Fundraising Fox

Brian Rowen

Investor

Senior Advisor and Venture Partner at Fifth Down Capital

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

About

Brian Rowen is a Senior Advisor and Venture Partner at Fifth Down Capital, a role he took on in 2026 after previously serving as the firm's President and Managing Partner. Earlier in his career he was Chief Operating Officer of Thiel Capital and founded Propeller, a mobile software startup acquired by Palantir Technologies in 2014, where he then led corporate development until 2021. He holds a degree from Stanford University and has invested in and advised private technology companies for over a decade.

LinkedIn ↗X / Twitter ↗

Experience

  1. Fifth Down CapitalSenior Advisor & Venture Partnercurrent2026 — present
  2. Fifth Down CapitalPresident & Managing Partner2023 — 2026
  3. The Thiel FoundationPresident2022 — 2023
  4. Thiel CapitalChief Operating Officer2021 — 2023
  5. Thiel CapitalDirector, Strategic Investments2021
  6. Palantir TechnologiesCorporate Development, Head of Corporate Development2014 — 2021Palo Alto, CA
  7. Stanford UniversityBoard of Directors (Stanford Athletics - Buck/Cardinal)2010 — 2016Stanford, CA
  8. PropellerFounder & CEO2013 — 2014San Francisco, CA
  9. RobinhoodAdvisor2012 — 2014Palo Alto, CA

Education

  1. Stanford UniversityPhi Beta Kappa, JE Wallace Sterling Award for Scholastic Achievement

Skills & more

Strategy10Venture Capital35Start-ups33Entrepreneurship28Corporate Development22Business Strategy13Private Equity11Product Management9Business Development8Mergers & Acquisitions8Investments6Valuation5
+3 moreDue DiligenceManagement ConsultingFinancial Modeling

From Brian's professional profile.

Same school

Also attended Stanford University1,726

Peter ThielCo-founder & Partner at Founders FundReid HoffmanCo-founder of LinkedIn; Partner at GreylockDavid SacksCo-founder & General Partner at Craft Ventures; former White House AI & Crypto CzarKeith RaboisManaging Director at Khosla VenturesGarry TanPresident & CEO of Y CombinatorAlfred LinPartner at Sequoia Capital

+ 1,720 more

Shared employers

Also worked at Fifth Down Capital13

Andrew SpellmanFounder and Managing Partner at Fifth Down CapitalLiam PatrickPartner at Fifth Down CapitalJames BoydPrincipal at Fifth Down CapitalBryan StuartVice President at Fifth Down CapitalAlan SwierczynskiSenior Associate at Fifth Down CapitalJanki GandhiManaging Partner at Fifth Down Capital

+ 7 more

Also worked at The Thiel Foundation21

Sebastian CaliriInvestment Team at 8VCKevin WangCEO, FOSSA Inc. at OSS CapitalAndrew BrackinPartner at Gradient VenturesIan LeePrincipal at Signum CapitalDanielle StrachmanInvestor at NZVCJohn LuttigPartner at Founders Fund

+ 15 more

Also worked at Thiel Capital13

James FitzgeraldManaging Partner at Valar Ventures LlcErin Ashley PorterfieldEmployee at Valar Ventures LlcMax SamuelPartner at SNÖ VenturesPhin UphamManaging Partner at Haymaker VenturesJack SelbyManaging Partner at AZ-VCMichael GibsonGeneral Partner, Co-Founder at 1517

+ 7 more

Also worked at Palantir Technologies118

Garry TanPresident & CEO of Y CombinatorJoe LonsdaleFounder & Managing Partner of 8VCTrae StephensPartner at Founders Fund and co-founder of AndurilViviana FagaGeneral Partner at Felicis VenturesBryan OffuttInvestor at Index VenturesErin Price-WrightInvestor at Index Ventures

+ 112 more

Colleagues at Fifth Down Capital

Alan Swierczynski
Senior Associate at Fifth Down Capital
Alex Dermer
Senior Advisor at Fifth Down Capital
Andrew Spellman
Founder and Managing Partner at Fifth Down Capital
Bryan Stuart
Vice President at Fifth Down Capital
Cam Fordham
Senior Advisor, Venture Partner at Fifth Down Capital
Candace Parker
Senior Advisor at Fifth Down Capital
Chrysa Chin
Senior Advisor, Strategic Relationships at Fifth Down Capital
David Weise
Senior Advisor at Fifth Down Capital

Network8

Peter ThielScout
Co-founder & Partner at Founders Fund
Andrew BoszhardtScout
Founder and Managing Partner at Great Oaks Venture Capital
Raj SandhuScout
General Partner at Great Oaks Venture Capital
Celine Kwok
Principal and CFO at Great Oaks Venture Capital
Henry McNamara
General Partner at Great Oaks Venture Capital
Ian Mukherjee
Investor at Great Oaks Venture Capital
James Hottensen
Associate at Great Oaks Venture Capital
Stuart O'Keeffe
General Partner at Great Oaks Venture Capital

Investors connected to Brian in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.