There are few clubs in the world as exclusive as The Forbes 400, and in 2025, the cost of entry has climbed higher than ever.
To secure a place among the wealthiest individuals now requires a minimum net worth of $3.8 billion, an increase of $500 million from last year, reflecting buoyant equity markets and a surge in asset values.
Despite the steep threshold, more than 90% of last year’s billionaires successfully retained their positions.
Still, over 10 new names managed to muscle their way into the elite club, reflecting both entrepreneurial agility and the market’s shifting opportunities. Their fortunes span industries as varied as coffee retail, cancer diagnostics, and the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence sector.
For the sake of this article, we will look at only 10 of these individuals. Cumulatively, these newcomers are valued at $96 billion. About three of them command individual fortunes above $10 billion, a sign that new wealth creation is accelerating at the very top of the pyramid.
The data also highlights how innovation-led industries, particularly AI, are increasingly shaping global wealth dynamics. For perspective, the combined wealth of these new entrants alone surpasses the GDP of several African economies.
- Net worth: $21.7 billion
- Source of wealth: Advertising technology
Adam Foroughi is the cofounder and CEO of AppLovin, a Palo Alto–based company that makes mobile games and provides marketing services to app developers. Founded in 2011, AppLovin went public a decade later, and Foroughi now owns about 11% of its shares. The stock has surged in 2025, climbing 75.9% year to date to $601.09.
Foroughi bootstrapped AppLovin for years before attracting outside capital, with private equity giant KKR investing $400 million in 2018 to become its biggest backer. Born in Iran a year after the 1979 Revolution, he immigrated to California as a child.
After earning a degree from UC Berkeley, he worked as a derivatives trader and went on to start two marketing companies experience which laid the foundation for AppLovin’s rapid rise as a dominant force in mobile gaming and app monetization.
Technology and Trade. The two T’s that make billionaires.