Bhargava joins Forbes Magazine's wealthiest

Bhargava’s wealth is valued at about $1.3 billion, placing him at 960th on Forbes’s list of the 1,226 wealthiest people on the planet. According to a profile written on him that appeared in Forbes in February, Bhargava speculates that he is probably the wealthiest Indian living in the United States.

Bhargava was born in Lucknow, India, and moved to the United States with his parents at the age of 14. He attended the University for one year before dropping out to live in an ashram — similar to a monastery — in India.

Upon returning to the United States, he began working in his family’s plastics business. He retired after selling the company to a private equity firm for $20 million in 2006 but soon began experimenting with mixing chemicals for energy drinks.

Bhargava told Forbes that he would take a shot of his caffeine-based creation every morning and before playing tennis. In 2004, his energy drink hit the shelves.

“Chemicals are really simple,” Bhargava told Forbes. “You mix a couple things together and sell it for more than the materials cost.”