Americas Richest Self Made Women 2026 – Daniela Amodei; Gwynne Shotwell; Beyonce; Luana Lopes Lara
Illustration by Hsiao Ron Cheng for-Forbes
Diane Hendricks, Judy Faulkner, Oprah Winfrey, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Rihanna and more are among America’s wealthiest self-made women
NEW YORK – June 3, 2026 – Forbes today unveiled its 11th annual list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women, the definitive ranking of the country’s 43 self-made billionaires who have built their own fortunes across industries ranging from technology and manufacturing to media and entertainment. For the ninth year in a row, building materials entrepreneur Diane Hendricks tops the list, with an estimated net worth of $21.7 billion.
“This year’s ranking reflects a major shift in where wealth is being created,” said Luisa Kroll, Executive Editor, Forbes. “Women are building billion-dollar businesses in some of the fastest-moving sectors of the economy, particularly artificial intelligence, software and consumer platforms, while also turning personal brands into powerful business empires.”
The 2026 ranking underscores the accelerating role of technology-driven wealth creation, particularly in artificial intelligence. Daniela Amodei (No. 2), cofounder of Anthropic, jumps up the ranks,from No. 28 last year,with an estimated $15.5 billion fortune, reflecting the rapid rise of generative AI companies reshaping Silicon Valley and Wall Street alike. Clear Secure CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker also joins the ranks of self-made billionaires as the company expands its biometric identity platform beyond airports into healthcare, travel and digital services.
Among this year’s list makers, nearly half of the honorees (20) can trace their self-made wealth back to technology.
This year’s list also includes new billionaires including:
- Beyonce Carter-Knowles, who was declared a billionaire last last year, and joins the ranks after her highly-grossed 2025 Cowboy Carter Tour, which brought in more than $450 million in ticket sales and merchandise
- Nvidia’s CFO Colette Kress who reportedly joined the company from after the endorsement of her two sons – avid gamers who were familiar with Nvidia’s gaming chips
- Caryn Seidman-Becker who runs Clear Secure, which uses ID technology for security checkpoints at airports and increasingly stadiums and doctors’ offices.
- Luana Lopes Lara, who cofounded fast growing prediction market outfit Kalshi and became the youngest self-made billionaire at age 29 in December, when the prediction market firm she cofounded, Kalshi, raised $1 billion money at an $11 billion valuation.
The list also highlights the growing power of celebrity-led business empires. Oprah Winfrey (No. 16,$3.4 billion), Taylor Swift (No. 23, $2 billion), Kim Kardashian (No. 25, $1.9 billion), Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (No. 43, $1 billion) and Rihanna (No. 39 $1 billion) have expanded far beyond entertainment, building influential brands spanning beauty, fashion, media and consumer products.
Across the ranking, self-made women are driving impact in sectors ranging from aerospace and healthcare to food, retail and finance. Notable names in the top 10 include Epic Systems founder Judy Faulkner (No. 3), IT provider CEO Thai Lee (No. 4) and Little Caesars cofounder Marian Ilitch and family (No. 5).
For the full package of America’s Richest Self-Made Women, visit:
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