From Iran To The Billionaires Club: 7 Fortunes Built In America

At a time when Iran and the US are often connected through geopolitical headlines, another story has quietly unfolded over decades—one of entrepreneurship, innovation, and wealth creation. According to Forbes' America's Richest Immigrants 2026, seven Iranian-born entrepreneurs rank among America's wealthiest, having built fortunes across industries ranging from advertising technology and private equity to space and energy, medical devices, solar panels, investments, and biotechnology, with a combined net worth of $31.1 billion. Seven different journeys—but each story began in Iran. Notably, Forbes' Real-Time Billionaires ranking does not include any billionaires who built their fortunes in Iran.Here's a look at the seven Iranian-born American billionaires who made their fortunes in the US, and how their net worths have changed over the past year. Net worths are as of July 8, 2026.1. Adam ForoughiNet worth: $18.9 billionYoY change: $6.3 billion ↑ Image by linkedin's profile Foroughi co-founded AI-powered advertising technology company AppLovin in 2011 and has served as its CEO since its inception. A decade later, he took the US-based company public after bootstrapping the business for years, before private equity firm KKR became its largest outside investor in 2018. According to Forbes, Foroughi owns roughly 11% of AppLovin. His fortune recorded the biggest increase among the billionaires on this list, rising by $6.3 billion from the previous year's ranking. Over the same period, AppLovin's shares were trading at $522.2 on July 8, 2026, up 51.4% from a year earlier. On the America's Richest Immigrants 2026 list, Foroughi, 46, lands at No. 10 overall.2. Behdad EghbaliNet worth: $3.9 billionYoY change: $500 million ↓Image by GLYN KIRK / IKIMAGES / AFPBehdad Eghbali is the co-founder and managing partner of Clearlake Capital, a US-based private equity firm founded in 2006 with more than $185 billion in assets under management. Born in Iran, he moved to the US as a child and graduated from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. The firm is known for acquiring software, industrial, and consumer products companies, and in 2022, Clearlake joined billionaire investor Todd Boehly to acquire English football club Chelsea FC, where Eghbali is a co-owner. In June 2026, Clearlake closed its eighth flagship fund with $14.8 billion in capital commitments from nearly 300 existing and new investors across 35 countries, targeting investments in artificial intelligence, software modernization, digital transformation, and operational efficiency. Eghbali’s net worth stood at $3.9 billion as of July 8, 2026, down $500 million from a year earlier. Eghbali, 50, comes in at No. 61 on this year's America's Richest Immigrants ranking. 3. Kamal GhaffarianNet worth: $3.1 billion YoY change: $600 million ↑Ghaffarian, 68, is a serial entrepreneur behind Axiom Space, Intuitive Machines and X-Energy, spanning commercial space stations, lunar landers and small modular nuclear reactors. Born in Iran, he immigrated at 18 for college study and previously built SGT into NASA's second-largest engineering services provider before selling it to KBR for $355 million in 2018. In February 2024, Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander achieved the first American moon landing since 1972. His fortune rose $600 million year-over-year, to $3.1 billion on July 8, 2026. Ghaffarian places No. 72 on the 2026 America's Richest Immigrants list.4. Jahm NajafiNet worth: $1.7 billionYoY change: $400 million ↑Image by msp sports capitalNajafi, 63, founded Najafi Companies, a US-based private investment firm established in 2002 with holdings across consumer, retail, ecommerce, sports, media and travel. He now runs the company as the CEO. Born in Iran, he moved to the US at 12 and later received his B.A. in political science and economics from the University of California Berkeley, followed by his M.A. in business economics from Harvard University. He previously held a stake in the Phoenix Suns and in McLaren Racing, and has signed the Giving Pledge in 2003, a promise to give away at least half of your fortune during his lifetime or after his die. His net worth grew $400 million year-over-year, reaching $1.7 billion on July 8, 2026. Najafi holds the No. 113 spot on America's Richest Immigrants 2026. 5. Joe Kiani Net worth: $1.3 billionYoY change: ↔Image by MANJUNATH KIRAN / AFPKiani, 61, founded Masimo Corporation, a California-based medical technology company specializing in noninvasive patient-monitoring devices, in 1989. Born in Iran, he immigrated to the US as a child and studied engineering at San Diego State University. Danaher Corporation agreed in February 2026 to acquire Masimo for about $9.9 billion. Additionally, Kiani is the founder and executive chairman of Willow Laboratories, a health and wellness innovator dedicated to advancing noninvasive monitoring solutions and reinventing diabetes care founded in 1998.His net worth was unchanged year-over-year. Kiani sits at No. 129 on this year's list of America's Richest Immigrants.6. Farhad Ebrahimi Net worth: $1.2 billion YoY change: ReturneeA returnee to this year's list, Farhad, 87, Ebrahimi co-founded Denver-based publishing software company Quark in the 1980s, which was sold to Platinum Equity in 2011 for an undisclosed sum. He is also a major investor in solar panel manufacturer First Solar and has built a significant agricultural portfolio in Hawaii, including a majority stake in nut producer Royal Hawaiian Orchards. Ebrahimi first became a billionaire in March 2023 after a rally in First Solar's shares pushed his net worth above $1 billion. He later fell below the billionaire threshold before returning to the ranks in 2026, as First Solar's stock gained 26.7% over the past year, rising to $224.3 on July 8, 2026, from $177.1 a year earlier. Ebrahimi ranked 134th on the America's Richest Immigrants 2026 list.7. Maky ZanganehNet worth: $1 billion YoY change: $200 million ↓Zanganeh, 55, serves as co-CEO, and President of Summit Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing patient- and physician-friendly oncology treatments. She owns just below 5% of the company's stock, according to Forbes.Born in Tehran, she immigrated to Germany and France before eventually settling in the US. She previously served as chief operating officer of Pharmacyclics, sold to AbbVie for $21 billion in 2015. Her net worth dipped $200 million year-over-year, reaching $1 billion on July 8, 2026. Zanganeh closes out the group at No. 140 on America's Richest Immigrants 2026, but later, she disappeared from the billionaire real time ranks.