Björk’s Icelandic Bailout

Quirky singer/songwriter Björk is adding another profession to her resume – venture capitalist.

The New York Times reports the singer has invested 100 million Icelandic kronur (about $816,330) in a fund started by Audur Capital, a venture capital firm in Reykjavik, that’s named, appropriately, Björk.

The goal of the fund, which is seeking additional funds and will close in March, is to help revitalize the economy of Iceland, devastated by the downturn of the global economy this year.

According to Audur’s web site, the fund will invest “in companies that create value through the uniqueness of Iceland’s nature and culture.”

The move would appear to be a logical step for Björk, who has sung about politics, feminism and environmentalism and caused controversy by dedicating her track “Declare Independence” to the people of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, Kosovo and Tibet.

The singer released a new song, “Nattura,” on iTunes in October which is a call to action to the government and people of Iceland to use the country’s natural resources responsibly, something she feel’s very strongly about.

“It the money for the next aluminum smelters would go to into supporting these businesses, we would be in a much better position in Iceland in five years’ time, both economically and also just image-wise or dignity-wise,” she told the Associated Press.

“I will not be able to live with my own conscience when my grandchildren drive around Iceland and it’s just full of factories and smelters.”