Former ballerina turns tech visionary and billionaire at 29

Kalshi, which was founded in 2018 by Lopes Lara and Tarek Mansour while they were studying computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), received $1 billion in fresh investment less than two months after a $300 million round that had already raised its valuation to 5 billion.

Lopes Lara’s journey from classical ballet, she once trained at Brazil’s esteemed school affiliated with the Bolshoi Theater School, to the world of fintech and financial exchange demonstrates a dramatic career shift.

“At age 29, I have just become the youngest self-made woman billionaire on Earth,” she said, crediting the company’s rapid growth and newfound investor confidence.

Kalshi describes itself as a regulated marketplace for event contracts, allowing users to trade on outcomes of future events ranging from elections and economic indicators to sports and cultural happenings. The company secured regulatory approval from the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in 2020, enabling its transformation from startup to major fintech player.

Investors, including major firms such as Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, backed the latest funding round, reflecting broad confidence in Kalshi’s business model. The firm’s market-making platform positions it at the forefront of a growing sector that merges financial speculation with predictions about real-world events.

Lopes Lara emphasized the founders’ long-term goals. “We really wanted to do things the right way because our vision was to build the biggest financial exchange in the world. Doing it legally was something we could not compromise on,” she said.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that a new nationwide survey shows many Americans believe billionaires are gaining greater influence over politics and public life, while a majority of respondents say this role should be reduced.