Jan Koum, the co-founder of WhatsApp, is paying $ 87 million for a mansion in Malibu, California, alongside one he already owns, according to two people familiar with the business.
The transaction is the last major deal for Koum in the Los Angeles area. In 2019, he bought the neighboring Malibu property from entertainment executive Ron Meyer for $ 100 million. Then, last year, Koum spent $ 125 million on the property of Quibi’s Beverly Hills founder, Jeffrey Katzenberg.
The seller in the last transaction is Diana Jenkins, a Bosnian-born businesswoman and philanthropist. Jenkins, founder of the healthy drinks company Neuro Drinks, was previously married to British financier Roger Jenkins. His home went on sale last May for $ 125 million, The Wall Street Journal reported. It is located in Malibu’s Paradise Cove, and its previous owners include Barry Diller and the late country singer Kenny Rogers.
Perched atop a cliff, the property has its own funicular that goes down to the ocean (Rogers was fined $ 2 million by local authorities for installing it). On almost 3 hectares, it includes a one-story house, five rooms with vaulted ceilings, spine floors and floor-to-ceiling windows that open onto the gardens. It also has a dance studio and a recording studio. On site there is a three bedroom inn, a swimming pool, a waterfall and a koi pond, a sports court and a guardhouse.
The funicular leads to a beachfront cabin with a retractable roof, wet bar, built-in barbecue and fire pit.