Meet Pakistan-Born Billionaire Who Survived Polio At 2 And Built Rs 42,500 Crore Empire

Romesh Wadhwani was born in 1947, the year Pakistan was founded. Soon after, his family moved to India. At just 2 years old, he was diagnosed with polio, which left him with mobility challenges for life — but it didn’t stop him from dreaming big.

Despite physical limitations, Romesh excelled in academics. With determination and grit, he overcame daily obstacles and went on to gain admission to one of India’s most prestigious institutions — the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

In 1969, Wadhwani moved to the U.S. to attend Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He completed his Master’s and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, laying the foundation for a groundbreaking career in technology.

After his Ph.D., he started an industrial automation company. Later, he founded Aspect Development, a software firm that became a major success and was eventually sold for a massive 9.3 billion dollars in 1999.

Romesh currently leads Symphony Technology Group, which controls 18 tech and analytics companies. With a focus on enterprise software, data, and AI, the group generates over 2.8 billion dollars in annual revenue.

Now a U.S. citizen, Wadhwani believes deeply in the power of immigration and entrepreneurship. He supports startups and education initiatives, and is committed to philanthropy through the Wadhwani Foundation, which aims to create jobs and boost innovation.

With a net worth of 5 billion dollars (Rs 42,500 crore), Wadhwani is ranked No. 222 on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans. From polio survivor to global tech leader, his story is the ultimate example of perseverance and purpose.

(Images Credit: @wadhwanif/X, @dpradhanbjp/X, @SandhuTaranjitS/X, @PIB_India/X, Forbes)