Oza, cofounder of Los Angeles-based private equity firm Cavu Consumer Partners, was the chairman of prebiotic soda Poppi and its single largest individual shareholder when Pepsi acquired it in May for $1.9 billion. It’s Oza’s biggest exit yet, but it’s far from his first, having played a key role in some of the largest beverage acquisitions of the past two decades, including Vitaminwater and Smartwater.

On a 2018 episode of ABC’s Shark Tank, Oza took a 25% stake in the Austin, Texas-based beverage brand founded by husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Stephen and Allison Ellsworth for $400,000.

Then Oza changed everything. He rebranded Mother Beverage, as the Ellsworths had named it, as Poppi. The liquid went from an apple cider vinegar drink to a prebiotic soda, and the packaging changed from glass to cans. The bran­ding morphed from farmer’s-market artisanal to bright, Millennial-friendly colors.

Leading up to Pepsi’s acquisition at a 3.3-times-revenue multiple, Forbes estimates that Oza owned about 21% of Poppi and Cavu owned another 37%. That netted him some $250 million (post-tax) directly from the sale and another roughly $50 million through Cavu. Those proceeds—in addition to exits reinvested and his 50% stake in Cavu—add up to an estimated net worth of roughly $500 million.

Such success, says Oza, an immigrant from Zambia who came to the U.S. in 1995, represents his own American Dream. “There’s no consumer audience in the world that is willing to embrace new brands as rapidly as Americans are,” Oza says. “I came here with a dream. It’s full circle.”