Larry Connor is an American real estate investor and a billionaire mogul who made his wealth at the helm of Connor Group, a massive real estate investment firm in Dayton.
Because of his tremendous success in business, Larry Connor’s net worth is estimated at $2 billion in 2024.
Larry Connor has been in the spotlight this year, all because he announced he’d be visiting the Titanic next. He is planning a deep-sea dive to Titanic’s wreckage in 2026, just three years after the tragic voyage of OceanGate’s Titan submersible.
Here, we get into his career and net worth, exploring his life story to see what insights we can learn from Connor who apart from being an accomplished businessman with great leadership skills and business acumen is a NASA-certified private astronaut and has quite an adventurous spirit.
How Much is Larry Connor Worth in 2024
- Estimated Worth: $2 billion.
- Connor Group: Estimated at $1.8 billion.
- Stocks and Bonds: Approx. $100 million.
- Other Assets and Cash: $100 million.
Larry Connor’s Net Worth Breakdown
Larry Connor keeps most of his investment and portfolio information private, like many wealthy people, which makes it impossible to determine his exact net worth. Also, much of his wealth is held privately through Connor Group and not through stakes in public companies.
However, we’ve been able to collect plenty of public information surrounding his various sources of income, investments, assets, and business ventures to build a careful estimate. Here’s what Larry Connor’s net worth looks like:
| Asset or Income Source | Contribution to Net Worth |
| Stake in Connor Group | $1.8 billion |
| Investments in stocks and bonds | $100 million |
| Other personal assets and cash | $100 million |
| Total Net Worth | $2 billion |
5 Fun Facts about Larry Connor
- From Sales to Billionaire: Connor’s first job after college was selling Volkswagen cars before he ventured into entrepreneurship.
- First Private Space Mission: He flew to the International Space Station in 2022 as part of Axiom Mission 1, becoming the first person to reach both space and the ocean’s deepest parts within one year.
- Record-Breaking Skydiver: In September 2023, Connor set the world record for the highest HALO formation skydive at 38,139 feet.
- Explorer at Heart: Connor is preparing for a deep-sea dive to the wreckage of the Titanic in 2026, following the tragic 2023 OceanGate Titan submersible implosion.
- Serial Entrepreneur: Connor founded several businesses outside of real estate, including Orlando Computer Corp and First Billing Services, which was acquired for $57.5 million in 2019.
Latest News and Updates
- Titanic Exploration Mission: Larry Connor announced plans to explore the wreckage of the Titanic in 2026 using a $20 million Triton 4000/2 submersible. He aims to ensure the safety of the mission, distancing it from the 2023 Titan submersible disaster.
- Educational Philanthropy: Connor recently opened The Greater Dayton School, Ohio’s first non-religious private school for underprivileged students, expanding his philanthropic reach.
Early Life of the Investing Mogul
Larry Connor was born on January 7, 1950, in Albany New York. His father was a marine who fought in the Pacific in World War II while his mother aided soldiers while serving for Red Cross. He attended Dayton’s Alter High School and graduated with a rather low GPA of 2.0 in 1968.
Connor then attended Ohio University and according to the website of Connor Group, “It is here where Larry had a lightbulb moment and would go from being a C student to excelling academically and getting straight.”
Connor excelled at the university and was among the 22 undergrads (out of 4,5000) who were selected to join the Ohio University J Club. He was named “Who’s Who of College Students” twice and eventually graduated in 1972 with dual degrees in English and History.
Larry Connor Net Worth: Making It Big in the Business World
After leaving college, Connor knew that someday he would be running a business. Connor followed the advice of a neighbor who told him “If you really want to learn about business, go sell something” and the first job that he took up after his graduation was selling Volkswagen cars at a local dealership in Dayton.
Connor then worked with EF MacDonald as a travel advisor for company incentive trips. As part of that job, he lived in Morocco and Mexico and also traveled to Europe multiple times every year.
In 1979, he finally ventured into entrepreneurship and opened Newcom’s Tavern in Dayton’s Oregon District. While he did not have any experience running a restaurant he made a 300% return for investors in two years when he sold the venture.
In 1982, Connor launched Orlando Computer Corp. and the company became the second-largest re-seller of IBM microcomputers in Florida.
Larry Connor Net Worth: Salesman to Real Estate Mogul
Connor saw an opportunity in real estate investing and started Connor, Murphy, and Buhrman.
He subsequently bought out his partners and founded Connor Group in 2003. The company has since grown into a major real estate player in the US and is spread across 18 markets with total assets worth more than $5 billion, primarily in luxury apartment communities.
The company has won several awards and has been named “Best Place to Work” multiple times. According to Connor, the company’s strategy is to buy good properties that are underperforming.
He adds, “Then we significantly improve the bottom line by starting with the right people. That hasn’t changed. That is the strategy.”
Larry Connor’s Other Ventures
Connor is a serial entrepreneur and in 2004 he cofounded Heartland Regional Power.
First Billing Services – which is another company that he cofounded – acquired Heartland Regional Power. In 2019, Paya acquired First Billing Services for $57.5 million.
Connor founded Team C Racing, which completed a perfect season in the SCORE Off-Road Racing Series in 2015, winning all 5 events and the championship.
Larry Connor’s Many Eclectic Adventures & Activities
Meanwhile, Connor is perhaps best known for his various adventure activities and pursuit of interesting endeavors. These include
Racing
Connor has been a racing enthusiast for over four decades and has won over 70 races. These include winning Baja 1000 and Baja 500 in the Trophy Truck Spec class with Team C Racing.
Aviation
Connor has an experience with 16 different aircraft including an F-5 fighter jet. He won five regional aerobatic competitions and has taken part in several events in the US National Aerobatic Championship.
In September 2023, Connor broke the world record for the highest HALO formation skydive at 38,139 feet along with a team of Air Force pararescue specialists
Rafting
Connor has experienced rafting in several rivers including infamous rivers like the Futaleufu River in Chile and the Zambezi River in Africa. However, his biggest feat was participating in the first descent of the Drangme Chhu River in the Himalayan Mountains.
Mountain climbing
Connor climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,308 ft. above sea level) in Tanzania in 2007. He also summited Mt. Rainier (14,416 ft. above sea level) in Washington despite adverse weather conditions.
Ocean Exploration
In April 2021, Larry Connor along with Triton Submarines co-founder Patrick Lahey, completed three dives into the deepest parts of the ocean in just five days.
He was quite euphoric about the feat and said, “To successfully complete three dives in just five days into the darkest, most inhospitable and unknown parts of Earth is an endeavor I was honored to be a part of.”
Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1)
Connor was part of the first all-private space flight to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the four-person crew of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) in April 2022. He conducted live broadcasts with school children in Ohio and Texas from the ISS.
That mission made him the first person ever to reach both space and the deepest parts of the ocean within one year.
Larry Connor Prepares to Explore Titanic Wreckage
The next daring mission that Connor and Lahey will pursue would be in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean to explore Titanic wreckage. The duo who have been on explorations in the past also would travel in a $20 million Triton 4000/2 explorer vessel.
Notably, the OceanGate Expeditions’ Titan submersible which went on a similar exploration mission in 2023 imploded and killed five passengers. Among those who died was French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
Connor termed that accident a “terrible disaster” and said it was “avoidable.” In an interview with NBC’s “TODAY” Show, Connor said, “If done correctly, we can demonstrate worldwide that this type of exploration in submersible is safe.”
He added, “We are going to go through multiple steps, multiple certifications, to ensure that this vessel and, specifically the hull is safe and sound.”
This is the submarine that will take billionaire Larry Connor to the Titanic shipwreck. pic.twitter.com/8KaZESPeoO
— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) June 2, 2024
Larry Connor’s Philanthropic Activities
Connor is involved with several social and philanthropic activities.
He founded The Connor Group Kids & Community Partners which strives to provide opportunities to disadvantaged youth in the communities where the Connor Group operates.
He also founded The Greater Dayton School which is Ohio’s “first non-religious private school” for under-resourced students. The school’s campus officially opened in November 2023. He also helped the University of Dayton raise money for renovating their basketball arena.
Larry Connor along with son Colin (who was born with Down Syndrome) co-founded Colin’s Lodge, which his website says is “a first-of-its-kind recreation and enrichment program for young adults with special needs.”
In April 2020, he shared the entire $1.6 million gain that he made from stock markets as a bonus with Connor Group’s employees.
What Can We Learn From Larry Connor’s Life?
There are several lessons that we can learn from billionaire Larry Connor including his leadership skills. Connor also has advice for budding entrepreneurs, warning that they should not be shy of making mistakes and failures.
“The truth is, to grow, you have to fail and struggle to get better. I recognize learning and making mistakes, being challenged – while difficult – can really be helpful and productive. You learn way more from failure than mistakes. The key is to fail fast, learn from those failures and move on,” says Connor.
In an interview, he said, “You’ve got to be willing to take calculated risk, not stupid risk.” Those are powerful words of wisdom from someone who has spent decades in business as well as in various adventures.
While in business one has to take risks to grow and succeed, these should be well thought out and backed up with an effective risk management strategy.
His strategies have worked wonders not only for his net worth but also for hundreds of investors in Connor Group as the real estate fund has delivered returns of over 30% annualized since inception which far exceeds funds from Brookfield and Blackrock.
Responding to why he has been able to outperform the competition, Connor said that the competitors are “real estate guys.” He stressed, “We’re not real estate guys. We’re investors that just happen to invest in apartments.”