Contrarian VC, San Francisco
Founders Fund
Venture capital firm · San Francisco · Founded 2005
Quick read
Founders Fund is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm founded in 2005 by Peter Thiel and partners from the PayPal mafia. It backs companies building what it calls 'revolutionary technologies,' taking contrarian bets across all stages, sectors, and geographies. Its partners have founded or funded PayPal, Palantir, SpaceX, Anduril, Airbnb, and Stripe.
Key facts
- Founded
- 2005
- Founders
- Peter Thiel
- Employees
- 11-50
- Sectors
- generalist, ai, hardware
- Website
- foundersfund.com
Investment thesis
Founders Fund backs scientists and engineers solving hard problems where technological progress has stalled — defence, space, biotech, and AI — taking concentrated bets on founders capable of building companies that change entire industries, not just markets.
Recent activity
- 2025investmentMade 62 investments in 2025, its most active annual deployment on record per Tracxn data. tracxn.com
- 2026investmentHermeus, a hypersonic aircraft startup first backed by Founders Fund in 2022, reached unicorn status — the most recent unicorn in the firm's portfolio. tracxn.com
- May 2026investmentHas made 20 investments year-to-date in 2026, on pace with its recent high-volume deployment strategy. tracxn.com
- 2026pressMario Gabriele published an in-depth series on Founders Fund and Peter Thiel, drawing significant attention on LinkedIn. linkedin.com
Notable investments
- HermeusEarly stage2022tracxn.com
- Nominaltracxn.com
- Eight Sleeptracxn.com
- SpaceXlinkedin.com
- Palantirlinkedin.com
- Andurillinkedin.com
- Stripelinkedin.com
- Airbnblinkedin.com
Key people
Named individuals at the firm. We don't expose direct email or phone — use their LinkedIn for outreach.
- Peter Thiel · Partner
- Delian Asparouhov · Partner
- Joey Krug · Partner
- John Luttig · Partner
- Amin Mirzadegan · Partner
- Bridget Harris · Team Member
- David Sacks · Founders Fund; All-In podcast
- Trae Stephens · Co-founder
- Ken Howery · Co-founder
- Brian Singerman · Partner
- Keith Rabois · General Partner
- Napoleon Ta · Partner
Sources
Other VCs in United States
- Sequoia Capital · Generalist VC, Menlo Park·
- Andreessen Horowitz · Generalist VC, Menlo Park·
- Benchmark Capital · Early-stage VC, San Francisco·
- Khosla Ventures · Multi-stage VC, Menlo Park·
- Greylock Partners · Early-stage VC, Menlo Park·
- Accel · Multi-stage VC, Palo Alto
Explore VCs by sector
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Frequently asked
What is Founders Fund?+
Founders Fund is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm founded in 2005 by Peter Thiel and partners from the PayPal mafia. It backs companies building what it calls 'revolutionary technologies,' taking contrarian bets across all stages, sectors, and geographies.
Where is Founders Fund headquartered?+
Founders Fund is headquartered in San Francisco, United States.
When was Founders Fund founded?+
Founders Fund was founded in 2005 by Peter Thiel.
What sectors does Founders Fund invest in?+
Founders Fund focuses on generalist, ai, hardware. They primarily invest in these sectors.
How do I prepare for a meeting with Founders Fund?+
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Try Brief →Generated by briefthecall.com from public web sources on May 27, 2026. Each claim is linked to its source above.