Early Life and Education
Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 9, 1985, to Indian immigrant parents. His father was an engineer, and his mother a geriatric psychiatrist. Ramaswamy graduated as valedictorian from St. Xavier High School in 2003. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Harvard University in 2007, graduating summa cum laude. At Harvard, he was president of the Harvard Political Union. He later obtained a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School in 2013.
Rise to Success in Biotech and Finance
Ramaswamy's career began in finance. He worked at the hedge fund QVT Financial from 2007 to 2014, where he specialized in biotech investments. In 2014, he founded Roivant Sciences, a biotechnology company focused on acquiring and developing drugs. The company's strategy involved purchasing patents from larger pharmaceutical companies for drugs that had not yet been successfully developed. A key milestone in Roivant's success was a $3 billion deal with Sumitomo Dainippon in 2020.
Political Career and Philanthropy
In 2021, Ramaswamy stepped down as CEO of Roivant and became involved in politics. He authored the book "Woke, Inc.", criticizing corporate America's focus on social justice issues. In 2022, he co-founded Strive Asset Management, an investment firm. Ramaswamy ran for the Republican nomination in the 2024 United States presidential election, but ended his campaign after the Iowa caucus. Currently, Ramaswamy is running for Governor of Ohio in the 2026 election. He supports education empowerment and healthcare innovation through his philanthropic initiatives.