Meghan Markle’s new billionaire buddies – as they attend enterprise summit

Meghan Markle was joined by old and new friends as she stepped out at a business summit in The Hamptons on Saturday.

The Duchess of Sussex, 42, was pictured alongside two of her long-time pals, make-up artist and entrepreneur Bobbi Brown and designer Misha Nonoo at the G9 Ventures Summer Summit hosted by power broker Amy Griffin.

But it wasn’t just old friends that supported Meghan at the event; the mother-of-two posed up a storm with billionaire Spanx founder Sara Blakely and millionaire IT Cosmetics co-founder Jamie Kern Lima. 

According to Page Six, Meghan had flown into the millionaires enclave from Santa Barbara by private jet with entrepreneur Jamie, who was keen to praise the Duchess on her Instagram account following the event.

Sharing a sweet photo of Meghan sitting next to her and holding onto her arm, she wrote on her Stories: ‘Love this pic because it captures the essence of friendship. Thank you Meg for being such a supportive and loving friend… 

‘In this pic for holding my arm with such love as I was about to walk up to stage and speak, and in real life for how generously you show up for your friends!’ Jamie concluded.

The former US TV news presenter founded her skin-loving make-up brand, IT Cosmetics, after years of suffering from hereditary rosacea, with no product giving her the make-up results she was looking for.

On her Instagram, the American entrepreneur, 47, shared another photograph with Meghan – this time alongside billionaire Spanx founder Sara Blakely.

She started her company back in 2000 with just $5,000. By 2012, Spanx was reporting 20 per cent profit margins on almost $250 million in annual sales. 

Sara – who first came up with the idea for Spanx when she was forced to wear pantyhose while working as a door-to-door saleswoman in Florida – became the youngest self-made woman to join Forbes’ World Billionaires List that year.

In 2021, news hit the web that Spanx was valued at $1.2 billion – and the founder celebrated by giving all of her 500+ employees first-class plane tickets and $10,000 spending money. 

Weeks after the valuation news was announced, Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon invested in shapewear brand.

When working as a saleswoman, Sara liked the way the top of her pantyhose prevented visible panty lines, while making the stomach appear more toned, but didn’t want the seamed foot to show when she was wearing open-toed shoes.

The 25-year-old then decided to cut off the feet of her tights for a party, creating the first ever prototype for Spanx. 

Blakely has previously recalled how she went around to hosiery mills and relentlessly begged them to produce her product, despite not having any financial backers.

She decided to invest $5,000 of her own money in Spanx, which was her entire life’s savings at the time. Since she couldn’t afford a lawyer to write her a patent, she did it on her own with the help of a text book on patent law from Barnes & Noble.

But it was all worth it in the end, as after the first year the company fetched $4million in sales and an impressive $10million the following year.

It’s unclear when or how Meghan became friends with Sara and Jamie, however Jamie is said to live in the California area of Montecito, where the Duchess is based with her husband Prince Harry and their two children.

Meanwhile, the Duchess previously sent a Clevr gift basket to Sara, who shared a glimpse of the present to her Instagram account and credited Meghan, according to Yahoo.

Prince Harry’s wife confirmed in December 2020 that she had invested an undisclosed sum in Clevr Blends, a wellness coffee company which has a range of organic, gluten-free ‘SuperLattes’ in powder form. 

Following Saturday’s event, Sources told Page Six that Meghan was there to pick up tips on her new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard.  

The publication reported that the annual event was held at the $13 million home (£10 million) of Griffin who shares the property with her husband, billionaire hedge fund manager John Griffin. 

Other stars in attendance included Gwyneth Paltrow alongside Reese Witherspoon and actress Laura Dern. 

Meghan’s brand soft launched earlier this year with an official Instagram page and website being set up. 

She will no doubt be using the event to help her brand by soaking up tips for her new brand.

Surrounded by people like Griffin will aid her in doing just that, who according to Wall Street Journal is known for her use of ‘soft power.’

This includes making introductions, chasing down founders and offering mentorship. 

She started angel investing in 2014 and launched G9 three years afterward, telling the WSJ: ‘There was a moment where I was sitting at a fundraiser thinking, ‘Wait, I can put money into something, see it grow, and use my skill set and help a founder?’.

‘And people had said to me, “Why aren’t you doing this full time? You already help people by buying their products and then sending it to everyone.”‘

G9 does not lead huge investment but does contribute smaller amounts, from tens of thousands of dollars to several million, according to the WSJ.  

Meghan shared the logo for her company in a 10-second story video while dressed in a black ball gown. 

The clip then showed her wearing a simple white outfit while arranging flowers and cooking in a kitchen.

In April, Meghan sent 50 jars of her strawberry jam to influencers and celebrity friends across the United States.

Award-winning actress and comedy writer Mindy Kaling and actress Tracee Ellis Ross, daughter of Diana Ross, revealed on social media they had been gifted jars.

Each jar was labelled with the Californian American Riviera Orchard branding, and numbered out of 50. The jars were secured with a lid and muslin cloth.

Meghan’s brand will reportedly feature ‘edible oils and fats’, jellies, jams and spreads made of legumes, garlic, and sesame, as well as nut and fruit butters.