Meet the 8 Youngest Members of Forbes' 2025 Self-Made Women List: Stars and Founders Shaping the Future
In a world where most ultra-wealthy self-made women are over the age of 50, a select group of under-40 female entrepreneurs and entertainers are redefining success early. From stadium-filling pop stars like Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez to tech trailblazers like Lucy Guo and Daniela Amodei, these women have built massive fortunes and global brands — all before turning 40.
Only eight women under 40 appear on the Forbes 2025 list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women, a sharp drop from 11 last year, largely due to new age milestones and tougher financial thresholds. The youngest member? Still Kylie Jenner, at 27, while the richest is now officially Taylor Swift, worth an astonishing $1.6 billion.
Here’s a closer look at the youngest and richest self-made women in America this year — and how they got there.
1. Taylor Swift (Age 35) – Net Worth: $1.6 Billion
Source of Wealth: Music
Self-Made Score: 8
Taylor Swift’s financial power hit new heights in 2025 following the conclusion of her record-smashing Eras Tour, which grossed over $2 billion globally — more than any tour in history. The 149-show extravaganza, paired with her lucrative concert film, album rereleases, and a forthcoming memoir, helped boost her fortune by $300 million in the past year. She now ranks as the richest under-40 woman in America and one of the most financially successful entertainers of all time.
2. Shuo Wang (Age 36) – Net Worth: $1.5 Billion
Source of Wealth: Software (Deel)
Self-Made Score: 8
Co-founder and CRO of HR-tech giant Deel, Wang became a billionaire this year after a private transaction valued the company at $12.6 billion. Despite being locked in a legal feud with competitor Rippling over espionage claims — which Deel denies — the company remains profitable and rapidly growing. Wang’s 12% stake has positioned her as one of the leading figures in the booming HR tech space.
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3. Lucy Guo (Age 30) – Net Worth: $1.3 Billion
Source of Wealth: Artificial Intelligence (Scale AI, Passes)
Self-Made Score: 8
Once ousted from Scale AI, the startup she co-founded in 2016, Guo retained a 5% stake — a decision that paid off when insider share sales this year valued the company at $25 billion. Now also leading her creator-economy startup Passes, Guo officially became the youngest self-made female billionaire in the U.S. in April, fueled by the ongoing AI boom.
4. Daniela Amodei (Age 37) – Net Worth: $1.2 Billion
Source of Wealth: Artificial Intelligence (Anthropic)
Self-Made Score: 8
A cofounder of Anthropic, Amodei leads one of the fastest-rising AI companies in the world. The developer behind the Claude family of language models, Anthropic recently secured a $3.5 billion funding round, valuing the firm at $61.5 billion. Strategic partnerships with Amazon and Alphabet, plus explosive AI demand, helped Amodei enter the billionaire club for the first time this year.
5. Selena Gomez (Age 32) – Net Worth: $700 Million
Source of Wealth: Cosmetics (Rare Beauty), Entertainment
Self-Made Score: 9
Rare Beauty, the makeup brand founded by the former Disney Channel star in 2020, has skyrocketed in value. With $370 million in 2023 revenue and a current valuation of $1.3 billion, Gomez’s majority stake makes up most of her net worth. She also earns $600,000 per episode as co-producer and star of the hit Hulu series Only Murders in the Building and released a joint album with fiancé Benny Blanco earlier this year. Her mental health startup Wondermind recently laid off 60% of its team, but Gomez’s brand remains strong across industries.
6. Rihanna (Age 37) – Net Worth: $1 Billion
Source of Wealth: Music, Cosmetics (Fenty Beauty, Savage X Fenty)
Self-Made Score: 10
Though her net worth dropped by $400 million due to flat sales and executive shake-ups at Savage X Fenty and Fenty Beauty, Rihanna remains a billionaire and one of the most iconic multi-hyphenates in pop culture. In May, she announced her third pregnancy at the Met Gala, continuing her role as a style and cultural icon. She still co-owns Fenty Beauty with LVMH, which has expanded globally despite challenges in the Chinese market.
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7. Christina Cacioppo (Age 37) – Net Worth: $440 Million
Source of Wealth: Software (Vanta)
Self-Made Score: 8
Stanford alum and Vanta CEO Christina Cacioppo helped her cybersecurity startup reach a valuation of $2.45 billion following a major $150 million funding round in 2024. Cacioppo, who previously worked at Dropbox and in venture capital, built Vanta into a major player in the automated compliance and security space.
8. Kylie Jenner (Age 27) – Net Worth: $670 Million
Source of Wealth: Cosmetics (Kylie Cosmetics)
Self-Made Score: 7
The youngest woman on the Forbes list for eight years running, Kylie Jenner continues to expand her empire with her flagship Kylie Cosmetics brand and new ventures in fragrance (Cosmic) and alcohol (Sprinter vodka soda). While valuations for beauty companies have dipped industry-wide and Coty’s shares are down 50%, Jenner’s reach remains global — with new product launches in India and Singapore boosting brand awareness.
A Smaller Club of Rising Titans
Only eight of Forbes’ 100 richest self-made women are under 40 in 2025 — down from 11 last year — highlighting how rare it is to build a massive fortune at a young age, even in today’s fast-paced digital economy. With the threshold now at a minimum $350 million net worth, it’s clear that youth alone is no ticket to the top.
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However, these entrepreneurs and entertainers prove that creativity, innovation, and diversified ventures can propel women to historic financial success — all before 40.