Luana Lopes Lara, co-founder and COO of Kalshi, has joined the billionaire ranks at age 29, making her the youngest self-made woman billionaire. Her wealth stems from a 12% ownership stake in the prediction market platform, which hit an $11 billion valuation after a $1 billion Series E funding round led by Paradigm in December 2025.
That stake put her net worth at roughly $1.3 billion. A subsequent $1 billion Series F round in May 2026, led by Coatue, doubled Kalshi’s valuation to $22 billion, pushing Lara’s estimated net worth to $2.6 billion.
From ballet shoes to Bloomberg terminals
A former professional ballerina, Lara co-founded Kalshi with fellow MIT classmates between 2018 and 2019. The platform is a regulated exchange where people can place yes-or-no bets on real-world events, ranging from US presidential elections to weather outcomes, sports results, and entertainment predictions.
Kalshi’s valuation climbed from $2 billion in June 2025 to $5 billion by October 2025, then to $11 billion in December 2025, and now $22 billion in May 2026. Weekly trading volume on the platform has surged to $4 billion. Institutional trading volume jumped 800% in the six months leading up to the May 2026 funding round. The investor roster includes Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Morgan Stanley, ARK Invest, and Y Combinator.
