Archive · 3 Dec 2025
Luana Lopes Lara: Youngest Self-Made Woman Billionaire
Luana Lopes Lara is a 29-year-old Brazilian woman who has become the world's youngest self-made billionaire.
She started a company called Kalshi, which lets people trade on real-world events, like elections.
Before this, she was a professional ballerina and studied at MIT.
She and her co-founder had to fight some legal battles to get their company approved.
Now, Kalshi is worth $11 billion, and Luana is worth about $1.3 billion.
She is very smart and won many math and science awards when she was younger.
Her parents, who are a math teacher and an electrical engineer, inspired her to do well in school.
Luana Lopes Lara, a 29-year-old Brazilian entrepreneur, is the world's youngest self-made woman billionaire.
Her company, Kalshi, reached an $11 billion valuation in December 2025.
Lara holds a 12% stake in Kalshi, giving her a personal net worth of approximately $1.3 billion.
She trained as a professional ballerina at the Bolshoi Theatre School and performed in Austria.
Lara earned degrees in computer science and mathematics from MIT and interned at top financial firms.
- Who
- Luana Lopes Lara, a 29-year-old Brazilian entrepreneur and co-founder of Kalshi.
- What
- She became the world's youngest self-made woman billionaire after her company, Kalshi, reached an $11 billion valuation.
- When
- Kalshi's valuation reached $11 billion in December 2025.
- Where
- Lara moved to the United States to pursue higher education and founded Kalshi in New York City.
- Why
- Lara and her co-founder identified a gap in the market for a platform where people could trade on real-world events, leading to the creation of Kalshi.
- Name
- Luana Lopes Lara
- Age
- 29
- Nationality
- Brazilian
- Education
- MIT (Computer Science and Mathematics)
- Company
- Kalshi
- Company Founded
- 2018