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

  • May 2026fundraise
    Founders Fund closed a $6 billion growth fund — its largest ever — focused on later-stage companies. The prior $4.6 billion fund was deployed in under a year across just seven companies, averaging $600 million per check, including $1.25 billion to Anthropic and $1 billion to Anduril. thenextweb.com
  • May 2026investment
    The new $6 billion fund includes another significant bet on Anduril, co-founded by Founders Fund GP Trae Stephens, doubling down on defense tech. tectonicdefense.com
  • Jun 2026investment
    Founders Fund participated in Supabase's $500 million Series F round, alongside Peak XV Partners, Coatue, and Craft Ventures, as the database platform rides demand from AI agent applications. tracxn.com
  • Jun 2026investment
    Endurance Energy secured $54 million, with Founders Fund among the backers alongside Construct Capital and Point72 Ventures. The company is developing geothermal power from undersea volcanoes. tracxn.com
  • Apr 2026investment
    Hermeus raised $350 million at a $1 billion valuation, with Founders Fund among the investors alongside Khosla Ventures and RTX. tracxn.com
  • Apr 2026press
    Portfolio company Literati was acquired by Trustbridge Partners, the most recent exit from Founders Fund's portfolio as of April 2026. tracxn.com
  • Apr 2026investment
    Hightouch raised $150 million in a Series D at a $2.75 billion valuation for its AI marketing platform, with Founders Fund participating alongside IconiQ and Bain Capital Ventures. tracxn.com
  • Jul 2026press
    As of July 2026, Founders Fund has made 34 investments year-to-date and 25 in the prior 12-month window, tracking ahead of its 10-year annual average of 35 deals. tracxn.com
  • Apr 2026investment
    Hermeus raised $350M at a $1B valuation in a round that included Founders Fund, Khosla Ventures, RTX, and Bling Capital. tracxn.com
  • Apr 2026investment
    Hightouch raised $150M in a Series D at a $2.75B valuation for its AI marketing platform, with Founders Fund participating alongside IconiQ and Bain Capital Ventures. tracxn.com
  • Apr 2026investment
    Portfolio company Literati was acquired by Trustbridge Partners, marking one of 129 total portfolio acquisitions tracked for Founders Fund. tracxn.com
  • Apr 2025fundraise
    Founders Fund closed a $4.6B late-stage growth fund, Founders Fund Growth III, drawing capital from 270 investors. Peter Thiel, Napoleon Ta, and Trae Stephens serve as directors. investmentnews.com

Notable investments

Key people

Named individuals at the firm. We don't expose direct email or phone — use their LinkedIn for outreach.

Sources

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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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Generated by briefthecall.com from public web sources. Last updated August 5, 2026. Each claim is linked to its source above.

Automatically generated by AI from public sources. May be inaccurate or out of date. Remove or correct this profile →