Peter Thiel — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Co-founder of PayPal (1998), serving as CEO until its sale to eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion.
Co-founder and Chairman of Palantir Technologies (2003), a big data analysis company.
Co-founder of Founders Fund (2005), Valar Ventures (2010), and Mithril Capital (2012).
First outside investor in Facebook, acquiring a 10.2% stake for $500,000 in August 2004.
Founded Thiel Capital Management in 1996 and Clarium Capital, a global macro hedge fund.
Served as a part-time partner at Y Combinator from 2015 to 2017.

Biography

Peter Andreas Thiel is a prominent German-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and political activist. Born in Frankfurt am Main, West Germany, in 1967, he emigrated to the United States as an infant. After graduating from Stanford, Thiel's early career included roles as a clerk, securities lawyer, speechwriter, and derivatives trader at Credit Suisse.

Thiel's entrepreneurial journey began with the founding of Thiel Capital Management in 1996.