# Joe Lonsdale
**Joe Lonsdale** (Joseph Lonsdale) is an American entrepreneur and venture capitalist, best known as a co-founder of the data-analytics company [Palantir Technologies](https://www.edgepedia.org/palantir-technologies) in 2003 and as founder and managing partner of the early-stage venture firm 8VC, which manages over $6 billion in capital.[1](https://www.8vc.com/team/joe-lonsdale) He has been part of founding more than a dozen companies, including Addepar, OpenGov, Affinity, Epirus, and Resilience Bio, and he founded the Cicero Institute, a think tank that has shaped Republican policy on homelessness.[2](https://joelonsdale.com/) • [3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/joe-lonsdale/?list=rtb)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full role | Founder and Managing Partner, 8VC; co-founder of Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) in 2003[1](https://www.8vc.com/team/joe-lonsdale) |
| Education | Stanford University, class of 2004; editor-in-chief of the Stanford Review, a libertarian student publication founded by Peter Thiel[4](https://stanforddaily.com/2015/01/28/palantir-co-founder-joe-lonsdale-04-accused-of-sexual-assaulting-then-stanford-student/) • [5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/22/how-palantir-co-founders-once-fringe-crusade-spread-across-trumps-america/) |
| 8VC | Founded 2015; relocated from San Francisco to Austin, Texas in 2020; over $6 billion under management; more than 600 portfolio companies[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/joe-lonsdale/?list=rtb) • [6](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/29/joe-lonsdales-8vc-seeking-1b-for-new-fund/) |
| Other companies | Addepar, OpenGov (sold for $1.8 billion), Affinity, Epirus, Esper, Resilience Bio, Anduin, Lonsdale Investment Technologies[1](https://www.8vc.com/team/joe-lonsdale) • [7](https://www.epirusinc.com/team/joe-lonsdale) |
| Policy work | Founder and chairman of the Cicero Institute (started 2019); versions of its camping-ban proposal are law in 15 states[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/22/how-palantir-co-founders-once-fringe-crusade-spread-across-trumps-america/) |
| Recognition | Forbes Midas List since 2016; its youngest member in 2016 and 2017[7](https://www.epirusinc.com/team/joe-lonsdale) |
## Stanford and early career
Lonsdale arrived at Stanford as a computer science student steeped in Austrian economics, studied under the economist [Milton Friedman](https://www.edgepedia.org/milton-friedman), and became editor of the Stanford Review.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/22/how-palantir-co-founders-once-fringe-crusade-spread-across-trumps-america/) Editing the Review connected him with alumni working with [Peter Thiel](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-thiel) at PayPal, and he interned at PayPal while still a student.[9](https://stanforddaily.com/2013/02/18/QA-JOE-LONSDALE-04-FOUNDER-OF-PALANTIR-ADDEPAR-TALKS-ABOUT-STANFORD-ROOTS/)
After college he helped Thiel start the hedge fund Clarium Capital and the data-analytics company Palantir, before co-founding the investment-management platform Addepar, the government-software company OpenGov, and the venture fund Formation 8.[10](https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/16/joe-lonsdale-moves-forward-with-8vcs-new-fund-and-more/) Palantir was started in 2003, when Lonsdale was less than a year out of college, through a network of connections stemming from Thiel; the founding group included Thiel, Alex Karp, Stephen Cohen, and [Nathan Gettings](https://www.edgepedia.org/nathan-gettings).[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/22/how-palantir-co-founders-once-fringe-crusade-spread-across-trumps-america/) • [11](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c48e799d274cb651051c404/t/65deb378f519a2291db07b6d/1709093753083/The%2brift%2Bin%2Bthe%2Barmy%2Bdeepens_2.pdf) Lonsdale describes the company's founding purpose as applying [Silicon Valley](https://www.edgepedia.org/silicon-valley) technology to the US defense and intelligence community after the [September 11 attacks](https://www.edgepedia.org/september-11-attacks).[2](https://joelonsdale.com/)
## Company building
Beyond Palantir, Lonsdale's founding record centers on software for finance and government. Addepar is a wealth-management platform; 8VC's team page says investors manage over $7 trillion on it, while the Epirus biography puts the figure at over $3.5 trillion.[1](https://www.8vc.com/team/joe-lonsdale) • [7](https://www.epirusinc.com/team/joe-lonsdale) OpenGov, which sells cloud software to local governments, was sold for $1.8 billion.[1](https://www.8vc.com/team/joe-lonsdale) He has also co-founded Affinity, Epirus (started with the 8VC Build program in 2018), Esper, Anduin, Resilience Bio, and Lonsdale Investment Technologies.[1](https://www.8vc.com/team/joe-lonsdale) • [7](https://www.epirusinc.com/team/joe-lonsdale)
His early venture investments include Oculus (acquired by Facebook for $2 billion), [Guardant Health](https://www.edgepedia.org/guardant-health), Oscar Health, Anduril, Wish, Flexport, and [Joby Aviation](https://www.edgepedia.org/joby-aviation).[7](https://www.epirusinc.com/team/joe-lonsdale) His first check as a venture investor went to the mobile commerce app Wish.[10](https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/16/joe-lonsdale-moves-forward-with-8vcs-new-fund-and-more/)
## 8VC
Lonsdale founded 8VC in 2015 after the breakup of Formation 8; fifteen of Formation 8's twenty-five employees joined the new firm, which he describes as applying lessons from Palantir, Addepar, and OpenGov to broader classes of problems.[10](https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/16/joe-lonsdale-moves-forward-with-8vcs-new-fund-and-more/) • [2](https://joelonsdale.com/) The firm's stated sectors include defense, healthcare, logistics, biosciences, enterprise software, and AI, and its motto is "The world is broken. Let's fix it."[12](https://blog.joelonsdale.com/about) • [13](https://www.8vc.com/)
Fundraising has grown steadily: the second flagship fund closed with $640 million in 2018, the fifth closed at $880 million in February 2023, and in January 2025 the firm was seeking nearly $1 billion for its sixth fund.[14](https://www.axios.com/2018/04/23/8vc-raises-640-million-for-1524492795) • [6](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/29/joe-lonsdales-8vc-seeking-1b-for-new-fund/) Since its founding the firm has invested in over 600 companies, including Asana, Flexport, hims and hers, and [Elon Musk](https://www.edgepedia.org/elon-musk)'s The Boring Company.[6](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/29/joe-lonsdales-8vc-seeking-1b-for-new-fund/) In 2020 Lonsdale relocated the firm and his family from the Bay Area to [Austin, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/austin-texas), citing California's taxes and governance among his reasons.[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/joe-lonsdale/?list=rtb) • [5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/22/how-palantir-co-founders-once-fringe-crusade-spread-across-trumps-america/)
## The Cicero Institute and politics
Lonsdale founded the Cicero Institute in 2019, a think tank that promotes market-based policy on criminal justice, health care, homelessness, and other issues.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/22/how-palantir-co-founders-once-fringe-crusade-spread-across-trumps-america/) • [15](https://ciceroinstitute.org/people/joe-lonsdale/) After his move to Texas, the institute developed a proposal that cities make it a crime to sleep outside, placing people in shelters or treatment and jailing those who refused, a reversal of the [Housing First](https://www.edgepedia.org/housing-first) approach that had guided federal policy for more than fifteen years.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/22/how-palantir-co-founders-once-fringe-crusade-spread-across-trumps-america/) Five years later that vision had become the official policy of the Trump administration, and versions of the proposal were law in 15 states, with 11 making outdoor sleeping a crime.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/22/how-palantir-co-founders-once-fringe-crusade-spread-across-trumps-america/) Scott Centorino, who coordinated the White House's homelessness policy before joining Cicero as a senior fellow, called the institute a critical partner in driving the administration's position.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/22/how-palantir-co-founders-once-fringe-crusade-spread-across-trumps-america/) [Homelessness](https://www.edgepedia.org/homelessness) researchers, including Margot Kushel of the [University of California](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-california) at San Francisco, dispute the approach, arguing that housing affordability is the fundamental driver of homelessness and that Cicero's experts have promoted misinformation about crime by homeless people.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/22/how-palantir-co-founders-once-fringe-crusade-spread-across-trumps-america/)
Cicero's reach extends across state policy: the institute says it shepherded 214 pieces of legislation into law in 29 states between 2021 and 2025, with 85 Cicero-backed bills passed in 2025, double the previous year's total.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/22/how-palantir-co-founders-once-fringe-crusade-spread-across-trumps-america/) Reporting by Sludge found that Cicero's federal lobbying is conducted under the name American Phalanx through a firm tied to Lonsdale, on defense procurement issues aligned with his investments in companies such as Palantir, Anduril, Saronic, and Epirus.[16](https://readsludge.com/2026/08/31/lonsdale-nonprofit-lobbies-on-defense-policy-tied-to-his-investments/)
In national politics, Lonsdale was one of the directors of [America PAC](https://www.edgepedia.org/america-pac), the super PAC supporting Donald Trump's 2024 campaign created by Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, and personally contributed $1 million to it.[8](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/pixels/article/2024/07/16/musk-and-thiel-put-their-fortunes-and-networks-to-work-for-trump-and-vance_6686376_13.html) He is described as a friend of Vice President JD Vance dating from Vance's time working for Thiel, and hosted fundraisers for Vance's potential 2028 presidential run.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/22/how-palantir-co-founders-once-fringe-crusade-spread-across-trumps-america/) • [17](https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2026/03/11/jd-vance-rnc-texas-fundraiser) In California politics he has donated to both [Matt Mahan](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-mahan) and Steve Hilton in the 2026 governor's race.[18](https://apnews.com/article/59a6f886f34b7bb632c2423f7f51115a) Despite his support for Trump, he publicly criticized the 2025 pardon of the crypto executive Changpeng Zhao, calling it a black mark on the president's record.[19](https://www.axios.com/2025/10/24/trump-lonsdale-cz-crypto)
## Controversies
In January 2015, Elise Clougherty, a former Stanford student, filed a civil lawsuit in San Francisco accusing Lonsdale of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and related charges, alleging an abusive relationship that began in 2012 through a Stanford mentorship program; Lonsdale categorically denied the claims and countersued for defamation.[20](https://techcrunch.com/2015/01/28/formation-8-and-palantir-joe-lonsdale-lawsuit/) Formation 8 was removed as a defendant in March 2015, and the lawsuit was dropped eleven months later, along with a ban that had barred Lonsdale from the Stanford campus.[21](https://techcrunch.com/2015/03/06/venture-capital-firm-formation-8-dropped-from-sexual-assault-lawsuit/) • [10](https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/16/joe-lonsdale-moves-forward-with-8vcs-new-fund-and-more/) The Formation 8 breakup followed the suit.[10](https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/16/joe-lonsdale-moves-forward-with-8vcs-new-fund-and-more/)
Other episodes have drawn press attention. In 2022, tweets calling men who take six months of parental leave "losers" and criticizing "woke" tech diversity sparked investor pushback.[22](https://techcrunch.com/2022/01/03/vc-joe-lonsdales-tweets-about-woke-tech-diversity-spark-investor-pushback/) The Information reported that two 8VC employees, Denis Aven and Jack Moshkovich, are sons of sanctioned Russian oligarchs.[23](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/the-firebrand-investor-who-can-explain-trumps-rise-in-tech/)
## Other activities
Lonsdale became the founding chairman of the board of the University of Austin (UATX) in 2021, a new university focused on what it calls restoring the pursuit of truth in higher education.[1](https://www.8vc.com/team/joe-lonsdale) He hosts the podcast "American Optimist" from his Austin home, with guests who have included Trump administration officials such as science adviser Michael Kratsios and NASA chief Jared Isaacman.[7](https://www.epirusinc.com/team/joe-lonsdale) • [5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/22/how-palantir-co-founders-once-fringe-crusade-spread-across-trumps-america/) In 2025, 8VC was named among the investors backing Elon Musk's roughly $97.4 billion bid for control of OpenAI.[24](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2025/02/11/elon-musk-wants-to-take-control-of-openai-for-97-4-billion_6738023_19.html)
## References
1. [Joe Lonsdale, Our Team, 8VC](https://www.8vc.com/team/joe-lonsdale)
2. [Joe Lonsdale, Home, joelonsdale.com](https://joelonsdale.com/)
3. [Joe Lonsdale, Forbes profile](https://www.forbes.com/profile/joe-lonsdale/?list=rtb)
4. [Palantir co-founder accused of sexually assaulting then-Stanford student, The Stanford Daily (2015)](https://stanforddaily.com/2015/01/28/palantir-co-founder-joe-lonsdale-04-accused-of-sexual-assaulting-then-stanford-student/)
5. [How a Palantir co-founder's once-fringe crusade spread across Trump's America, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/08/22/how-palantir-co-founders-once-fringe-crusade-spread-across-trumps-america/)
6. [Joe Lonsdale's 8VC seeking $1B for new fund, TechCrunch (2025)](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/29/joe-lonsdales-8vc-seeking-1b-for-new-fund/)
7. [Joe Lonsdale, Epirus team page](https://www.epirusinc.com/team/joe-lonsdale)
8. [Musk and Thiel put their fortunes and networks to work for Trump and Vance, Le Monde (2024)](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/pixels/article/2024/07/16/musk-and-thiel-put-their-fortunes-and-networks-to-work-for-trump-and-vance_6686376_13.html)
9. [Joe Lonsdale, Palantir & Addepar co-founder, talks about Stanford roots, The Stanford Daily (2013)](https://stanforddaily.com/2013/02/18/QA-JOE-LONSDALE-04-FOUNDER-OF-PALANTIR-ADDEPAR-TALKS-ABOUT-STANFORD-ROOTS/)
10. [Joe Lonsdale moves forward with 8VC's new fund and more, TechCrunch (2017)](https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/16/joe-lonsdale-moves-forward-with-8vcs-new-fund-and-more/)
11. [The rift in the army deepens, New York Times report (PDF copy)](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c48e799d274cb651051c404/t/65deb378f519a2291db07b6d/1709093753083/The%2brift%2Bin%2Bthe%2Barmy%2Bdeepens_2.pdf)
12. [About, blog.joelonsdale.com](https://blog.joelonsdale.com/about)
13. [8VC, company homepage](https://www.8vc.com/)
14. [Scoop: 8VC raises $640 million for new fund, Axios (2018)](https://www.axios.com/2018/04/23/8vc-raises-640-million-for-1524492795)
15. [Joe Lonsdale, Cicero Institute](https://ciceroinstitute.org/people/joe-lonsdale/)
16. [Lonsdale Nonprofit Lobbies on Defense Policy Tied to His Investments, Sludge (2026)](https://readsludge.com/2026/08/31/lonsdale-nonprofit-lobbies-on-defense-policy-tied-to-his-investments/)
17. [Vance to headline two RNC fundraisers in Texas, Axios (2026)](https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2026/03/11/jd-vance-rnc-texas-fundraiser)
18. [Tech is betting on a former executive in the race for California governor, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/59a6f886f34b7bb632c2423f7f51115a)
19. [Ardent Trump supporter Lonsdale blasts crypto pardon, Axios (2025)](https://www.axios.com/2025/10/24/trump-lonsdale-cz-crypto)
20. [Formation 8 And Palantir Founder Joe Lonsdale Named In Sexual Assault Lawsuit, TechCrunch (2015)](https://techcrunch.com/2015/01/28/formation-8-and-palantir-joe-lonsdale-lawsuit/)
21. [Venture Capital Firm Formation 8 Dropped From Sexual Assault Lawsuit, TechCrunch (2015)](https://techcrunch.com/2015/03/06/venture-capital-firm-formation-8-dropped-from-sexual-assault-lawsuit/)
22. [VC Joe Lonsdale's tweets about 'woke' tech diversity spark investor pushback, TechCrunch (2022)](https://techcrunch.com/2022/01/03/vc-joe-lonsdales-tweets-about-woke-tech-diversity-spark-investor-pushback/)
23. [The Firebrand Investor Who Can Explain Trump's Rise in Tech, The Information](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/the-firebrand-investor-who-can-explain-trumps-rise-in-tech/)
24. [Elon Musk wants to take control of OpenAI for $97.4 billion, Le Monde (2025)](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2025/02/11/elon-musk-wants-to-take-control-of-openai-for-97-4-billion_6738023_19.html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Computing and digital systems › Computer scientists and computing pioneers (biographies)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license