US EditionWorld’s biggest TikToker from Senegal sells company in $900m deal
Khaby Lame sold part of his company in a $975 million deal to Rich Sparkle, enabling AI-powered content and aiming for $4 billion in annual sales, the company said.
- On 23 January 2026, Khaby Lame sold a partial stake in Step Distinctive Limited to U.S.-listed Rich Sparkle Holdings, folding the company into a strategic partnership to scale global commercial operations.
- The deal aims to transform creator influence into industrial-scale business by pursuing premium brands in beauty, fragrance and apparel through Step Distinctive Limited.
- Rich Sparkle and operating partners will hold exclusive global rights for 36 months and partner with Anhui Xiaoheiyang Network Technology Co., Ltd. to support e-commerce and multilingual livestreams, rolling out in the United States, Middle East and Southeast Asia.
- Lame gains an equity role as a controlling shareholder in Rich Sparkle, and the agreement permits development of an AI-powered digital twin for regulated use of his likeness.
- The deal signals a broader move to platform-driven creator commerce as Rich Sparkle projects the integrated commercial structure could generate more than $4 billion in annual sales.
35 Articles
35 Articles
TikTok star Khaby Lame secures over R14 billion in new deal
Senegalese‑Italian TikTok star Khaby Lame has finalised a business deal valued at around $900 million (about R14.4 billion). The deal follows the sale of a major stake in his core company, Step Distinctive Limited. Step Distinctive Limited is the business entity behind Khaby Lame’s commercial ventures, managing his brand partnerships, ecommerce and other global business operations. In the deal, announced on 23 January 2026, Lame sold a partial s…
He is famous for not uttering a single word in his videos.He will have an "AI digital twin", for which he authorized the use of his image, voice and behavior patterns.
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There is a moment, in the recent history of the digital economy, in which influencer ceases to be a cultural phenomenon and becomes something else: an industrial subject.
Khaby Lame would sell its holding for a stratospheric value, but accepting to modify its business model
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