KEY POINTS

  • Alice Schwartz and her husband David launched Bio-Rad Laboratories in 1952
  • Schwartz, who was widowed in 2012, remains on the board of Bio-Rad
  • She is 10th on Forbes' list of America’s richest self-made women for 2021

At 95, Alice Schwartz is the oldest woman billionaire in the world – and her wealth just keeps on growing as she ages.

Schwartz, who co-founded life science research and clinical diagnostics products manufacturer Bio-Rad Laboratories, has a net worth of $2.3 billion, according to Forbes' most recent estimate.

She ranked 363rd on Forbes' list of the 400 richest people in the country.

Schwartz made the Forbes 400 list for the first time in 2020. At the time, she had an estimated net worth of $2.2 billion.

With $720 in savings, Schwartz, along with her husband David, launched Bio-Rad Laboratories in a Berkeley Quonset hut in 1952.

The company went public in 1966 and was listed on the American Stock Exchange in 1980. It debuted on the New York Stock Exchange in 2008.

Among the company's first products were ion exchange resins, substances used to facilitate pharmaceutical manufacturing and lab research.

The firm also manufactures screening kits for cancerous genetic mutations and an HIV test that analyzes antibodies and antigens for early virus detection.

The fourth-quarter net sales of Bio-Rad in 2019 reached $624.4 million, which was bigger than the figures recorded a year prior, a report on the company’s website stated.

The shares of the company soared during the pandemic because of its products used for COVID-19 diagnostic screening, confirmation of test results and surveillance, according to Forbes.

Schwartz, who was widowed in 2012, sits on Bio-Rad's board of directors and is the company’s largest shareholder with a 14% stake. Her son Norman is chairman and CEO.

Schwartz is 10th on Forbes’ list of America’s richest self-made women of 2021.

When it comes to the richest self-made woman in the country, however, the throne belongs to Diane Hendricks, who has a net worth of $11 billion, according to Forbes.

Hendricks chairs ABC Supply, one of the largest wholesale distributors of roofing, siding and windows in the U.S. The company has nearly 800 branch locations and over $12 billion in 2020 revenues.

Alice Schwartz
18. ALICE SCHWARTZ ($1.3B) Schwartz co-founded Bio-Rad Laboratories, a company that provides research and clinical diagnostics, with her husband David. Georges Gobet/Getty Images