Speculation often has a way of becoming reality, and we’re hopeful that this holds true for the 330-foot Feadship Project 1013 yacht, rumored to have been commissioned by WhatsApp founder Jan Koum. For enthusiasts of luxury yachts, the prospect of witnessing yet another majestic vessel joining the tech tycoon’s already impressive fleet is truly exhilarating. This remarkable vessel, with its bare hull and superstructure, made its debut as it gracefully descended into the waters at Feadship’s Zwijnenburg facility. Project 1013, the seventh-largest creation by Feadship, is now set to embark on its journey to the builder’s Makkum site for the final outfitting.
Sources have hinted at uncanny resemblances between the hull of Project 1013 and the equally impressive 328-foot Moonrise, delivered by the Dutch shipyard in Makkum back in 2020. Notably, both of these opulent vessels share the same shipyard.
Project 1013’s sleek design features a straight bow, a glazed upper deck, and a spacious superyacht pool on the aft deck. It promises to be a sight to behold if, like the Moonrise yacht, Project 1013 boasts a glass-clad superstructure.
Adding to its allure, the latest addition to Koum’s fleet includes an array of features, such as shell doors on the lower deck, a side-loading tender garage, and a second garage at the bow. Clearly, Project 1013 is poised to deliver an abundance of excitement for sea-faring billionaires and their privileged guests.
Initial images suggest that Project 1013 will offer an interior volume estimated at 4,000 GT, closely resembling the Moonrise motoryacht with its 3,945 GT volume and impeccably designed interiors by Rémi Tessier Design. This masculine motoryacht has emerged from its shroud of secrecy for the first time since construction began in 2021.
Project 1013, allegedly owned by the 47-year-old Ukrainian-American WhatsApp founder, Mr. Jan Koum, will mark his fifth yacht acquisition, following Moonrise and her support vessel, Nebula, the 241-foot Mogambo, and its support vessel, Power Play. Perhaps the colossal 330-footer, Project 1013, will also be accompanied by a support vessel, potentially expanding Koum’s fleet to an impressive total of six yachts.
Jan Koum, the man and mind behind WhatsApp –
The individual who co-founded the world’s largest mobile messaging service in 2009 now boasts a net worth of $15.2 billion, according to Forbes. It’s astonishing to think that this is the same Jan Koum who once found himself in line for food stamps. Hailing from a modest background as the child of a housewife and a construction manager in a small village outside Kyiv, Ukraine, his life took a dramatic turn when he moved to California.
Jan Koum dedicated nearly nine years of his career to Yahoo before pursuing a job at Facebook, an endeavor that initially ended in rejection. Undeterred, Koum went on to incorporate WhatsApp Inc. in California on his birthday, February 24, 2009. He transformed it from a mere prototype displaying a user’s ‘status’ into a fully-fledged messaging application. By 2013, WhatsApp had amassed 200 million users and employed a staff of 50.
In a momentous decision, Jan Koum sold the platform, which now boasts over 2 billion users, to Facebook for a staggering $22 billion in cash and stock in 2014. At 47 years old, this billionaire established the Koum Family Foundation, and he has generously donated $1.15 billion worth of Facebook stock to various charitable organizations, including his own Koum Family Foundation.
