Vivek Ramaswamy
Vivek Ramaswamy | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 9, 1985 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, political figure |
| Known for | Founder and former CEO of Roivant Sciences; co-founder of Strive Asset Management; 2024 Republican presidential candidate |
Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy (born August 9, 1985) is an American businessman and political figure. He established Roivant Sciences, a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company, in 2014 and led it as CEO until 2021. Ramaswamy entered the national political arena as the youngest contender in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries. Subsequently, he withdrew from the race and endorsed Donald Trump for the 2024 presidential contest. In 2025, he announced his candidacy for the 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election, securing backing from President Trump and the Ohio Republican Party.
Originating from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Indian immigrant parents, Ramaswamy earned a biology degree from Harvard University in 2007 and later obtained a law degree from Yale University in 2013. Prior to founding Roivant Sciences, he worked as an investment partner at a hedge fund. In 2022, he co-established Strive Asset Management, an investment firm.
Ramaswamy maintained a largely apolitical stance until 2020 when he supported Trump's presidential campaign. In 2021, he authored Woke Inc and gained recognition for his critiques of progressive "woke" policies on cable news channels. He is an active contributor to the Republican Party and briefly contemplated a run in the 2022 U.S. Senate race in Ohio.
Identifying as a conservative American nationalist, Ramaswamy opposes environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) initiatives, viewing them as detrimental social agendas imposed on companies. He also stands against affirmative action, asserting that it compromises meritocratic standards. As of April 2025, Forbes valued his net worth at $1.1 billion, accumulated through his biotech and financial enterprises.
Early life and education
Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy was born on August 9, 1985, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Hindu immigrants from India. His family is part of the Tamil Brahmin community originating from Kerala, with ancestral roots in Vadakkencherry. His father, V. Ganapathy Ramaswamy, an engineer educated at the National Institute of Technology Calicut, was employed by General Electric. His mother, Geetha Ramaswamy, trained as a geriatric psychiatrist at Mysore Medical College, worked for Merck and Schering-Plough.
Growing up in Ohio, Ramaswamy regularly attended a Hindu temple in Dayton with his family. Additionally, his conservative Christian piano instructor contributed to shaping his social perspectives. He spent numerous summers visiting India and was nationally ranked as a high school tennis player.
Education
Ramaswamy attended public schools until eighth grade before enrolling at Cincinnati's St. Xavier High School, a Jesuit-affiliated Catholic institution, where he graduated as valedictorian in 2003. In 2007, he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Harvard University. During his time there, he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and served as president of the Harvard Political Union. Known for his confident libertarian views, he participated in debates and performed libertarian-themed rap music under the pseudonym "Da Vek." While at Harvard, he interned with hedge fund Amaranth Advisors and investment bank Goldman Sachs. His senior thesis focused on ethical considerations regarding human-animal chimera research and earned him a Bowdoin Prize.
In 2011, Ramaswamy was awarded a post-graduate fellowship by The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans to attend Yale Law School. By this time, he had already achieved financial success through ventures in finance, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology, with an estimated net worth near $15 million prior to graduating law school. At Yale, he obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 2013 and forged connections with future U.S. Vice President JD Vance. He also took part in the Jewish intellectual group Shabtai.
Early career
In 2007, Ramaswamy and Travis May launched Campus Venture Network, a private social platform designed for university students interested in entrepreneurship. This venture was acquired by the nonprofit Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in 2009.
From 2007 until 2014, Ramaswamy was employed at hedge fund QVT Financial, where he served as a partner and co-managed the firm’s biotechnology investment portfolio. His tenure at QVT included investments in companies such as Palatin Technologies, Concert Pharmaceuticals, Pharmasset, and Martin Shkreli's Retrophin. In both a 2023 address and his book Woke Inc., Ramaswamy characterized Shkreli—whose firm infamously increased the price of a critical medication—as simultaneously "brilliant" and a pathological liar, while criticizing the U.S. Department of Justice for prosecuting what he termed a "victimless crime."
Roivant Sciences and subsidiaries
Ramaswamy established the biotech company Roivant Sciences in 2014; the name incorporates "Roi," symbolizing return on investment. Registered in Bermuda, Roivant raised close to $100 million in initial funding from QVT alongside other investors such as RA Capital Management, Visium Asset Management, and hedge funds including D. E. Shaw & Co. and Falcon Edge Capital. The company’s strategy centered on acquiring patents for drugs that larger pharmaceutical firms had not developed further, then advancing these assets through subsidiaries like Dermavant (focused on dermatology), Urovant (specializing in urological conditions), and China-based Sinovant and Cytovant targeting Asian markets.
In 2015, Ramaswamy secured $360 million for Roivant’s subsidiary Axovant Sciences to promote intepirdine as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Axovant acquired the patent from GlaxoSmithKline—where the drug had failed four clinical trials—for $5 million. Prior to initiating new trials, Axovant went public, raising $315 million with a market capitalization nearing $3 billion despite having only eight employees. That year, Ramaswamy realized over $37 million in capital gains by selling part of his Roivant shares to Viking Global Investors. He described Roivant as the "Berkshire Hathaway of drug development" and positioned intepirdine as a significant opportunity, though some critics accused him of making overly optimistic claims.
In September 2017, intepirdine did not meet expectations in a large clinical trial, resulting in Axovant’s stock dropping by 75% in a single day and continuing to decline thereafter. Institutional investors such as the California State Teachers' Retirement System incurred losses. Ramaswamy largely remained insulated through his holdings in Roivant. Subsequently, Axovant discontinued intepirdine, pivoted toward gene therapy, and eventually dissolved in 2023.
In 2017, Roivant collaborated with Chinese state-owned CITIC Private Equity to create Sinovant. That same year, SoftBank invested $1.1 billion into Roivant. By 2019, Roivant divested stakes in five subsidiaries—including Enzyvant—to Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, yielding $175 million in capital gains for Ramaswamy and granting Sumitomo a 10% ownership interest in Roivant.
During his presidential campaign, Ramaswamy referred to himself as a "scientist" responsible for developing pharmaceuticals.
Ramaswamy resigned as CEO of Roivant in January 2021 to assume the role of executive chairman. Later that year, Roivant became publicly traded on the Nasdaq through a reverse merger with Montes Archimedes Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company. In February 2023, he stepped down as chairman to concentrate on his presidential bid.
Currently, Ramaswamy holds the position of sixth-largest shareholder in Roivant with a 7.17% equity stake. Despite his leadership, the company has yet to reach profitability.
Roivant Social Ventures
In 2020, while serving as CEO of Roivant Sciences, Ramaswamy played a key role in establishing Roivant Social Ventures (RSV), a nonprofit organization focused on social impact. This initiative followed an earlier entity, the Roivant Foundation, which was founded in 2018. Although Ramaswamy’s presidential bid opposed corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs as well as environmental, social, and governance (ESG) frameworks, RSV actively supported DEI and ESG objectives such as advancing health equity and promoting diversity within the biopharmaceutical sector. Throughout his campaign, Ramaswamy has minimized his connection to RSV.
Strive Asset Management
In early 2022, Ramaswamy co-launched Strive Asset Management alongside his high school associate Anson Frericks in Columbus, Ohio. The firm secured approximately $20 million in funding from investors including Peter Thiel, JD Vance, and Bill Ackman.
Strive positions itself as an "anti-woke" investment manager, with its funds marketed as "anti-ESG." The company criticizes leading asset managers like BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard for integrating ESG considerations into their investment strategies to the detriment of shareholders. While pension funds incorporate ESG elements such as climate risk for long-term portfolio planning, Ramaswamy champions shareholder primacy and rejects socially responsible investing, which he argues is ineffective and damaging to American society. These perspectives are detailed in his books Woke, Inc. and Nation of Victims, both released shortly before his presidential campaign.
Strive’s primary exchange-traded fund, DRLL, debuted in 2022 as an "anti-woke" energy sector index fund. Ramaswamy has emphasized that Strive encourages energy firms to expand oil drilling and natural gas fracking activities without consideration for political or environmental concerns.
In October 2022, Ramaswamy held private discussions with South Carolina legislators to propose Strive managing the state’s pension funds; these meetings later faced scrutiny over allegations of unregistered lobbying, which his campaign refuted.
Ramaswamy remained executive chairman of Strive until February 2023 when he stepped down to concentrate on his presidential run.
Other ventures
In 2020, Ramaswamy co-founded Chapter Medicare, a platform designed to assist with navigating Medicare options. He also contributed to Ohio’s COVID-19 Response Team.
He served as chairman of OnCore Biopharma and maintained this position following its merger with Tekmira Pharmaceuticals in March 2015. Additionally, he chaired the board of Arbutus Biopharma, a biotechnology company based in Canada.
In May 2024, Ramaswamy acquired a 7.7% ownership stake in BuzzFeed and subsequently increased it to 8.4%, becoming the second-largest holder of Class A shares. After this acquisition, he advocated for the board to recruit conservative voices such as Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, and Bill Maher, along with appointing three seasoned directors from the new media sector. Industry analysts predict that his influence could bring substantial changes to BuzzFeed’s editorial direction and content strategy.
Early political involvement
Ramaswamy cast his vote for Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik in 2004 but abstained from voting in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 presidential elections, describing himself as politically disengaged during those years. He supported Donald Trump in the 2020 election. In November 2021, he registered as an "unaffiliated" voter in Franklin County, Ohio, although he identified politically as a Republican.
His political contributions span both major parties: he donated $2,700 to Democrat Dena Grayson’s congressional campaign in 2016 and contributed $30,000 to the Ohio Republican Party between 2020 and 2023. Additionally, Ramaswamy contemplated entering the Ohio U.S. Senate race in 2022.
2024 presidential campaign
On February 21, 2023, Ramaswamy declared his intention to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2024 during an appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight. He made public his income tax records spanning two decades and challenged other candidates to follow suit. The majority of his campaign funding came from his personal fortune; between February and July 2023, he contributed over $15 million of his own money, finishing the second quarter with approximately $9 million in available cash. While his fundraising lagged behind Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, it exceeded that of most other GOP contenders.
Ramaswamy aimed to appeal to evangelical Christians and Christian nationalists—key factions within the Republican electorate—by highlighting common Judeo-Christian principles, despite his Hindu faith. He voiced criticism of secularism and described himself as an "unapologetic American nationalist," frequently targeting DeSantis but refraining from direct attacks on Trump.
In May 2023, it was revealed that his campaign had paid an editor to modify his Wikipedia page prior to the announcement of his presidential bid, removing mentions of the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship and his role on Ohio’s COVID-19 response team. The campaign denied any political motives behind these changes, asserting they were intended to correct inaccuracies.
After placing fourth in the 2024 Iowa Republican caucuses, Ramaswamy withdrew from the race in January and endorsed Trump. He later acted as a political surrogate for Trump's campaign, representing it at various events and public appearances.
Department of Government Efficiency
One week following the 2024 election, President-elect Donald Trump appointed Ramaswamy alongside entrepreneur Elon Musk to spearhead the newly proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Nevertheless, Ramaswamy never formally joined DOGE during Trump's term, stepping back on Inauguration Day to concentrate on a prospective 2026 Ohio governor run. Reports suggest his exit was due to conflicts with DOGE leadership and staff members.
2026 Ohio gubernatorial election
Ramaswamy officially filed paperwork on February 15, 2025, to compete in the 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election, with a formal campaign announcement following on February 24. On that same day, he earned a significant endorsement from President Donald Trump, who described him as a "very good person" and offered his "COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT." Analysts interpret Trump's early support as a tactical effort to strengthen Ramaswamy’s candidacy and minimize a divisive primary contest in Ohio.
Additionally, Ramaswamy gained backing from Trump’s senior adviser Elon Musk, who openly endorsed his gubernatorial bid. On May 9, 2025, he received the official endorsement of the Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee—the earliest recorded endorsement for a non-incumbent candidate seeking governor in Ohio's history.
Political positions
Ramaswamy identifies as an American nationalist and asserts that the United States is undergoing a crisis of national identity driven by what he terms "new secular religions," including COVID-ism, climate-ism, and gender ideology. Although he competed in the 2024 Republican primaries, he has consistently expressed strong support for Donald Trump. After Trump’s federal indictment in 2023, Ramaswamy vowed to pardon him if elected president. He has also pledged pardons for figures such as Julian Assange, Ross Ulbricht, and Edward Snowden. Furthermore, Ramaswamy has considered Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a potential vice-presidential running mate.
Anti-woke
In 2023, The New York Times identified Ramaswamy as a candidate opposing woke culture. His August 2021 publication, the New York Times bestseller Woke Inc, offers a critique of what he terms the "modern woke-industrial complex." Ramaswamy rose to prominence within conservative circles by challenging corporate E.S.G. initiatives that advance political, social, and environmental causes. Throughout his presidential bid, he argued that traditional values such as “faith, patriotism and hard work" are being supplanted by emerging secular ideologies including Covidism, climatism, and gender ideology.
Critical race theory
Ramaswamy contends that critical race theory serves as a form of indoctrination for public school students and has voiced opposition to affirmative action, pledging to revoke Executive Order 11246. He asserts that American-style capitalism functions as a countermeasure to India's caste system.
Abortion
Ramaswamy generally stands against abortion, advocating for its regulation to be determined at the state level rather than through a nationwide prohibition. He frequently equates abortion with murder. In the past, he supported six-week abortion restrictions at the state level, allowing exceptions for cases involving rape, incest, or risks to the mother's life.
LGBTQ and Gender ideology
Ramaswamy has characterized the LGBTQ movement as a "cult." While a representative acknowledged same-sex marriage as established law, he endorsed extensive limitations on transgender rights, employing rhetoric critical of transgender issues.
Executive power
If elected, Ramaswamy promised to wield executive authority more aggressively than recent U.S. presidents. He committed to terminating 75% of federal employees, eliminating civil service protections to convert federal jobs into at-will positions, and abolishing at least five federal agencies such as the Department of Education, FBI, ATF, IRS, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and USDA's Food and Nutrition Service. He denounced the FDA as "corrupt" and vowed to "expose and ultimately dismantle" it.
Ramaswamy claimed that the president possesses unilateral authority to dissolve agencies via executive order despite these entities being established by legislation and Congress controlling appropriations under the Constitution. He advocated for an eight-year employment limit for all government workers and pledged to rescind Executive Order 10988, which provides collective bargaining rights for federal employees. Furthermore, he proposed repealing the statute requiring presidents to fully expend funds allocated by Congress.
Voting rights
Ramaswamy suggested increasing the minimum voting age from 18 to 25 years old, necessitating repeal of the 26th Amendment. This adjustment would disenfranchise nearly 9% of voters under 25 who participated in the 2020 election. As a birthright citizen himself, he also called for ending birthright citizenship. He proposed permitting voting rights for individuals aged 18 to 24 only if they serve in the military, work as first responders, or pass the civics test required for naturalization. Additionally, he supported designating Election Day as a federal holiday while removing Juneteenth, which he described as "useless" and "redundant," from federal holiday status.
Border control
Ramaswamy committed to deploying the military to completely dismantle the Mexican drug cartels. He also endorsed the idea of federally legalizing marijuana in the United States.
Taxes
He refrained from publicly commenting on the 2017 Trump tax cuts. In a hypothetical scenario, he showed favor for implementing an inheritance tax and advocated ending the Federal Reserve's dual mandate. However, during his presidential bid, he opposed the inheritance tax.
Work visas
Ramaswamy proposed overhauling the H-1B visa system, criticizing its current lottery method and recommending a merit-based selection process instead.
Foreign affairs
He stood against U.S. military intervention in Iran. In November 2023, he denounced Azerbaijan’s offensive against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and called on the United States to halt all military assistance to Azerbaijan.
Russia-Ukraine
Ramaswamy supported significant compromises with Russia, including a Korean War–style ceasefire that would freeze existing frontlines to conclude the Russo-Ukrainian War. He advocated for terminating U.S. military aid to Ukraine, excluding Ukraine from NATO membership, and permitting Russia to keep occupied Ukrainian territories in return for Russia severing its alliance with China.
China-Taiwan
He backed Taiwanese independence and suggested arming every Taiwanese household as a deterrent against a potential China invasion. Nevertheless, he stated that the U.S. should refrain from militarily defending Taiwan until achieving "semiconductor independence," a target he pledged to accomplish by 2028.
Israel-Palestine
Ramaswamy expressed strong support for Israel, calling it "a Divine nation, charged with a Divine purpose." He opposed the two-state solution and, following the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault, maintained that Israel should independently determine its defense strategy. He proposed that U.S. assistance take the form of a "diplomatic Iron Dome" rather than direct military aid, with American support contingent upon Israel’s approach to defeating Hamas and its conduct in Gaza.
Climate and energy
While not denying climate change, Ramaswamy labeled the "climate change agenda" as deceptive during a Republican primary debate and inaccurately claimed that "more people are dying from climate policies than actual climate change." At other times, he acknowledged fossil fuel combustion as a cause of climate change but described global warming as "not entirely bad." He encouraged embracing a high-carbon lifestyle and advocated expanding drilling, fracking, and coal usage across the United States.
He criticized what he called the "climate cult" and vowed to eliminate carbon measurement mandates and abandon anti-carbon policies if elected. In 2022, he urged Chevron to increase oil output and opposed its endorsement of a carbon tax; his company owns a 0.02% share in Chevron. Additionally, Ramaswamy rejected subsidies for electric vehicles.
Frequently relying on misleading data regarding atmospheric carbon dioxide, his arguments highlighted benefits such as fewer cold-related deaths and affordable energy but neglected wider negative impacts including heightened extreme weather events, mortality rates, ecological damage, and the availability of cleaner energy alternatives.
Advocacy of Conspiracy Narratives
During Republican primary debates and campaign appearances, Ramaswamy has frequently endorsed a range of right-wing conspiratorial claims and inaccuracies. Although he condemned the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach, he contended that social media platforms banning Trump violated First Amendment rights. Subsequently, throughout his presidential run, he persistently asserted without substantiation that the incident was orchestrated internally—a conclusion disproven by numerous official inquiries.
Ramaswamy has also referenced conspiracy theories related to September 11, raising doubts about whether "federal agents were aboard the planes" involved in the Twin Towers attacks. He has maintained that "big tech" companies interfered with the 2020 election by censoring stories such as the Hunter Biden laptop saga and alleged that the "Great Replacement" theory reflects a Democratic strategy to exploit demographic shifts.
When questioned about these statements, Ramaswamy frequently denied making them or claimed misrepresentation, despite existing audio recordings, transcripts, or written evidence confirming his remarks.
Personal life
Ramaswamy is married to Apoorva Tewari Ramaswamy, a laryngologist and surgeon whom he met at Yale, where he pursued legal studies and she studied medicine. The couple wed in 2015 and have two sons. His younger brother, Shankar, collaborated with him at Axovant before co-founding Kriya Therapeutics, a company in the biopharmaceutical sector.
A monotheistic Hindu, Ramaswamy is fluent in Tamil and comprehends (though does not speak) Malayalam. He follows a vegetarian diet and expressed in 2020 that taking the lives of sentient animals for taste is unethical. His parents have remarked on his dedication to bridging Eastern and Western cultural understandings.
In 2023, his campaign projected his net worth to be approximately $1 billion. Early in his venture capital career, he resided in Manhattan. By 2023, he owned a residence in Columbus, Ohio, specifically a $2 million property located in the suburb of Upper Arlington.
Published works
- Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America's Social Justice Scam (2021, Center Street)
- Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence (2022, Center Street)
- Capitalist Punishment: How Wall Street Is Using Your Money to Create a Country You Didn't Vote For (2023, Broadside Books)
- Truths: The Future of America First (2024, Threshold Editions)