Peter Thiel
PayPal co-founder, Palantir co-founder and investor whose politics shape parts of the tech right
Co-founded PayPal and Palantir, was Facebook's first outside investor, and runs Founders Fund. His book Zero to One is widely read in startup circles, and his fellowship pays young people to skip or leave college. He funds political candidates and writers, which is why his name turns up in arguments about technology and democracy as often as in arguments about business.
Accomplishments
- At PayPal: Co-founder and CEO.
- Built next: Palantir (co-founded; chairs its board), Founders Fund (co-founded), and the first outside investment in Facebook.
- Role: Partner, Founders Fund; chairman, Palantir (as of October 2026)
Links
In the library
Nothing of theirs is filed in the hub yet. Browse the full library.
Recommended next
Hand-picked from the hub based on what Peter Thiel covers.
Alpha Fellowship by speedrun
Alpha backs highly technical students and new grads with up to $250K to start a company, and connects exceptional engineers with opportunities at breakout startups.
Why this: Covers venture capital and startups too
Hustle Fund
A pre-seed venture capital firm that invests in early-stage software startups and publishes free guidance for founders on fundraising and building a company.
Why this: Covers venture capital and startups too
Investing in Preference Model
a16z post from October 7, 2026 announcing an investment, amount not disclosed, in Preference Model, a company that builds reinforcement-learning environments for AI labs. The post says the company is open-sourcing a framework called Karotte.
Why this: Covers venture capital and startups too
AV Academy — Free Venture Capital Curriculum
Four free courses, 20+ short classes, roughly three to four hours in total, explaining how venture capital works: where it sits among other investments, how funds and deals are structured, and what the shift toward private markets means. Built by Alumni Ventures, no payment or account required to work through it.
Why this: Covers venture capital and startups too