History of Vivek Ramaswamy in Timeline

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.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

August 9, 1985: Birth of Vivek Ramaswamy

On August 9, 1985, Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy was born. He is an American entrepreneur and politician.

Others born on this day/year

2003: Graduation from St. Xavier High School

In 2003, Vivek Ramaswamy graduated as valedictorian from St. Xavier High School, a Catholic school in Cincinnati.

2004: Voted for Michael Badnarik

In 2004, Vivek Ramaswamy said that he voted for Michael Badnarik, the Libertarian Party presidential nominee.

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.

2007: Graduation from Harvard University

In 2007, Vivek Ramaswamy graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, in biology. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

2008: Did Not Vote in Presidential Election

In 2008, Vivek Ramaswamy did not vote in the presidential election.

2009: Sale of Campus Venture Network

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

2011: Awarded Soros Fellowship

In 2011, Vivek Ramaswamy was awarded a post-graduate fellowship by The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans to attend law school.

2012: Did Not Vote in Presidential Election

In 2012, Vivek Ramaswamy did not vote in the presidential election.

2013: Earned Juris Doctor

In 2013, Vivek Ramaswamy earned a Juris Doctor degree.

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: Marriage to Apoorva Tewari

In 2015, Ramaswamy married Apoorva Tewari, a laryngologist and surgeon, whom he met at Yale.

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.

2016: Lived in Manhattan as of 2016

As of 2016, Ramaswamy lived in Manhattan.

2016: Did Not Vote in Presidential Election

In 2016, Vivek Ramaswamy did not vote in the presidential election.

2016: Donation to Dena Grayson

In 2016, Vivek Ramaswamy donated $2,700 to the campaign of Dena Grayson, a Florida Democrat running for Congress.

September 2017: Failure of Intepirdine Clinical Trial

In September 2017, Axovant Sciences announced that intepirdine had failed in its large clinical trial, causing the company's value to plunge.

2017: No public position on Trump tax cuts

In 2017, Ramaswamy took no public position on the 2017 Trump tax cuts.

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: Ramaswamy's Comments on Axovant

In 2018, Vivek Ramaswamy said he had no regrets about how Axovant handled the drug intepirdine.

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: Donated to Ohio Republican Party

From 2020, Vivek Ramaswamy donated $30,000 to the Ohio Republican Party.

2020: Asserts election theft and promotes "Great Replacement" conspiracy

In 2020, Ramaswamy asserted that "big tech" stole the 2020 election and that the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory was "the Democratic Party's platform".

2020: Proposal to restrict voting rights

In 2020, Ramaswamy proposed restricting voting rights for citizens between 18 and 24 unless they are enlisted in the military, work as first responders, or pass the civics test required for naturalization.

2020: Belief against killing animals for culinary pleasure

In 2020, Ramaswamy wrote, "I believe it is wrong to kill sentient animals for culinary pleasure."

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: Supported Donald Trump

In 2020, Vivek Ramaswamy supported Donald Trump in the election.

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 6, 2021: Condemns Capitol attack but argues against social media bans on Trump

On January 6, 2021, Ramaswamy condemned the attack on the Capitol, but argued that social media bans on Trump violate the First Amendment.

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.

November 2021: Registered to Vote as Unaffiliated

In November 2021, Vivek Ramaswamy registered to vote in Franklin County, Ohio, as "unaffiliated", but described himself as a Republican.

2021: Owned a house in Butler County, Ohio as of 2021

As of 2021, Ramaswamy owned a house in Butler County, Ohio.

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: Urges Chevron to increase oil production and criticizes carbon tax support

In 2022, Ramaswamy urged Chevron to increase oil production and criticized its support for a carbon tax. Ramaswamy's company holds a 0.02% stake in Chevron.

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."

June 2023: Criticism of Meetings with Lawmakers

In June 2023, after The Post and Courier reported on Vivek Ramaswamy's October 2022 meetings with South Carolina lawmakers, the sessions were criticized as a form of unregistered lobbying.

July 2023: Campaign Fundraising

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

October 7, 2023: Response to Hamas attack on Israel

After Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Ramaswamy said that "Israel should be able to make the decisions of how it defends itself" and suggested that the U.S. should provide a "diplomatic Iron Dome" for Israel.

November 2023: Condemns Azerbaijan's military operation

In November 2023, Ramaswamy condemned Azerbaijan's military operation against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh and said that the U.S. should block all its military aid to Azerbaijan.

2023: Donated to Ohio Republican Party

From 2020 to 2023, Vivek Ramaswamy donated $30,000 to the Ohio Republican Party.

2023: Dissolution of Axovant

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

2023: Estimated Net Worth and Real Estate Ownership

In 2023, Ramaswamy's net worth was estimated to be over $950 million to more than $1 billion. He reported owning a house in Columbus, Ohio. A profile mentioned him living in a $2 million estate.

2023: Declared Candidacy for President

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

2023: Net Worth Before Law School

In 2023, Vivek Ramaswamy stated that by the time he attended Yale, he was already wealthy from his activities in the finance, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries and that he had a net worth of around $15 million before graduating from law school.

2023: Rallies behind Trump after federal criminal charges

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

2023: Ramaswamy's Comments on Martin Shkreli

In a 2023 speech and in his book Woke Inc., Vivek Ramaswamy called Martin Shkreli both "brilliant" and a pathological liar and criticized the U.S. Department of Justice for prosecuting Shkreli, calling his fraud a victimless crime.

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.

April 2025: Forbes Estimate of Net Worth

In April 2025, Forbes estimated Vivek Ramaswamy's net worth to be $1.1 billion, primarily derived from his biotech and financial businesses.

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.

2026: Campaign launch for Ohio governorship with Trump's endorsement

In 2026, Ramaswamy launched his campaign for Ohio governorship, he got the crucial endorsement from President Donald Trump.

2026: Ohio Gubernatorial Campaign

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

2028: Pledges to achieve semiconductor independence by 2028

By 2028, Ramaswamy said the U.S. should not militarily defend Taiwan from Chinese attack after the U.S. has achieved "semiconductor independence", which he pledged to achieve by 2028.