Indian-American entrepreneurs and investors are once again among the world’s richest people, with several members of the diaspora appearing on the 2026 Forbes World’s Billionaires list.
This comes at a time when global billionaire wealth has reached record levels. According to the latest ranking, 3,428 people worldwide are now billionaires, about 400 more than last year. Together, they hold a combined wealth of $20.1 trillion, which is $4 trillion more than in 2025.
The United States has the highest number of billionaires with 989, including 15 of the world’s 20 richest people. China (including Hong Kong) comes next with 610 billionaires, while India ranks third with 229.
Among this large group of wealthy individuals is a smaller but influential set, the Indian-Americans who have built billion-dollar businesses across sectors such as technology, finance, venture capital and healthcare in the United States.
Technology leaders dominate the list
Many of the Indian-American billionaires on the list built their fortunes in technology. Vinod Khosla, ranked 254, is among the wealthiest in the group with an estimated $12.1 billion. The 71-year-old is known as a co-founder of Sun Microsystems and later became a major venture capitalist through his firm Khosla Ventures.
Another major name is Jay Chaudhry, ranked 422, with a net worth of about $8.4 billion. The 66-year-old entrepreneur founded cybersecurity company Zscaler, which has grown rapidly as businesses move their operations online.
Jayshree Ullal, ranked 730, is another prominent technology leader with an estimated $5.7 billion fortune. The 64-year-old is the CEO of networking company Arista Networks and one of the most successful women executives in the tech industry.
Entrepreneurs across industries
Beyond technology, Indian-American billionaires are also spread across several other industries. Rakesh Gangwal, ranked 749, built his fortune in aviation and is best known as the co-founder of airline IndiGo.
Technology investor and entrepreneur Romesh T. Wadhwani, ranked 762, is known for building multiple enterprise software companies and investing heavily in artificial intelligence and technology research.
Newer-generation entrepreneurs are also on the list. Baiju Bhatt, ranked 954, co-founded stock trading platform Robinhood, which became widely used by retail investors in the United States. At the same rank is Rajiv Jain, an investment manager known for building a major global investment firm.
Silicon Valley influence
Several Indian-American billionaires have strong ties to Silicon Valley and the venture capital ecosystem. Kavitark Ram Shriram, ranked 1137, was an early investor in Google and later became a well-known venture capitalist.
Hemant Taneja, ranked 1189, is another venture investor who has backed several technology and healthcare startups. Ankur Jain, ranked 1251, founder of Blitz Rewards represents a younger generation of entrepreneurs who have built companies in technology and consumer services.
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, ranked 1755, gained prominence through his biotechnology company Roivant Sciences before moving into politics and public life.
A growing diaspora success story
Other Indian-American billionaires on the list include Jyoti Bansal, ranked 1834, a software entrepreneur known for founding multiple technology companies, and Surya Midha, ranked 1913, who built his wealth through investments.
Technology services pioneer Bharat Desai, ranked 2481, is the co-founder of IT consulting company Syntel, which grew into a major outsourcing firm serving global clients.
Even Sundar Pichai, ranked 2600, the CEO of Google and its parent company Alphabet, appears on the list due to his growing personal wealth tied to stock compensation and long-term leadership in the tech sector.