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5h ago

$1 Billion Round Values Kalshi at $11 Billion as Luana Lopes Lara, 29, Becomes Youngest Self‑Made Female Billionaire

Investor backing underscores confidence in Kalshi’s CFTC‑regulated model following its court victory on election markets.

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Lara has taken the title from Scale AI’s Lucy Guo, who herself only recently surpassed Taylor Swift.
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Overview

  • Paradigm led the $1 billion financing, with Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and Y Combinator participating, according to the companies and media reports.
  • Forbes estimates place both co‑founders, Luana Lopes Lara and Tarek Mansour, at roughly $1.3 billion in net worth following the new valuation.
  • Kalshi’s reported notional trading volume surged to about $5.8 billion in November after valuations climbed from roughly $2 billion in June to $5 billion in October.
  • The exchange has expanded distribution and liquidity through integrations with Robinhood and Webull, onboarding Susquehanna International Group, and partnerships with the NHL, StockX and Solana.
  • Kalshi secured CFTC registration in 2020 and won a September 2024 federal ruling permitting regulated U.S. election contracts, while rival Polymarket drew major backing from ICE as founder Shayne Coplan, 27, entered the billionaire ranks in October.