Founders Fund is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm established in 2005 by Peter Thiel, Ken Howery, and Luke Nosek. With approximately $12 billion in assets under management as of 2023, the firm is renowned for backing transformative technologies and has been instrumental in the early funding of companies like SpaceX, Palantir Technologies, and Facebook.
Founders Fund maintains a generalist investment approach, funding companies across all stages, sectors, and geographies. The firm emphasizes investments in revolutionary technologies that have the potential to reshape industries and society at large.
In April 2025, Founders Fund closed a $4.6 billion growth equity fund, at the time the largest capital raise in the firm's 20-year history, surpassing the $3.4 billion second growth fund raised in 2022.
Less than a year later, in May 2026, Founders Fund raised a record $6 billion fourth growth-stage fund, surpassing its own prior record and marking the fastest back-to-back fundraising cycle in the firm's history. Of the $6 billion, $4.5 billion came from external limited partners including sovereign wealth funds, with the remaining $1.5 billion committed by Founders Fund's partners and employees, including Thiel himself. The fund is expected to deploy capital over two to three years across approximately a dozen companies, maintaining the firm's signature strategy of concentrated, large-check investments with average checks historically around $600 million per company.
Leadership
The firm's leadership comprises notable figures such as Peter Thiel (Co-founder of PayPal and Palantir), Brian Singerman, Lauren Gross, Scott Nolan, Trae Stephens, Napoleon Ta, Matias Van Thienen, Sam Blond, Joey Krug, Jennifer Campbell, and Ryan Petersen.
Investment Strategy
Founders Fund adopts a founder-centric philosophy, supporting exceptional entrepreneurs with bold visions. The firm is known for its willingness to invest in high-risk, high-reward ventures that aim to solve significant global challenges.
Notable Investments
The firm's portfolio includes influential companies such as SpaceX, Palantir Technologies, Stripe, Airbnb, Facebook, Anduril, Flexport, and Neuralink.
Notable Exits
Founders Fund's early investment in Facebook stands out as a significant exit, contributing to the firm's reputation for identifying and supporting transformative companies. Other notable exits include Palantir (18.5x return, distributing $3.1 billion to the fund), SpaceX (27.1x return on a $671 million investment, valued at $18.2 billion as of late 2024), and Airbnb, each delivering several billion dollars in value. The firm's 2007, 2010, and 2011 vintage funds produced gross multiples of 26.5x, 15.2x, and 15x respectively, widely considered three of the best-performing fund vintages in VC history.
Peter Thiel - Co-Founder & Partner
Napoleon Ta - Partner
Trae Stephens - Partner
Lauren Gross - Partner & COO
United States
