The Richest Self-Made Women Under 40, Including Rihanna, Maria Sharapova And Kylie Jenner
Left to right: Rihanna, Maria Sharapova and Kylie Jenner.
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Kylie Jenner may no longer be a billionaire, but at 23, she is still the youngest person on Forbes’ list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women, which chronicles the entrepreneurial success and accompanying fortunes of 100 of the country’s most successful women in business Jenner joins a pack of 13 women on the list under age 40, who made their fortunes in entertainment, tech and retail. Combined, they are worth $5.9 billion.
Jenner, the only person on the list in her 20s, is worth $700 million, down $300 million since last year’s list. After publicly-traded Coty agreed to acquire a majority stake in Kylie Cosmetics in November 2019, Coty disclosed information that indicated Kylie Cosmetics had lower revenues than what the Kardashian-Jenner family had previously told Forbes. The pandemic has made things worse: Kylie Cosmetics reported a 48% drop in revenue for the first half of 2020, to $52 million. Kylie’s sister Kim Kardashian West, 39, also inked a deal with Coty in the past year, selling a 20% stake in her KKW Beauty to the beauty giant in July. Forbes pegs Kardashian West’s net worth at $780 million, up $410 million from last year.
Women leading in tech have seen particularly big gains since 2019. Bumble founder and CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd, 31, nearly doubled her worth thanks to a deal with Wall Street firm Blackstone that valued her dating app at $3 billion. She lands at No.39 on the list, with a net worth of $575 million. Neha Narkhede, 36, cofounded cloud company Confluent, which snagged a $4.5 billion valuation after a $250 million funding round in April. Narkhede (No. 33) is now worth $600 million, up from $360 million in 2019.
Several list members from the world of music are under 40. Rihanna, 32, is once again America’s richest female musician, with a net worth of $600 million. Most of that lies in the value of her cosmetics line, Fenty Beauty (a venture with luxury goods group LVMH), and her Savage x Fenty lingerie line, which is co-owned by Techstyle Fashion Company. Beyoncé Knowles, age 39, is worth $420 million, a $20 million increase since last year. Taylor Swift, age 30, is worth $5 million more this year, or $365 million.
The list also features two newcomers who are under 40. Maria Sharapova, age 33, worth $200 million, retired from professional tennis earlier this year. A mainstay of Forbes’ list of highest-paid female athletes, Sharapova racked up five Grand Slam wins and a slew of endorsements from brands including Nike, Evian and Porsche. Landing at No. 87 on the list, she is four spots behind former competitor Serena Williams (net worth: $225 million), who is age 39.
Lady Gaga, 34, is also new to the list, with a net worth of $150 million. The pop star was set to embark on a worldwide tour this year to promote her sixth studio album, Chromatica, before it was cancelled in response to the pandemic. She launched a cosmetics line, Haus Laboratories, in September 2019. Following her critically-acclaimed role in the 2018 movie A Star Is Born, Gaga is reportedly being eyed for a role in an upcoming Marvel movie, which could provide another hefty stream of income.
Here are the richest women in America under 40:
Net worths were calculated using stock prices from September 11, 2020. Each woman on the list is given a score from 6 to 10. More information on the scoring methodology can be found here.
Kylie Jenner
Net worth: $700 million
Age: 23
Source: Cosmetics, reality television
Residence: Los Angeles
Self made score: 7
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 16: Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 55th Academy of Country Music Awards at the Grand Ole Opry on September 16, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by ACMA2020/Getty Images for ACM)
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Taylor Swift
Net worth: $365 million
Age: 30
Source: Music
Residence: Nashville, Tennessee
Self Made Score: 8
Whitney Wolfe Herd
Net worth: $575 million
Age: 31
Source: Bumble
Residence: Austin, Texas
Self Made Score: 8
Karissa Bodnar
Net worth: $370 million
Age: 31
Source: Cosmetics
Residence: Los Angeles
Self Made Score: 9
Rihanna
Net worth: $600 million
Age: 32
Source: Music, cosmetics
Residence: Los Angeles
Self-Made Score: 10
Maria Sharapova
Net worth: $200 million
Age: 33
Source: Tennis
Residence: Manhattan Beach, California
Self-Made Score: 9
MONTERREY, MEXICO – MARCH 07: Imitator of Lady Gaga opening the ABBAMANIA and Night Fever show, a tribute with worldwide recognition for the ABBA and Bee Gees bands, at Arena Monterrey on March 7, 2020 in Monterrey, Mexico. (Photo by Medios y Media/Getty Images)
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Lady Gaga
Net worth: $150 million
Age: 34
Source: Music, cosmetics
Residence: New York City
Self made score: 8
Neha Narkhede
Net worth: $600 million
Age: 35
Source: Confluent
Residence: Palo Alto, California
Self Made Score: 8
Huda Kattan
Net worth: $510 million
Age 36
Source: Cosmetics and skincare
Residence: Dubai
Self-Made Score: 9
CENTURY CITY, CA – JUNE 18: Katrina Lake speaks onstage during the “Creative Entrepreneurship” panel at the BoF West Summit at Westfield Century City on June 18, 2018 in Century City, California. (Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for The Business of Fashion)
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Katrina Lake
Net worth: $360 million
Age: 37
Source: Online retail
Residence: San Francisco
Self Made Score: 8
Kim Kardashian West
Net worth: $780 million
Age: 39
Source: Cosmetics, reality television
Residence: Los Angeles
Self made score: 7
Beyoncé Knowles
Net worth: $420 million
Age: 39
Source: music
Residence: Los Angeles
Self Made Score: 7
PARIS, FRANCE September 26. Serena Williams training on Court Philippe-Chatrier in preparation for the 2020 French Open Tennis Tournament at Roland Garros on September 26th 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Corbis via Getty Images
Serena Williams
Net worth: $225 million
Age: 39
Source: Tennis
Residence: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Self-Made Score: 9