Kerry Washington invests in the wedding platform Cheersy.

Kerry Washington is expanding her angel investment portfolio by leading an initial funding round for Cheersy, a wedding marketplace. Founded in 2024 by Amy Shack Egan, Cheersy makes it easier for couples to find wedding coordinators for their big day. So far, the company has raised a total of $550,000 from other investors, including Elizabeth Cutler, co-founder of Soul Cycle, and Jennifer Gilbert, founder of Save the Date. In this round, they received advice from Joanna Rosholm, former press secretary for Michelle Obama, and Christina Tosi, creator of Milk Bar.

Shack Egan recounted that she met Washington through the actress's social impact director during a dinner in Los Angeles, where she initiated a conversation. At the end of the dinner, the director offered to introduce Shack Egan to Washington as a potential angel investor. Washington has been gaining recognition as an investor, following in the footsteps of other Hollywood titans venturing into the startup world. She has invested in the social site Spill, an African American-owned alternative to X, and has supported Equip, a startup focused on treating eating disorders. According to PitchBook, she has also invested in the charitable fundraising platform Omaze and the health company Solv. Washington was also an investor in The Wing, a women’s social club that closed in 2022.

Shack Egan described her fundraising experience as “challenging,” emphasizing that she did not know what she didn’t know when embarking on this process. She expressed that she often found herself in uncomfortable situations and felt overwhelmed by the challenge of attracting investors who preferred to see a track record associated with larger tech companies. To better connect with the startup world, she joined the Power to Pitch program.

The funds raised will be used to enhance the platform's booking functionalities and to make new hires, such as a user experience designer. Shack Egan also plans to increase the marketing budget and hire a community manager, while the company aims to expand to six new cities in the coming months, in addition to its current presence in New York and Hudson Valley.

In her own words, Shack Egan shared that she started in the industry in 2015 as an event freelancer and intimately understands the difficulties of this work. “I love the idea that we are improving the experience for those working in the wedding industry, in a job that is often complicated and thankless,” she stated.