Indian-Origin Entrepreneurs Lead America’s Immigrant Billionaire List in 2026

• India is the top source of immigrant billionaires in the US, with 19 Indian-origin names on Forbes’ 2026 list.

• Seven new Indian-American billionaires joined the ranking this year.

• Vinod Khosla is the richest Indian-origin billionaire, worth an estimated USD 13.9 billion.

• New entrants include Hemant Taneja, Shyam Sankar and Astera Labs founders.

• Forbes counted 144 immigrant billionaires in 2026, together worth USD 2.2 trillion.

India has emerged as the largest source of immigrant billionaires in the United States, with 19 Indian-origin business leaders featured on Forbes’ 2026 list of the richest foreign-born citizens living in America.

The latest ranking highlights the growing influence of Indian-origin entrepreneurs, executives and investors in the US economy, particularly across technology, software, venture capital, cybersecurity and aviation.

According to Forbes, seven new Indian-American billionaires joined the list in 2026. Many of the latest entrants built their wealth in the technology sector, reflecting the continued strength of Indian-origin leadership in Silicon Valley and other innovation hubs.

India leads all countries in the number of immigrant billionaires in the US. It is followed by Israel, Taiwan and China, according to the report.

Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla is the richest Indian-origin billionaire on the list, with an estimated net worth of USD 13.9 billion. Khosla was ranked as the 13th richest immigrant billionaire in America. He appeared behind names such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who topped the overall list, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

Other prominent Indian-origin names include Zscaler chief executive Jay Chaudhry, IndiGo co-founder Rakesh Gangwal and software entrepreneur Romesh Wadhwani. All three were listed among the top 100 richest immigrant founders in the US.

Two of the world’s most visible Indian-origin corporate leaders, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, also retained their places in the ranking. Their continued presence reflects the major role Indian-born executives play in leading some of the most valuable technology companies in the world.

Among the new Indian-origin entrants, venture capitalist Hemant Taneja stands out. Taneja, who heads the Silicon Valley investment firm General Catalyst, saw his wealth rise to an estimated USD 3.6 billion. His gains were linked to the firm’s successful bets in the artificial intelligence sector, including its investment in Anthropic, one of the most closely watched AI companies.

Another notable addition is Shyam Sankar, chief technology officer of Palantir. Sankar entered the list as Palantir’s market profile and valuation benefited from growing demand for data analytics and AI-linked government and enterprise software.

Sankar has also attracted attention because of Palantir’s close relationship with the Trump administration and its participation in controversial projects connected to immigration enforcement. He has been identified as a major donor to Trump, adding a political dimension to his public profile.

The founders of semiconductor company Astera Labs were also among the new Indian-origin names added to the Forbes list. Their inclusion reflects the growing importance of chips, data infrastructure and AI hardware in creating new wealth among technology entrepreneurs.

The broader 2026 ranking shows a sharp rise in immigrant billionaire wealth in the United States. Forbes counted a record 144 immigrant billionaires in 2026, compared with 125 in 2025. Their combined net worth rose to USD 2.2 trillion from USD 1.3 trillion a year earlier.

The list also includes Pakistan-born Shahid Khan, who ranked 12th overall among immigrant billionaires with a fortune estimated at USD 14.9 billion. Much of Khan’s wealth comes from his ownership of major sports assets, including the Jacksonville Jaguars in the National Football League and English Premier League club Fulham F.C.

While the immigrant billionaire list includes business leaders from several countries, India’s position at the top underscores the depth of Indian-origin participation in America’s innovation economy.

From early technology pioneers such as Vinod Khosla to current corporate leaders such as Nadella and Pichai, and newer wealth creators in AI, cybersecurity and semiconductors, Indian-origin figures continue to occupy influential roles across the US business landscape.

The 2026 Forbes ranking also shows how the sources of wealth are changing. Artificial intelligence, cloud software, cybersecurity, data analytics and semiconductor infrastructure are producing a fresh generation of billionaires, many of them immigrants or children of global professional networks.

For Indian-origin entrepreneurs in the US, the latest list is another marker of their expanding footprint in boardrooms, venture capital firms, startup ecosystems and public markets. As technology continues to drive wealth creation, their presence among America’s richest immigrant business leaders is likely to remain significant.