Career Timeline of Vivek Ramaswamy: Major Achievements and Milestones

How Vivek Ramaswamy built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy is an American entrepreneur and politician. He founded Roivant Sciences, a biotech pharmaceutical company, and served as its CEO until 2021. Ramaswamy ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2023, finishing fourth in the Iowa caucuses and subsequently endorsing Donald Trump for the 2024 election. In February 2025, with an endorsement from President Trump, Ramaswamy launched his campaign for the 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election.

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Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

2007: Joined QVT Financial

From 2007, Vivek Ramaswamy worked at the hedge fund QVT Financial.

2007: Co-founded Campus Venture Network

In 2007, Vivek Ramaswamy and Travis May co-founded Campus Venture Network, which published a private social networking website for university students who aspired to launch a business.

2009: Sale of Campus Venture Network

In 2009, Campus Venture Network was sold to the nonprofit Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

December 2014: Axovant Purchased Intepirdine Patent

In December 2014, Axovant, a Roivant subsidiary, purchased the patent for intepirdine from GlaxoSmithKline for $5 million.

2014: Founded Roivant Sciences

In 2014, Vivek Ramaswamy founded Roivant Sciences, a biotech pharmaceutical company, where he served as CEO until 2021.

2014: Departure from QVT Financial

In 2014, Vivek Ramaswamy left his position at the hedge fund QVT Financial, where he was a partner and co-managed the firm's biotech portfolio.

March 2015: Became Chairman of Tekmira Pharmaceuticals

In March 2015, Vivek Ramaswamy maintained his position as chairman at Tekmira Pharmaceuticals when it merged with OnCore Biopharma.

2015: Forbes Cover and IPO of Axovant Sciences

In 2015, Vivek Ramaswamy appeared on the cover of Forbes, and he also engineered Axovant's initial public offering (IPO); it became a "Wall Street darling" and raised $315 million.

2017: Partnership with CITIC and Investment by SoftBank

In 2017, Roivant partnered with CITIC Private Equity of the Chinese state-owned CITIC Group to form Sinovant, and Ramaswamy also struck a deal with Masayoshi Son in which SoftBank invested $1.1 billion in Roivant.

2018: Creation of Roivant Foundation

In 2018, an earlier iteration of RSV, the Roivant Foundation, was created.

2019: Sale of Roivant Subsidiaries

In 2019, Roivant sold its stake in five subsidiaries, including Enzyvant, to Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, resulting in capital gains of $175 million for Ramaswamy.

2020: Co-founded Chapter Medicare

In 2020, Vivek Ramaswamy co-founded Chapter Medicare, a Medicare navigation platform, and also served on the Ohio COVID-19 Response Team.

2020: Established Roivant Social Ventures

In 2020, while Ramaswamy was CEO of Roivant Sciences, the company established a nonprofit social-impact arm, Roivant Social Ventures (RSV).

January 2021: Stepped Down as CEO of Roivant Sciences

In January 2021, Vivek Ramaswamy stepped down as CEO of Roivant Sciences and became executive chairman.

2021: Stepped Down as Roivant Sciences CEO

In 2021, Vivek Ramaswamy stepped down as CEO of Roivant Sciences.

September 2022: Publication of Nation of Victims

In September 2022, Vivek Ramaswamy published his second book, Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence, a few months before announcing his presidential candidacy.

Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence

Check it on Amazon

October 2022: Meetings with South Carolina Lawmakers

In October 2022, Vivek Ramaswamy held closed-door meetings with South Carolina lawmakers to pitch Strive to manage South Carolina pension funds.

2022: Launch of DRLL Fund

In 2022, Strive's flagship fund, the exchange-traded fund DRLL, launched as an "anti-woke" energy sector index fund.

2022: Considered Running for U.S. Senate

In 2022, Vivek Ramaswamy considered running in the U.S. Senate election in Ohio.

2022: Co-founded Strive Asset Management

In early 2022, Vivek Ramaswamy co-founded Strive Asset Management, a Columbus, Ohio-based asset management firm, with his high school friend Anson Frericks.

February 2023: Resigned as Executive Chairman of Strive

In February 2023, Vivek Ramaswamy resigned as Strive's executive chairman to focus on his presidential campaign.

February 2023: Resigned as Chair of Roivant

In February 2023, Vivek Ramaswamy resigned as chair of Roivant to focus on his presidential campaign.

February 21, 2023: Announced Presidential Candidacy

On February 21, 2023, Vivek Ramaswamy announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president of the United States in 2024 on Tucker Carlson Tonight.

May 2023: Campaign Admitted to Paying Editor to Alter Wikipedia Biography

In May 2023, Ramaswamy's campaign admitted to paying an editor to alter his Wikipedia biography before announcing his candidacy. The edits removed references to his fellowship and involvement with the Ohio COVID-19 Response Team. The campaign denied attempting to "scrub" the page, arguing they were correcting "factual distortions."

July 2023: Campaign Fundraising

From February to July 2023, Vivek Ramaswamy loaned his campaign more than $15 million.

2023: Dissolution of Axovant

In 2023, Axovant dissolved after attempting to reinvent itself as a gene therapy company.

2023: Declared Candidacy for President

In 2023, Vivek Ramaswamy declared his candidacy for the Republican presidential primaries.

2023: Rallies behind Trump after federal criminal charges

In 2023, after Trump was indicted on federal criminal charges, Ramaswamy immediately rallied behind him.

January 2024: Withdrawal from Presidential Bid

In January 2024, Vivek Ramaswamy finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses and withdrew his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, endorsing Donald Trump for the 2024 presidential election.

May 2024: Acquired Stake in BuzzFeed

In May 2024, Vivek Ramaswamy acquired a 7.7% stake in BuzzFeed, later increased to 8.4%, making him the second-largest Class A shareholder in the company.

2024: Ramaswamy Tasked to Lead Department of Government Efficiency

In 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced that Ramaswamy was tasked to lead the newly proposed Department of Government Efficiency. However, he later dropped out to focus on a potential 2026 Ohio gubernatorial campaign.

2024: Supports Trump and Considers Kennedy Jr. as Running Mate

In 2024, Ramaswamy vocally supported Trump, promised to pardon him if elected president, and suggested he considered Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a possible running mate.

2024: Campaign Ends and Endorses Trump

In 2024, after finishing fourth in the Iowa caucuses, Ramaswamy ended his campaign and endorsed Trump. He then served as a political surrogate for the Trump campaign for the remainder of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

2024: Presidential Campaign

On February 21, 2023, Ramaswamy declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president of the United States in 2024 on Tucker Carlson Tonight.

February 15, 2025: Files to enter the 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election

On February 15, 2025, Ramaswamy filed to enter the 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election.

February 2025: Launched Ohio Gubernatorial Campaign

In February 2025, Vivek Ramaswamy launched his 2026 Ohio gubernatorial campaign and received an endorsement from President Trump.

May 9, 2025: Receives official endorsement from Ohio Republican Party

On May 9, 2025, Ramaswamy received the official endorsement of the Ohio Republican Party's State Central Committee for his Ohio governor bid.

2026: Ramaswamy to focus on a potential Ohio gubernatorial campaign

In 2026, Ramaswamy dropped out of DOGE to focus on a potential 2026 Ohio gubernatorial campaign. The departure was reportedly due to friction between Ramaswamy and other DOGE leadership and staff.