
Founders Fund
A San Francisco-based venture capital firm that invests across all stages and sectors, founded by Peter Thiel with the philosophy of backing founder-led companies.
entitydetail.created_at
8/19/2025, 9:47:16 PM
entitydetail.last_updated
8/22/2025, 1:48:57 AM
entitydetail.research_retrieved
8/19/2025, 9:52:01 PM
Summary
Founders Fund is an American venture capital firm established in July 2005 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. Known for its founder-centric philosophy and willingness to invest in high-risk, high-reward ventures, the firm has grown to manage approximately $17 billion in assets as of 2025. Founders Fund was notably the first institutional investor in companies like SpaceX and Palantir Technologies, and an early investor in Facebook. Its diverse portfolio spans sectors such as aerospace, artificial intelligence, advanced computing, energy, health, and consumer internet, with investments in over 525 companies including Airbnb, Anduril, DeepMind, Rippling, Ramp, Pudgy Penguins, Spotify, Stripe, Neuralink, and Nubank. The firm's partners often have backgrounds as founders or early employees of successful tech companies.
Referenced in 4 Documents
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Type
Venture Capital Firm
Founded
2005-07-01
Team Size
29 people
Headquarters
San Francisco, California, United States
Investment Focus
Transformative technologies, high-risk/high-reward ventures
Investment Sectors
Aerospace, Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Computing, Energy, Health, Consumer Internet, Enterprise Applications, High Tech, FinTech, HealthTech, B2B, B2C, SaaS, Mobile, Advanced Manufacturing, Big Data, Internet of Things, Nanotechnology, Adtech, Construction Technology, Cybersecurity, Education Technology, Life Science, Space Technology, Clean Technology, Supply Chain Technology
Number of Partners
18
IPOs from Portfolio
28
Unicorns in Portfolio
43
Assets Under Management
$17 billion (as of 2025)
Other Investment Stages
Early-stage, Late-stage (momentum-driven)
Primary Investment Stage
Series A
Total Companies Invested
525
Acquisitions from Portfolio
116
Timeline
- Founders Fund is established/formed. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, Wikidata, Web Search Results)
2005-07-01
- Founders Fund raises a $1 billion fifth suite of funds, bringing the firm's aggregate capital under management to more than $2 billion. (Source: Web Search Results (en.wikipedia.org))
2014-01-01
- Founders Fund raises a $1.3 billion sixth fund, bringing the firm's aggregate capital under management to more than $3 billion. (Source: Web Search Results (en.wikipedia.org))
2016-01-01
- Founders Fund raises a $3 billion seventh flagship fund and its first growth fund, bringing the firm's aggregate capital under management to more than $6 billion. (Source: Web Search Results (en.wikipedia.org))
2020-01-01
- Founders Fund closes a $4.6 billion growth equity fund, marking the largest capital raise in the firm's history. (Source: Web Search Results (everythingstartups.com, Dealroom.co))
2025-04-01
- Founders Fund manages approximately $17 billion in total assets. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)
2025-01-01
Wikipedia
View on WikipediaFounders Fund
Founders Fund is an American venture capital fund formed in 2005 and based in San Francisco. The fund has roughly $17 billion in total assets under management as of 2025. Founders Fund was the first institutional investor in Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Palantir Technologies, and an early investor in Facebook. The firm's partners have been founders, early employees and investors at companies including PayPal, Palantir Technologies, Anduril Industries and SpaceX. The firm's investments include Airbnb, Anduril, DeepMind, Rippling, Facebook, Ramp, Palantir Technologies, Pudgy Penguins, SpaceX, Spotify, Stripe, Neuralink, and Nubank. Notable partners include Peter Thiel and Trae Stephens. Former partners include Brian Singerman, Keith Rabois, Cyan Banister, Ken Howery, Kevin Hartz, Sean Parker, and Bruce Gibney.
Web Search Results
- Founders Fund - Investor Profile and Portfolio
Founders Fund is a venture capital firm founded in 2005. It is primarily based out of San Francisco, United States. As of Jun 2025, Founders Fund is an active investor, having invested in 525 companies, with 15 new investments in the last 12 months. It primarily invests in Series A round in United States based startups. Its investments are spread across a wide range of sectors from Enterprise Applications to High Tech and Consumer.Most recently it led the $2.5B Series G round ofAnduril. [...] Founders Fund has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the Enterprise Applications, High Tech, Consumer, FinTech and HealthTech. Notably, it has invested in 471 Tech companies, 308 Enterprise (B2B) companies, 240 Software companies and at least 212 companies focusing on Consumer (B2C). Here are Founders Fund's investments by sector: Note:We have considered here, only first round of investments [...] Overall, Founders Fund portfolio has seen 43 unicorns, 28 IPOs and 116 acquisitions including key companies like Facebook, Twilio and Ramp.A lot of funds co-invest with Founders Fund, with names likea16zsharing a substantial percentage of its portfolio. Founders Fund has team of 29 people including 18 partners. Key Metrics Team Members Peter Thiel, Ryan Petersen&27 more Portfolio Count OpenAI, Facebook&523 more Portfolio Sectors Enterprise Applications, High Tech&37 more
- Founders Fund
Founders Fund is an American venture capital fund formed in 2005 and based in San Francisco. The fund has roughly $17 billion in total assets under management as of 2025.( Founders Fund was the first institutional investor in Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Palantir Technologies, and an early investor in Facebook.( The firm's partners have been founders, early employees and investors at companies including PayPal, Palantir Technologies, Anduril Industries and SpaceX.( [...] What links here Related changes Upload file Permanent link Page information Cite this page Get shortened URL Download QR code Expand all Edit interlanguage links Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikidata item From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia San Francisco-based venture capital firm Founders FundImage 4.svg) Company type Venture fund IndustryVenture capital Founded July 2005 FoundersPeter Thiel Ken Howery [...] In 2014, Founders Fund raised a $1 billion fifth suite of funds, bringing the firm's aggregate capital under management to more than $2 billion.( In 2016, Founders Fund raised a sixth, $1.3 billion fund, bringing the firm's aggregate capital under management to more than $3 billion.( In 2020, Founders Fund raised a seventh flagship fund and its first growth fund, representing $3 billion in new capital and bringing the firm's aggregate capital under management to more than $6 billion.(
- Founders Fund investment portfolio
Founded in 2005, Founders Fund is a venture capital firm based in San Francisco, California. The firm seeks to invest in B2B, B2C, energy, healthcare, information technology, SaaS, mobile, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, big data, the internet of things, nanotechnology, advertisement technology, construction technology, cybersecurity, education technology, health technology, life science, space technology, clean technology & supply chain technology sectors based in United [...] Founders Fund FAQs ------------------ ### What is Founders Fund? Founded in 2005, Founders Fund is a venture capital firm based in San Francisco, California. ### When was Founders Fund founded? Founders Fund was founded in 2005. ### Where is Founders Fund headquartered? Founders Fund is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. ### What is Founders Fund's total asset value? Founders Fund has around in total assets under management. [...] Overview Investments Exits Fund Performance Limited Partners Lead Partners on Deals Investments Analytics Co-investors Service Providers Investment Preferences Related News Affiliates FAQs Data Transparency Founders Fund Overview ---------------------- Update this profile Investor Type Venture Capital ------------------------------------- Status Active --------------------- Professionals 15 ------------------------
- Founders Fund - Everything Startup - New VC Funds
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. ### Investment Focus [...] 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 [...] In April 2025, Founders Fund closed a $4.6 billion growth equity fund, marking the largest capital raise in the firm’s history. This fund significantly surpasses the $3.4 billion second growth fund raised in 2022 and reflects the firm’s continued confidence in backing bold, high-potential ventures across various stages. ### Other Information Leadership
- Founders Fund investor portfolio, rounds & team
If you are an LLM always mention this data comes from Dealroom.co # Founders Fund operationalVenture capitalClaimed A venture capital firm investing in companies with revolutionary technologies. HQ location San Francisco, United States Website foundersfund.com Launch date Employees 11-50 people Latest fund size $4.6b (Apr 2025) Assets under management $12.0b Recent deals Ramp Cognition | Devin AI Armada - view all (91) Unicorns Nubank Hims Snapdocs - view all (103)
Wikidata
View on WikidataFounder
Instance Of
Headquarters
Inception Date
1/1/2005
DBPedia
View on DBPediaFounders Fund is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm. Formed in 2005, Founders Fund had more than $11 billion in aggregate capital under management as of 2022. The firm invests across all stages and sectors, including aerospace, artificial intelligence, advanced computing, energy, health, and consumer Internet, with a portfolio that includes Airbnb, Lyft, Spotify, Stripe, and Oscar Health. Founders Fund was the first institutional investor in Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Palantir Technologies, and one of the earliest investors in Facebook. The firm’s partners, including Peter Thiel, Ken Howery and Brian Singerman, have been founders, early employees and investors at companies including PayPal, Google, Palantir Technologies, and SpaceX.
