Luana Lopes Lara

Luana Lopes Lara is a Brazilian entrepreneur and the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Kalshi, a federally regulated prediction market platform. Born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in May 1996, Lara initially pursued a career in ballet, training for eight years at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Joinville and later dancing professionally in Austria for several months, performing in productions like Swan Lake.

At 18, Lara shifted her focus to academics, enrolling at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she earned a degree in computer science in 2018. During her time at MIT, she interned at prominent financial firms such as Bridgewater Associates and Citadel Securities, gaining experience in research and quantitative trading. This background in both rigorous artistic discipline and analytical finance laid the groundwork for her entrepreneurial ventures.

In 2018, Lara co-founded Kalshi with Tarek Mansour, whom she met at MIT. The company's vision was to create a regulated exchange where individuals and institutions could trade on the outcomes of real-world events, ranging from economic indicators and political elections to sports results and pop culture happenings. Kalshi differentiates itself by operating as a federally regulated derivatives exchange, distinct from traditional gambling platforms. Under her leadership, Kalshi has seen rapid growth in trading volumes and user engagement.

A significant milestone for Lara and Kalshi came in December 2025, when Forbes reported that she became the world's youngest self-made woman billionaire at age 29, with an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion, largely from her 12% stake in the company. Kalshi's valuation continued to climb, reaching $22 billion by May 2026. Her strategic acumen has been pivotal in navigating complex regulatory landscapes, notably securing federal approval for election contracts in the U.S., a first in over a century.