At 39 years old, Vivek Ramaswamy is a self-made billionaire and co-director of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
He strongly supports a united America through the power of capitalism. Ramaswamy built his wealth from his biotech company, Roivant Sciences, and various investments in technology, cryptocurrency, and asset management.
A graduate of Harvard and Yale Law School, he is also an advocate for a financial philosophy he calls “excellence capitalism.” Born in the US to Indian immigrant parents, Ramaswamy gained political attention in 2023 when he announced his run for the Republican Party nomination.
Who is Vivek Ramaswamy?
Vivek Ramaswamy was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Indian immigrant parents. He is said to be a graduate of Harvard and Yale and became well-known in the biotech industry.
He gained national attention as the founder of Roivant Sciences, a pharmaceutical company that works on creating life-saving treatments. Ramaswamy has also written several bestselling books, including Woke, Inc., which criticizes corporate activism. He became a well-known conservative figure during his 2024 presidential campaign.
What does Vivek Ramaswamy do?
Vivek Ramaswamy has worked in biotech, financial management, and politics. He founded Roivant Sciences, led Strive Asset Management, and has investments in new technologies. Besides his business ventures, he has written books and pushed for cutting down government inefficiency.
As co-leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, he wants to improve federal systems and bring private-sector innovation into government.
He Founded a Pharmaceutical Company, Roivant Sciences
Most of Ramaswamy’s wealth comes from his ownership in Roivant Sciences, a pharmaceutical company he started in 2014. Roivant has companies that create drugs and technologies for treating various medical conditions, such as psoriasis and cancer.
In 2020, the Japanese pharmaceutical company Sumitomo Dainippon bought stakes in five of Roivant’s companies for $3 billion and a 10% share in Roivant. Ramaswamy earned more than $176 million that year, including $174 million in capital gains.
Roivant went public in 2021 with a $7.3 billion valuation and has a market value of $8.2 billion as of now. Ramaswamy owns about 10% of Roivant, according to Forbes. Ramaswamy stepped down as CEO of Roivant in 2021 but stayed on as chairman until 2023, when he left to focus on his presidential campaign.
The Ohio native sold $33 million worth of Roivant shares in January 2024 to fund his presidential campaign, which he mainly financed himself, according to Bloomberg.
One of Roivant’s companies, Axovant, went public in 2015 with a $2.2 billion valuation, which was the largest U.S. biotech IPO at the time. Ramaswamy reported $37 million in capital gains on his tax return that year, with total earnings close to $39 million.
Before starting Roivant Sciences, Ramaswamy worked at QVT Financial, where he managed the company’s biotech investments and earned $7 million in total pay from 2007 to 2014.
He Founded Investment Firm, Strive Asset Management
Ramaswamy co-founded the investment firm Strive Asset Management in 2022 with the goal of fighting against what it calls “value-destructive agendas” like ESG and DEI initiatives.
The company manages about $1.6 billion in assets and is supported by major investors, including former PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel, billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, and Vice President-elect JD Vance.
Ramaswamy is said to own a stake worth more than $100 million, according to Forbes.
Other Investments: Crypto, Rumble, MoonPay
Ramaswamy’s other investments include Bitcoin and Ethereum, as part of a portfolio made up of 60% stocks and 40% bonds, according to Forbes. He has also invested in the video platform Rumble Inc. and in crypto companies MoonPay and Shipyard Software.
Real Estate and Private Jets
Ramaswamy and his wife, Apoorva own an 11,000-square-foot house in Ohio valued at $2 million, and their first home in Ohio was worth about $500,000, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He also owns a share in three private jets, according to Forbes.
Ramaswamy has written several books, including Woke, Inc: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam and Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence.
Vivek Ramaswamy’s Net Worth
Building Wealth Through Biotech
Ramaswamy has been featured in Forbes’ lists of Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40 and the richest 30 under 30. According to Forbes’ real-time net worth list, the biotech professional has a net worth of over $1 billion.
His main source of wealth comes from Roivant Sciences, a biotech company he started in 2014. His business strategy focuses on acquiring and developing underappreciated pharmaceuticals, which are then prepared for commercialization.
In 2016, Ramaswamy played a key role in starting Myovant Sciences, a subsidiary of Roivant, in what became the largest biotech initial public offering (IPO) of the year, raising $218 million through a Nasdaq listing.
A key moment for Roivant—and Ramaswamy’s wealth—came in 2020 when the Japanese company Sumitomo Dainippon bought a portfolio of five Roivant drugs and a 10% stake in the company for $3 billion.
This sale earned Ramaswamy an estimated $176 million in capital gains, significantly increasing his financial position. In 2021, Roivant’s value rose to $7.3 billion after merging with a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC), with Ramaswamy’s 10% stake valued at about $511 million.
Diversified Investments
Besides his work in biotech, Ramaswamy spread his investments across different industries. He invested his earnings into a mix of stocks and bonds, as well as into new technologies, including cryptocurrency assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
According to Forbes, Ramaswamy also owns shares in Rumble, a competitor to YouTube, and the crypto payments company MoonPay. These investments show his belief in digital technology and finance, which have helped increase his wealth and expand his business influence.
Entering Politics and Advocating “Excellence Capitalism”
Ramaswamy shifted from biotech to politics in 2021, releasing Woke, Inc. to criticize corporate America’s focus on social issues. He then founded Strive Asset Management, an “anti-woke” investment firm worth about $300 million, with support from major investors like Peter Thiel and Bill Ackman.
Describing his approach as “excellence capitalism,” Ramaswamy believes that companies should focus on delivering excellent service to customers, rather than pursuing social or political goals, setting himself apart from the stakeholder capitalism model.
Ramaswamy maintains a modest lifestyle
Despite his wealth, Ramaswamy lives a simple life, owning two homes in Ohio worth a total of $2.5 million. While he has shares in private jets for easier travel, he stresses that he mainly uses private aviation to “buy time with family.” Ramaswamy’s humble image connects with his supporters, some of whom believe he brings a rare authenticity to the political scene.
Vivek Ramaswamy is married to Apoorva Tewari
Ramaswamy studied at Yale University, where she earned her MD (Doctor of Medicine).
In 2023, the Ramaswamy couple shared with a group of voters in Iowa how they first met. They had met at a party when Vivek was still a law student and Apoorva was in the first week of her medical school.
Apoorva mentioned that she was the one who approached Vivek first. “He just seemed like the most interesting person in the room,” she said.
Apoorva then explained that Vivek quickly lost interest in her after she told him she had met another person named Vivek. “He actually walked away,” she added.
This made Vivek joke that the interaction “did not work well.” She went on to say that they later found out they were neighbors and had similar backgrounds, which led to them staying together ever since.
Vivek shared more about the story in an Instagram post. He added other details, such as their first date at a popular vegetarian restaurant in New Haven near where they lived.
[Updated: 04/01/2025]
