You might not know who Manoj Bhargava is, but you probably are familiar with the product that made him a billionaire: 5-Hour Energy. Manoj Bhargava launched the unique energy product back in 2004 and over the years his company has seen billions of dollars in sales. Now unlike many other billionaires out there, Manoj Bhargava wants to use his great fortune to help save the world. He’s an ambitious man with big ideas, and he may be just the person that the world needs.
Before we get into it, let’s take a quick look at who Manoj is. Manoj was born in Lucknow, India in 1952, where he lived for a few years. When he was at the age of fourteen, he emigrated to the United States. Manoj would go on to attend Princeton University, as he was always a bright individual, however he would drop out after just one year, claiming that it wasn’t for him. After college, Manoj would travel between the United States and India, where he worked a wide range of different jobs. He would eventually take over his parent’s company Prime PVC, a plastics company, which is where he became an expert in business. Manoj grew the company exponentially, and would eventually sell it off for a massive fortune. From there he founded a few different companies, including Living Essentials who are responsible for producing the 5-Hour Energy drink. Like his other business ventures, Manoj would grow his company to all-new heights, and he is now a multi-billionaire. Now Manoj could easily just retire and live off of his great fortune, but instead he wants to help the world become a better place.
Now Manoj Bhargava has set up a new foundation called Stage 2 Innovations. They are an organization that intends to design, create, and produce a range of products and inventions that aim to make everyones lives better, especially those that are in need. Just this year, Manoj has pledged to donate around 99% of his fortune to improve the lives of those less fortunate, and that kind of money goes a long way. Stage 2 Innovations makes a few different products to make Manoj’s dream a reality. They produce a product called “Free Electric” and it is a stationary bike that when peddled, charges a small battery. Apparently just one hour’s worth of peddling will deliver enough electricity to power lights, a fan, and other small appliances. In rural and impoverished areas of India, for example, a product like this is revolutionary. It’s entirely green and environmentally friendly, and the best thing is it will be free for most. Manoj wants to produce 10,000 units and then deliver them to various parts of India over the course of the next year, incurring all the expenses himself.
Manoj and Stage 2 Innovations are also working on another invention called the “Rain Maker”. It is an ingenious water purification system that cleans water in a way like how rain is naturally formed. Essentially you load salt or polluted water into the device, and then through heat, it evaporates and catches the clean water that is left over. According to Manoj, one device is enough to provide clean water for an entire village, as it can clean and filter some 1,000 gallons of water every hour. The Rain Maker is still currently in development, however it is yet another promising device that can be used to improve the lives of countless individuals across the globe.
So while many billionaires horde their fortunes away for themselves or use their wealth to get even richer, Manoj Bhargava is unlike many others. He could have just held onto his billions, bought a private island, and lived out his life in luxury. But instead, he’s using his money to make the world a better place through the creation of practical and innovative products. Stage 2 Innovations is still somewhat young, but they have ambitious goals and a great leader behind them. The world could use more like Manoj Bhargava and those that are involved with Stage 2 Innovations.
Photo from Billions in Change Official Film/YouTube
