Joe Lonsdale is a true pioneer in the world of innovation and progress. He is the co-founder of Palantir, a company that has revolutionized the way data is analyzed and used.
Born in 1981, Lonsdale showed an early interest in entrepreneurship and technology. He attended Stanford University, where he studied economics and was a member of the school's wrestling team.
Lonsdale's entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found Palantir in 2003, alongside Alex Karp. The company's mission was to use data to help governments and organizations make better decisions.
Palantir's innovative approach to data analysis quickly gained traction, and the company has since become a leading player in the industry.
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Early Career
Joe Lonsdale's early career was marked by a significant internship at PayPal, a financial technology firm while he was at Stanford. He was part of the "PayPal Mafia" due to his close connections with members of that group.
Lonsdale's internship at PayPal helped him get a job as an early executive at another of Thiel's companies, the hedge fund Clarium Capital.
Education
As you start your early career, education is key to setting yourself up for success. Having a degree from a top university can open doors to better job opportunities and higher salaries.
In fact, a study found that graduates from top universities earn an average of $10,000 more per year than those from lower-ranked universities.
Getting an education in a field related to your desired career can also give you a competitive edge. For example, if you want to work in the tech industry, studying computer science or a related field can make you a more attractive candidate.
Many top companies require a bachelor's degree or higher for certain positions, so it's essential to prioritize your education.
Early Life
Growing up in a small town had a profound impact on my early life.
I spent most of my childhood playing outside with friends until the streetlights came on.
Business Ventures
Joe Lonsdale has been involved in several business ventures throughout his career. He co-founded Formation 8, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm, in 2011 with Brian Koo and Jim Kim.
Formation 8 focused on investing in technology companies based in Asia and raised almost $450 million for its first fund. The firm was described by Fortune as "the hottest new VC firm since Andreessen Horowitz" at the time.
The company went on to raise a second, $500 million fund in December 2014, but abruptly shut down in November 2015 due to interpersonal conflicts between the founders.
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Investment
Formation 8, a venture capital firm co-founded by Lonsdale, Brian Koo, and Jim Kim, invested in several successful technology companies based in Asia.
Their first fund raised almost $450 million, earning them recognition as "the hottest new VC firm since Andreessen Horowitz" by Fortune.
Formation 8's portfolio included Color Genomics, Oculus VR, Oscar Health, Plated, RelateIQ, Wish, and Yello Mobile.
The firm went on to raise a second, $500 million fund in December 2014.
However, Formation 8 abruptly shut down in November 2015 due to differences in investment styles between the founders.
Lonsdale co-founded 8VC with 15 of the 25 employees from Formation 8 in 2015, shortly after the breakup.
8VC has invested in Anduril, Hyperloop One, Synthego, and UBiome.
Lonsdale has also been an angel investor and was included in Forbes' "30 Under 30" list in 2012 and "Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40" in 2016.
Origin of Palantir
Palantir was founded by Peter Thiel in 2003, along with four other co-founders, including Joe Lonsdale.
One of those co-founders, Joe Lonsdale, went on to launch Addepar with Jason Mirra in 2009, a company that would later have Mark Zuckerberg as one of its earliest clients.
The name Palantir is inspired by a phrase from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which roughly translates to "Add a little to a little and you’ll have a great amount."
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the founder of 8VC?
Joe Lonsdale is the founder of 8VC, a serial entrepreneur who actively guides the firm's companies through the Build process. He works closely with founders to give them a competitive edge.
Sources
- Clarium Capital (clarium.com)
- "Why Palantir Cofounder Joe Lonsdale Left California for Texas" (reason.com)
- "A group of venture capitalists is rallying around Joe Lonsdale's new university in Austin" (fortune.com)
- "A Texas university created by Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale and journalist Bari Weiss has raised some $150 million to teach 'forbidden courses'" (fortune.com)
- "8VC founder Joe Lonsdale on why he decided to move this company from California to Texas" (cnbc.com)
- "US tech investor Joe Lonsdale refuses to apologise for 'loser' paternity tweet" (theguardian.com)
- "Joe Lonsdale" (forbes.com)
- "Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale is moving his VC firm from Silicon Valley to Austin, in part because it is 'more tolerant of ideological diversity'" (businessinsider.com)
- "Joe Lonsdale moves forward with 8VC's new fund and more" (techcrunch.com)
- "Joe Lonsdale's 8VC Closes $640 Million Fund" (wsj.com)
- "VC Joe Lonsdale's tweets about 'woke' tech diversity spark investor pushback" (techcrunch.com)
- "'It's Good to Be Wealthy': Joe Lonsdale, Silicon Valley Apostate" (puck.news)
- "The return of Joe Lonsdale: How the cofounder of multibillion-dollar company Palantir was vilified in Silicon Valley, then bounced back" (businessinsider.com)
- The Stanford Undergraduate and the Mentor (nytimes.com)
- OpenGov (wikipedia.org)
- Addepar (wikipedia.org)
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