Brazilian Ballerina Becomes Youngest Self Made Billionaire

By William Lebovics September 27, 2026 2 views

Luana Lopes Lara left professional ballet to co-found Kalshi, now valued at $11 billion, after meeting co-founder Tarek Mansour at MIT.

A Brazilian ballerina turned MIT student co-founded Kalshi, the first regulated event contract exchange in the US, becoming the youngest self-made billionaire.

Questions & Answers

What is Kalshi and how did Luana Lopes Lara help create it?

Kalshi is an event contract exchange that Luana co-founded with Tarek Mansour after meeting at MIT. It became the first regulated event contract exchange in the United States, and is now valued at $11 billion with Luana's stake worth $1 billion.

What was Luana Lopes Lara's career before starting Kalshi?

Luana was a professional ballerina trained at the prestigious Bolshoi Theatre School, where she trained up to 10 hours a day and eventually landed the role of Swan Lake before deciding to leave the profession.

How did Y Combinator support Kalshi's launch?

Y Combinator backed Kalshi in 2019 with $150,000 in funding and a 12-week deadline to turn the concept into a functioning company.

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