Jan Koum, the co-founder of WhatsApp, is paying $ 87 million for a mansion in Malibu, California, in addition to a mansion he already owns, according to two people familiar with the deal.
The transaction is the last major deal for Mr. Koum in the Los Angeles area. In 2019, he bought entertainment manager Ron Meyer’s neighboring Malibu property for $ 100 million. Last year, Mr. Koum spent $ 125 million for Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Beverly Hills estate.
The seller in the latest transaction is Diana Jenkins, a Bosnia-born entrepreneur and philanthropist. Ms. Jenkins, founder of Neuro Drinks, a health drinks company, was previously married to British financier Roger Jenkins. Her home went on the market for $ 125 million last May, The Wall Street Journal reported. Located in Paradise Cove in Malibu, the previous owners include Barry Diller and late country singer Kenny Rogers.
Sitting on a cliff, the property has its own cable car that leads to the ocean (Mr. Rogers was fined $ 2 million by local authorities for installing it). It comprises nearly 3 acres of a one-story, five-bedroom house with vaulted ceilings, herringbone floors and floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto the gardens. It also has a dance studio and recording studio. On the property there is a guest house with three bedrooms, a swimming pool, a waterfall and koi pond, a sports field and a guard house.
The cable car leads to an oceanfront cabana with retractable ceilings, wet bar, built-in BBQ, and fire pit.