Thiel Capital
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Venture capital, Family office |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Peter Thiel |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
| Products | Strategic guidance, Operational assistance, Investments |
Thiel Capital is a venture capital firm based in Los Angeles, founded in 2011, and operates as the family office of Peter Thiel. It offers both strategic guidance and operational assistance to numerous ventures associated with Thiel. The firm has played a foundational role in launching prominent investment entities such as Founders Fund, Mithril, and Valar Ventures, as well as initiatives including the Thiel Fellowship and Breakout Labs.
History
Thiel Capital should not be confused with Thiel Capital Management, which Peter Thiel established in 1996 and which served as the forerunner to Clarium. Thiel Capital emerged subsequently as its successor.
SEC documents from Bridgetown Holdings Limited—led by Matt Danzeisen, who is married to Peter Thiel—reveal that Thiel Capital and its antecedents have created multiple investment firms managing assets worth billions. These include Founders Fund, Mithril, and Valar Ventures. Additionally, the firm has launched various entrepreneurial and philanthropic ventures within its portfolio.
Jack Selby has described the company as "the nest."
Investments
Thiel Capital’s investment portfolio spans several sectors. In biotechnology and medical technology, it supports companies such as Alloy Therapeutics, which also receives backing from Founders Fund and 8VC. EnClear Therapies is another significant holding, with Jason Camm joining its board in 2020. The German biotech unicorn ATAI Life Sciences, founded by billionaire Christian Angermayer, is another notable investment; ATAI holds partial ownership of Compass Pathways, a leading company in psychedelics.
Within femtech, the firm invests in startups like Hugoboom and Rhea. Its cryptocurrency investments include Bullish Global—also financed by Founders Fund and Angermayer—and FTX, which obtained additional funding through Rivendell LLC. Software-related investments feature QA Wolf, a comprehensive software testing platform, and Rollup, which focuses on the development of sophisticated hardware solutions.
The portfolio also encompasses defense technology startups such as Neros—founded by Thiel Fellow Soren Monroe-Anderson—and Quantum Systems. Thiel Capital is a principal investor in Mynaric, a German laser communications company with dual-use applications that also benefits from Angermayer’s support, including funding rounds following its IPO.
Quantum Systems
In October 2022, through Thiel Capital, Peter Thiel invested in Quantum Systems, a surveillance drone company headquartered in Gilching and founded by former Bundeswehr officer Florian Seibel. Thiel’s involvement has sparked debate due to his political views, especially given his concurrent support for Berlin-based Stark—a startup specializing in attack drones also founded by Seibel but operating under investor restrictions on weaponized drones. Seibel acknowledged Thiel’s political stance but emphasized that his decision to partner was driven by Thiel’s reputation as "one of the most successful tech investors worldwide" and the valuable connections he offers. He remarked, "We have experienced tremendous support and introductions by Peter," despite their differing political perspectives.
By May 2025, Quantum Systems had become Europe’s first dual-use unicorn and ranked as the third defense unicorn following Bavarian company Helsing and Portugal’s Tekever. While Thiel does not directly invest in Helsing, he has contributed to its success within his broader "Thiel ecosystem." The expansion of Quantum Systems highlights its critical role in advancing drone technologies for civilian and military applications alike.
Personnel
Crescendo Equity Partners, co-founded by Matt Danzeisen, functions with backing from Thiel Capital.[1][2]
Jack Selby established AZ-VC (previously invisionAZ Fund), recognized as Arizona’s largest venture capital fund, which targets local real estate enterprises rather than leveraging Thiel’s network. He regards this fund as an experiment to gauge Arizona’s enthusiasm for venture capital expansion.[3][4]
Personnel from Thiel Capital have played roles in significant political developments. In early 2022, after resigning amid political turmoil and corruption accusations, former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was appointed as a global strategist.[5][6] An EU report by Sophie in 't Veld draws attention to an indirect yet troubling connection involving Kurz, spyware industry leader Shalev Hulio, and Palantir, a company affiliated with Thiel.[7]
Blake Masters, who formerly served as COO of Thiel Capital and ran for U.S. Congress representing Arizona, stepped down in 2022 amid ethical controversies. Peter Thiel contributed $15 million towards Masters’ unsuccessful political campaign.[8][9]
In 2025, former employees of Thiel Capital Kevin Harrington and Michael Kratsios participated alongside Peter Thiel at the Bilderberg Meeting, underscoring the firm's sustained presence within international policymaking circles.[10]
References
- ↑ "iText Software Announces New Era of the Company with Executive Leadership Appointments". 10 March 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
- ↑ "PROSPECTUS FILED PURSUANT TO RULE 424(B)(4) REGISTRATION NO.333-251860 $260,000,000 Bridgetown 2 Holdings Limited 26,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSelby - ↑ "Emerge AZ". StartupAZ. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
- ↑ Miller, Joe. "Sebastian Kurz leaves politics to join tech investor Peter Thiel". www.ft.com. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ↑ "Peter Thiel - Der neue Chef von Sebastian Kurz". oe1.orf.at (in Deutsch). 21 February 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ↑ in ‘t Veld, Sophie. "Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent" (PDF). p. 169. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ↑ "Blake Masters' Views on Gay Marriage May Surprise His Political Master Peter Thiel". Yahoo News. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ↑ Hansen, Ronald J. (4 August 2022). "Who is Blake Masters? Here's what to know about the Arizona Republican". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ↑ Skelton, Charlie (15 June 2025). "China haunts Bilderberg talks as usual suspects plot world domination". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2025.