you say you need a ride, and whoever’s close to you that is like one of the drivers under our app will come get you.”
He continued, “I was like, ‘Sounds like murderville to me.’ He’s like, ‘No man, it’s Uber. Trust me, man. They’re gonna have like different tiers to it.’ I said, ‘This got to be the stupidest sh-t I ever heard.”
Hart adds that Carter requested he provide a financial commitment if he was interested in investing in Uber. In retrospect, Hart admits he would have earned considerably more money if he had followed through with the investment.
“I think Troy may have asked me for $50,000 to $75,000, and that would’ve been $100 million,” Hart shared on the podcast.
Hart still seems to regret skipping the pot of gold.
“To this day I think about it,” he said.
