How to invest like Bill Gates

Who is Bill Gates and what is his investment style?

Bill Gates is best known as the co-founder of Microsoft, but over the last two decades, he’s built a second legacy as one of the world’s most influential investors and philanthropists. Through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, he manages a portfolio valued at more than $42 billion. This portfolio is designed not only to grow wealth but also to support long-term social impact.

Gates’ investing style reflects his preference for stability, diversification and long-term thinking. He tends to favor established companies with reliable cash flows and strong market positions. Dividends and defensive sectors feature heavily, highlighting his belief in steady compounding over speculative bets. His trust also invests in essential sectors such as healthcare, consumer staples, technology and industrials, which remain resilient across economic cycles.

The trust’s investment strategy combines long-term, fundamentals-driven decisions with a focus on companies that provide essential services and lasting social value – an approach reflected in the Gates Foundation Trust’s portfolio.

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What does Bill Gates invest in? Breaking down his 2025 portfolio

According to the latest 13F filings, the Gates Foundation Trust’s portfolio is heavily concentrated. As of mid-2025, the top five holdings are: Microsoft (MSFT), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), Waste Management (WM), Canadian National Railway (CNI), and Caterpillar (CAT). 

• Microsoft remains the crown jewel, representing over 27% of the portfolio – reflecting long-term exposure to cloud infrastructure, enterprise software and AI-driven technologies.
• Berkshire Hathaway holds the second largest slot, anchoring the portfolio with a diversified conglomerate exposure.
• Waste Management is the leading industrial/infrastructure play, capitalizing on stable, cash-rich utility-like operations.
• Canadian National Railway gives exposure to transportation, supply chains and infrastructure in North America.
• Caterpillar rounds out the top five, reflecting a focus on heavy machinery, infrastructure investment and global capital projects. 

Beyond the top five, Gates’ portfolio also includes healthcare and pharma names, highlighting his focus on sectors that create lasting value. The themes are clear: industrials for infrastructure, consumer staples for stability, tech for growth and health for impact.

Source: gurufocus

Note: The portfolio data in this article refers to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust based on the latest SEC Form 13F filing (June 30 2025; CIK 0001166559). The Trust’s assets are managed by Cascade Asset Management Company. 

Gates’ AI and tech outlook: Is he bullish?

Bill Gates has long been associated with technology, and his portfolio continues to reflect that conviction. Through Microsoft, Gates has indirect exposure to OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, signaling his belief in the transformative power of artificial intelligence.

Publicly, Gates has called AI “as revolutionary as the internet and the microchip.” He believes AI will reshape industries from healthcare to education, unlocking productivity gains and new solutions to global challenges. For investors, that perspective underscores why holding a diversified set of tech and AI-linked companies remains relevant in 2025.

How to invest like Bill Gates using Crypto.com Whale Baskets

Not everyone can build a $42 billion portfolio, but the principles behind Gates’ strategy can become more accessible. Crypto.com’s Whale Baskets lets investors follow publicly disclosed portfolios of well-known figures and institutions, including Gates’ foundation.

• Structured exposure: Whale Baskets give investors access to the disclosed holdings of well-known market figures, with rankings available across different time frames (3 months, 6 months and 1 year). This makes it easier to select baskets that match your personal outlook.
• Ongoing rebalancing: Investors receive alerts whenever a featured ‘whale’ updates their portfolio, helping you stay aligned with market movements and the basket’s objectives.
• Potential for passive income: While not every stock in a Whale Basket pays dividends, eligible customers can take part in our securities lending program, which may provide an additional stream of income from their holdings.

Stocks Whale Baskets live inside the Crypto.com Stocks App, giving you a seamless way to invest, monitor, and adjust your portfolio from anywhere. They’re especially helpful for those who don’t want to manage each investment selection manually.

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Pros and cons of following billionaire investing styles

Pros

• Provides inspiration and direction based on proven strategies
  Looking at how seasoned investors like Gates allocate capital gives everyday investors a practical framework. It can remove some of the guesswork and helps people learn from approaches that have stood the test of time.
• Offers access to diversified, resilient companies
  Billionaire portfolios often include large, stable firms across multiple sectors — from consumer staples to industrials. Mirroring these holdings can help individuals gain exposure to businesses that are designed to weather market cycles.
• Helps beginners focus on long-term stability rather than speculation
  By studying billionaire strategies, new investors are reminded of the difference between steady compounding and dividend-paying stocks, and chasing short-term gains. It encourages patience and discipline, qualities that are key to building wealth sustainably.

Cons

• Portfolio disclosures are delayed, so investors see moves after the fact
  Billionaires’ holdings are typically published through quarterly 13F filings, which means by the time you see them, the buying or selling decision has already happened. The market may have moved since then.
• People like Gates can take risks or absorb volatility in ways small investors can’t
  With billions under management, wealthy investors can diversify widely and ride out downturns. Individual investors with smaller portfolios don’t have the same buffer, making it riskier to copy certain moves.
• Following too closely can create overreliance on one individual’s decisions
  While Gates’ strategy offers lessons, every investor has different goals, timelines, and risk tolerance. Copying a billionaire’s portfolio without adapting it to your own needs could lead to mismatches and missed opportunities.

Ready to get started?

1. Sign up on Crypto.com.
2. Open a Crypto.com Stocks account.
3. Deposit via bank transfer, card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.
4. Navigate to the ‘Trade’ tab and explore Whale Baskets.

FAQs about Bill Gates’ investments

Is Bill Gates investing in AI companies?
Yes, through Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI, Gates has significant exposure to AI’s growth and often comments on its potential.

How can I copy Gates’ investment strategy?
You can follow his disclosed holdings through 13F filings or use tools like Whale Baskets to gain diversified exposure to Gates-style themes such as dividends, healthcare and tech.

What are Whale Baskets?
Whale Baskets are curated stock bundles available on Crypto.com that let you mirror the publicly disclosed portfolios of major investors and institutions.

How do I start investing like Bill Gates?
Download the Crypto.com App, explore the available Whale Baskets and choose one that matches your goals. You can start with any amount.

By using the term ‘baskets’, Foris Capital is not adopting the FINRA 4210 ‘baskets’ definition; we are using it to generically describe the groupings of stocks designated as ‘Whale Baskets’

Even with publicly available data, it's impossible to perfectly replicate an individual's portfolio. There might be lag times in reporting, private investments that aren't disclosed, and strategic decisions that go beyond simple stock ownership. Past performance of these stock baskets, or the performance of the referenced individuals' portfolios, is not indicative of future results. These baskets are provided for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation or a recommendation of any individual investment nor is it for any investment strategy. There is no guarantee that these stock baskets will replicate or outperform the performance of any individual's portfolio or the market overall.  Furthermore, the investment decisions of individuals are complex and may involve factors not reflected in these stock baskets (e.g., access to private deals, equity options, different time horizons, unique risk tolerance).

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