Love as a business model: power couples with a multimillion-euro empire

Romance is in the air around Valentine's Day. For some couples, love is more than a personal matter; it can form the foundation of a joint financial empire. MASTERS profiles international couples who prove that partnerships can also be profitable for business.

Next week, the Winter Olympics kick off in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. Before the global sporting event kicks off, MASTERS takes a look at another ranking: the numbers. These are the five most expensive Olympic Games of all time.

David & Victoria Beckham

For many, the ultimate example of a modern power couple. What began as a romance between football glory and pop culture blossomed into a carefully crafted empire. Together for over 25 years, they have four children, and a brand as solidly established worldwide as their relationship.

Through Beckham Brand Holdings, they manage their shared image, perfume lines, documentaries, and international collaborations. Victoria continues to build her fashion house, and David is establishing himself as an investor and co-owner of Inter Miami CF. The combined net worth of the former footballer and the former Spice Girl is estimated at approximately $673 million.

Jay-Z & Beyoncé

One of the most influential couples in the world. Since the early 2000s, they've been a force in both music and business.

While Jay-Z & Beyoncé also own several separate companies, they are also intertwined commercially. Joint stadium tours, musical and commercial projects such as Everything is love and various investments. Their empire is estimated at $3 billion. To top it all off, they purchased the most expensive house ever in California in 2023.

Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively

They met on the set of Green Lantern, after which sparks ignited in 2011. What followed was not only a Hollywood marriage, but also a business one. Besides joint film projects and clever marketing campaigns, they operate as investors and business owners. Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively now have four children and a combined net worth estimated at over $400 million.

Melanie Perkins & Cliff Obrecht (Canva)

No red carpet, but a relationship between two Australian students that grew into one of the world's most influential tech companies. They launched Canva with a simple idea: making design accessible to everyone. The platform now boasts hundreds of millions of users worldwide and an estimated market value of $42 billion.

To round out the list, we feature another enterprising Dutch couple. While their wealth doesn't quite match the international names mentioned above, Chantal Janzen and her husband Marco Geeratz also complement each other well in business.

Together they founded the production company &C and media company &C Media, where the lifestyle magazine &C Marco Geeratz is also the founder and shareholder of several companies. Their collaboration has resulted in a significant combined wealth, especially by Dutch standards, estimated at approximately €225 million.