Archive · 28 Jan 2026
Khaby Lame Sells Company Stake
Khaby Lame, the most popular TikTok star, has sold part of his company, Step Distinctive, to a company called Rich Sparkle for $975 million.
Rich Sparkle will help Khaby make more money by working with brands and creating new products together.
They will also use an AI version of Khaby to make content in different languages.
The deal is expected to generate over $4 billion in annual sales, focusing on the US, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
Khaby became famous during the COVID-19 pandemic for his simple and funny videos.
He has a huge fan base on TikTok and Instagram.
After the deal was announced, Rich Sparkle's stock price went up a lot.
Khaby has also worked with big brands like Hugo Boss and Airbnb.
Khaby Lame sold a stake in his company, Step Distinctive Ltd., to Rich Sparkle Holdings Ltd for $975 million (Rs 8,980 crore).
The deal includes a long-term partnership with Anhui Xiaoheiyang Network Technology Co., Ltd. to manage and monetize Lame's online presence for 36 months.
Rich Sparkle will use an AI version of Lame to create multilingual social media content.
The commercialization of Lame's fan base is expected to generate more than $4 billion in annual sales, focusing on the US, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
Rich Sparkle's shares surged 18.84% following the announcement, with significant stock returns over the past month, six months, and year.
- Who
- Khaby Lame (Seringe Khabane Lame) and Rich Sparkle Holdings Ltd
- What
- Sale of a stake in Step Distinctive Ltd
- When
- Not specified
- Where
- Hong Kong-based Rich Sparkle Holdings Ltd
- Why
- To grow Lame's influence through brand collaborations, co-branded products, and AI-driven content creation
- Khaby Lame's TikTok Followers
- 161 million
- Khaby Lame's Instagram Followers
- 77 million
- Step Distinctive Valuation
- $975 million (Rs 8,980 crore)
- Rich Sparkle's Stock Surge
- 18.84% higher at $63.01 on Nasdaq
- Rich Sparkle's Past Month Return
- 188.11%
- Rich Sparkle's Past Six Months Return
- 142%
- Rich Sparkle's Past Year Return
- 1,690%
- Khaby Lame's Global Fan Following
- 360 million across TikTok and Instagram
- Step Distinctive's Business Focus
- e-commerce, live-streaming, and content-driven commerce
- Projected Annual Sales
- Rs 36,842 crore ($4 billion)
- Core Markets
- US, Middle East, and Southeast Asia
- Exclusive Operating Partner
- Anhui Xiaoheiyang Network Technology Co., Ltd.
- Partnership Duration
- 36 months
- Khaby Lame's Estimated Earnings
- $20 million
- Khaby Lame's Brand Partnerships
- Hugo Boss, Airbnb, Binance, Hollywood studios
