Vivek Ramaswamy was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Indian immigrant parents. His mother was a geriatric psychiatrist, and his father was an engineer and patent lawyer at General Electric.

Ramaswamy graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He was a nationally ranked junior tennis player and the valedictorian of his Jesuit high-school class.

Ramaswamy earned a law degree from Yale University, where he met his future wife, Apoorva Tewari, a medical student who later became a throat surgeon.

At the age of 29, Ramaswamy founded Roivant Sciences, a pharmaceutical company that would significantly contribute to his wealth and reputation in the biotech industry.

Ramaswamy announced his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination on the "Tucker Carlson Tonight" show. He positioned himself as a conservative with a vision for American national identity and opposed ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) initiatives.

After finishing fourth in the Iowa Republican caucuses, Ramaswamy suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Donald Trump for the presidency.

President-elect Donald Trump announced that Ramaswamy and Elon Musk would lead the newly proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aimed at dismantling government bureaucracy and slashing regulations.

Ramaswamy decided not to take part in DOGE to focus on a potential run for the governor of Ohio in the 2026 election. This decision came amid reports of friction between Ramaswamy and other DOGE leadership and staff.