Polymarket Founder Shayne Coplan Becomes Youngest Self-Made Billionaire Amid $9B Valuation

Shayne Coplan, the 27-year-old founder of decentralized prediction platform Polymarket, has achieved self-made billionaire status following a $2 billion investment from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). The deal values Polymarket at $9 billion, marking a meteoric rise for the NYU dropout. "By combining ICE’s institutional scale with Polymarket’s consumer savvy, we’ll deliver world-class products for the modern investor," Coplan stated, highlighting plans to leverage tokenization technologies through institutional partnerships.

The milestone comes just twelve months after federal authorities raided Coplan’s residence during heightened regulatory scrutiny of prediction markets. Democratic lawmakers had previously urged the CFTC to ban political betting, arguing it undermines electoral integrity. Polymarket’s defiance of conventional regulatory frameworks underscores the disruptive potential of decentralized finance—even as traditional institutions increasingly embrace its innovators.