Celebrity Business Moves Last Week: Travis Kelce, Ice Spice and the New Celebrity Ownership Playbook
- Jessica Ramirez
- 11 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Celebrity business moves last week included Travis Kelce launching an NIL venture, Ice Spice entering fragrance, Monaleo turning lyrics into a brand deal, and athletes embracing equity over endorsements.
Travis Kelce Is Apparently Collecting Businesses Now
Travis Kelce had one of the more interesting celebrity business moves of the week, and no, this one does not involve cereal, friendship bracelets, or appearing in another commercial during an NFL game. On August 18, Publicis Sports announced the launch of TEKTA, an NIL consulting and activation venture built with Kelce and strategic operating partner 3 Arts Sports.
The business is designed to help brands find collegiate athletes, create NIL campaigns, and—this rather important part is often forgotten—actually measure whether those campaigns worked. Publicis brings advertiser relationships and data capabilities, while Kelce brings experience managing what can politely be described as an extremely commercial personal brand. Translation: instead of simply being paid to appear in marketing, Kelce is helping build part of the machinery that creates the marketing in the first place. That is a considerably nicer seat at the table.
Ice Spice Wants Your Playlist and Your Bathroom Counter
Ice Spice officially entered the fragrance business with In Ha Mood, her debut perfume developed with Revlon. The fragrance launched through Ulta Beauty and takes its name from her 2023 song, because apparently intellectual property should work overtime too. According to People, Ice Spice was involved in developing the scent and chose vanilla as the base because of its nostalgic connection to her childhood, adding floral notes around it.
The launch also demonstrates how celebrity brands increasingly arrive with built-in digital distribution... the fragrance debuted through Ulta's TikTok Shop strategy before expanding further into retail. A hit song becoming a perfume name becoming a TikTok commerce event is essentially the modern celebrity-business supply chain.
Monaleo Turned a Lyric Into a Business Deal
Houston rapper Monaleo provided perhaps the funniest example of accidental product placement becoming intentional capitalism. AfroTech reported August 21 that the rapper's references to Don Julio in her music eventually helped produce an actual partnership with the tequila brand.
Two years after dropping “Don Who Leo,” she is now monetizing an association her audience already understood. That matters because the strongest celebrity partnerships increasingly feel less like a brand meeting where somebody shouted, “What famous person do the young people like?” and more like an extension of behavior fans have already seen. Authenticity is terribly fashionable once someone figures out how to invoice for it.
The Bigger Trend: Cash Is Nice, Equity Is Nicer
One of the more important developments around celebrity and athlete businesses is the gradual shift from endorsement checks to ownership stakes. Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston recently became a co-owner of women's-health company Sequel, receiving equity as part of an active marketing partnership.
The deal was announced August 14, just before the August 17–23 window, but it fits the larger trend too neatly to ignore. Forbes reported that Boston was already a fan of the product before the deal developed, and her arrangement involves both ownership and continuing promotional work. Celebrities once asked, “How much are you paying me to post this?” Increasingly, the smarter question is, “Wonderful. And how much of the company do I own afterward?”
For founders, marketers, and creative teams, the lesson is fairly simple: celebrity alone is not the strategy anymore. The better partnerships connect an existing audience, believable product fit, cultural relevance, distribution, and—when appropriate—ownership. A recognizable name may get someone to look. A coherent brand story gives them a reason to care. And a properly structured business model gives everyone involved a reason to keep caring once launch week is over.
Build a Brand Worth Talking About
Celebrity-sized attention is wonderful, but the fundamentals still matter: positioning, visual identity, messaging, content, and a brand experience people can actually remember.
For branding, creative direction, design, and digital experiences built to look as intentional as the business behind them, visit studiodiaani.com.
References
Publicis Groupe. “Publicis Sports and Travis Kelce's TEKTA Join Forces to Reimagine the Future of NIL Marketing.” August 18, 2026.
People. “Ice Spice Enters Beauty with In Ha Mood Fragrance.” August 2026.
The Paid Creator. “Ice Spice Just Dropped Her First-Ever Fragrance and It's Exclusively at Ulta.” August 19, 2026.
AfroTech. “Monaleo On Creating A Brand For Herself Through Music And Watching Her Lyrics Manifest Into Real Business Opportunities.” August 21, 2026.
Forbes. “WNBA Star Aliyah Boston Joins Under 30 Company Sequel As Co-Owner.” August 14, 2026.
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