Joe Lonsdale

Joe Lonsdale was a Stanford computer science student and PayPal intern when Peter Thiel invited him to join Palantir as a co-founder in 2003. He contributed primarily to business development and early commercial strategy before departing around 2009 to 2010. After leaving Palantir, Lonsdale founded Addepar, a wealth management software platform, and Formation 8 (now 8VC), a venture capital firm. He has since become one of Silicon Valley's most active conservative-aligned investors and policy advocates.

Joseph Lonsdale is a technology entrepreneur and venture capitalist best known as a co-founder of Palantir Technologies. Born in 1982, Lonsdale was one of the youngest members of the founding team, bringing technical skills from Stanford computer science and operational energy from his PayPal internship experience. At Palantir, he was central to early government sales efforts and helped establish the company's initial operational frameworks for working with intelligence agency clients. After departing Palantir, Lonsdale built a portfolio of companies and investments through 8VC, his venture firm, with a focus on defense technology, healthcare, and financial infrastructure. He has also been active in libertarian-conservative policy circles, founding the Texas Public Policy Foundation-affiliated Cicero Institute. He maintains an ownership stake in Palantir.