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Kalshi’s $11 Billion Valuation Makes Co‑Founder Luana Lopes Lara the Youngest Self‑Made Female Billionaire

A $1 billion Paradigm-led round valued the CFTC‑regulated prediction market at $11 billion.

Overview

  • Kalshi’s new financing drew participation from Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and Y Combinator, according to multiple reports.
  • Forbes estimates that Luana Lopes Lara and co‑founder Tarek Mansour, both 29, each hold about a 12% stake, putting their net worths near $1.3 billion.
  • Kalshi offers regulated event‑based contracts on outcomes such as elections, interest rates and pop culture, having secured CFTC approval in 2020.
  • A federal court ruling in September 2024 cleared the way for regulated U.S. election contracts, and the company reports users traded over $500 million on the 2024 presidential race.
  • The firm cites rapid growth with notional volume reaching $5.8 billion in November and expanded integrations and partnerships including Robinhood, Webull, Susquehanna International Group, the NHL, StockX and Solana.