When the billionaire private equity managers from around the world gather once a year for the most important industry conference, "Superreturn," in Berlin, lecture halls at the Intercontinental Hotel are usually sparsely filled. However, in June of this year, the cool-headed numbers people shed their reserve. Everyone wanted to see Kim Kardashian. According to the Forbes list, the trained lawyer has transformed from a reality TV star to a private equity billionaire in the past two years, amassing around $1 billion in wealth. As a co-founder and partner of the private equity firm SKKY Partners, the 43-year-old, originally from and residing in Los Angeles, invests in young consumer goods and media companies with functional business models but lacking capital for growth.

The co-founder of the investment fund, whose target volume remains undisclosed, is the seasoned brand investor Jay Sammons, previously working for the private equity giant Carlyle. Sammons, among other deals, sold Dr. Dre's headphone division, Beats, to Apple for $3 billion during his tenure at Carlyle. Now, with Kardashian, the focal points are e-commerce, health, and luxury.

The new private equity firm's first investment occurred a few weeks ago: SKKY Partners acquired a stake in a company that introduced truffle products to the mainstream food scene in the USA. Upon completion of the transaction in the first quarter of 2024, they will hold a "significant" minority stake in the premium spice brand, Truff. The financial terms of the agreement were kept confidential.

Kardashian, whose paternal family hails from Armenia, gained fame through the TV trash series "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," after previously working as an assistant to hotel heiress Paris Hilton. In Berlin, the Instagram celebrity with over 330 million followers spoke in June at the "Superreturn" conference to assembled financial investors, dressed in an army-green, floor-length dress, discussing a topic she truly excels in: building a sought-after brand through social media. Sitting beside her on the panel was the 74-year-old Carlyle founder, David Rubenstein, renowned in the industry for donating a significant portion of his billions to charitable causes.

Her shapewear brand, Skims, founded in 2019, which tailors undergarments to fit current beauty ideals, is set to go public in New York soon, with a valuation of up to $4 billion. Documents for the planned IPO were recently filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Last year, experts estimated the company to be worth slightly over $3 billion.

Behind the Skims brand, offering not only shapewear but also swimwear, dresses, and tracksuits, Kardashian's ex-husband, rapper Kanye West, is the creative mind and a 5% minority owner. This could potentially pose a problem during the IPO, as West's anti-Semitic outbursts have garnered disapproval from many influencers. Should this happen, it would ironically be the very social media platforms that initially propelled Kardashian to greatness and wealth that might hinder her progress.