WhatsApp co-founder and former CEO Jan Koum has become the latest billionaire to acquire a property on Cap d’Antibes, one of the world’s premier real estate destinations. The luxurious property – Château de la Garoupe – sold for close to 65 million euros, according to Nice Matin.
The local newspaper reports that the property was last valued at 158 million euros. It was repossessed by the French state in 2015 in connection with a money laundering case. It was previously owned by Russian oligarch Boris Berezovski, who died in the UK in 2013. The sale was conducted by the French agency for seized and confiscated assets, known as Agrasc.
This is not 47-year-old Koum’s first foray into the south of France. His superyacht, Moonrise, reportedly spent most of last summer cruising along the Côte d’Azur. Koum, who grew up in the Ukraine, moved to the United States when he was 16. The computer programmer, who originally worked for Yahoo, set up WhatsApp in 2009 with his friend and colleague Brian Acton. They sold the social media app to Facebook (now Meta) in 2014.
According to the French government website, the Parc du Château de la Garoupe was first developed in 1907 for British MP Sir Charles Benjamin Bright Mc Laren, first Baron Aberconway, and his wife Lady Laura Elisabeth Aberconway. Over the years various owners – including the Aberconways, and Lord and Lady Henry Norman – have added guest homes on the 20-hectare property, some of which remain unfinished.
In 1922, American composer Cole Porter, rented the home, according to the French Cultural Minister.
The principal mansion – designed by British architect Ernest George – is surrounded by manicured lawns, swimming pool, jacuzzi and tennis court, with breath-taking sea views and wooded area that has been “left in a natural state which extends to the sea”.
A network of winding paths connects the different buildings. A “terrace with a belvedere is set up along the sea”, says the French government site.
Hikers along the beautiful Sentier du Littoral can catch a glimpse of Château de la Garoupe as they stroll along the exquisite 5km coastal walk around the Cap.
