Manoj Bhargava
| Manoj Bhargava | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1953 (age 63–64) Lucknow, India |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Education | Princeton University (one year) |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, Philanthropist |
| Known for | 5-Hour Energy brand |
| Net worth | USD $4.0 billion (2013) |
Manoj Bhargava is an Indian American businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder and CEO of Innovations Ventures LLC (dba Living Essentials LLC), the company known for producing the 5-hour Energy drink. By 2012 the brand had grown to do an estimated $1 billion in sales. In 2015, Bhargava pledged 99% of his net worth to improving the well-being of the world's less fortunate.
Bhargava was born in Lucknow(in the state of Uttar Pradesh), India in 1953 and in 1967, moved with his family to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bhargava's father attended the Wharton School of Business in pursuit of a doctorate degree, while his son won a math scholarship to an "elite private academy" called The Hill School. After high school graduation, Bhargava attended Princeton University for one year in 1972.
After college, Bhargava returned to India and spent the next 12 years traveling to and from a group of communal-like monasteries owned by the Hanslok Ashram. During this period, Bhargava moved back and forth between the US and India and worked a variety of middle-class office and construction jobs.
Bhargava returned to the US and joined his parent's PVC manufacturing company. In 1990, he purchased a company that produced parts for outdoor furniture. He later sold Prime PVC Inc. in 2006. A subsequent company, Chemicalpartners.com specialized in inventions and new ideas for business.
Bhargava created Innovations Ventures LLC (dba Living Essentials LLC), and launched 5-hour Energy in 2003. By 2012, retail sales had grown to an estimated $1 billion. Over time, Bhargava created additional entities or funds to support a variety of new ventures. These include the capital venture company MicroDose Life Sciences, a manufacturing venture laboratory called Stage 2 Innovations LLC, a private equity fund called ETC Capital LLC, Plymouth Real Estate Holdings LLC and Oakland Energy and Water Ventures. In 2014, he financed a New York City-based film distribution company Bleecker Street.
Bhargava was interviewed on the ABC News show Nightline in September 2012. That year an article in Forbes magazine said Bhargava and his company, Innovations Ventures, had participated in up to 90 court cases against competitors, suppliers and associates since 2003. As of 2012, fourteen of those cases had been settled or dismissed.
In 2013, Forbes reported Bhargava's net worth to be $1.5 billion, but he was dropped from its list of billionaires in 2014. Bhargava's 2015 documentary, Billions in Change, reports he has a net worth of over $4 billion, while some news articles report the $4 billion figure to be unverified.
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