After $100M Malibu purchase, WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum pays $87M for the home next door
The clifftop property includes a funicular down to the ocean that was built by late country singer Kenny Rogers
Jan Koum, the co-founder of WhatsApp, is paying $87 million for a Malibu, Calif. mansion right next door to one he already owns, according to two people familiar with the deal.
The transaction is the latest big-ticket deal for Mr. Koum in the Los Angeles area. In 2019 he purchased the neighboring Malibu property from entertainment executive Ron Meyer for $100 million. Then last year Mr. Koum spent $125 million for the Beverly Hills estate of Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg.
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The seller in the latest transaction is Diana Jenkins, a Bosnia-born entrepreneur and philanthropist. Ms. Jenkins, founder of health-drinks company Neuro Drinks, was previously married to British financier Roger Jenkins. Her home came on the market last May for $125 million, The Wall Street Journal reported. It is on Malibu's Paradise Cove, and its prior owners include Barry Diller and the late country singer Kenny Rogers.
Pacific Coast Highway Malibu, California. (Google Maps)
Sitting on a cliff top, the property has its own funicular leading down to the ocean (Mr. Rogers was slapped with a $2 million fine by local authorities for installing it.). On nearly 3 acres, it includes a single-story, five-bedroom house with vaulted ceilings, herringbone floors and floor-to-ceiling windows that open onto the gardens. It also has a dance studio and a recording studio. On the grounds, there is a three-bedroom guesthouse, a swimming pool, a waterfall and koi pond, a sports court and a guard house.
The funicular leads an oceanfront cabana, which has retractable ceilings, a wet bar, a built-in barbecue and fire pit.
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Mr. Koum, 44 helped launch WhatsApp, an internet messaging service, in 2009. Following the service's acquisition by Facebook in 2014, he remained as a Facebook director for several years before stepping down in 2018. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index pegs his net worth at $12.5 billion.
Chris Cortazzo of Compass has the listing. The buyer was represented by Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency.