Where does Trae Stephens work?

Trae Stephens is Founder of Anduril and Partner at Founders Fund.

What check size does Trae Stephens write?

Trae Stephens typically writes checks of $500K – $150M.

What companies did Trae Stephens found?

Trae Stephens founded Anduril, Pursuit.

What boards does Trae Stephens sit on?

Trae Stephens holds tracked board seats at Eight Sleep, Flexport, Flexport, Varda Space Industries, Varda Space Industries, Inc..

Where did Trae Stephens go to school?

Trae Stephens studied at Georgetown University (BS, Regional and Comparative Studies (Middle East)); Lebanon High School.

What podcasts and interviews feature Trae Stephens?

Tracked appearances include "Trae Stephens: Why No Company is Successful Because of their VC | E1135", "Anduril Founder Trae Stephens on Our Modern Defense System", "Trae Stephens on Anduril’s Origin, Peter Thiel, & Palantir DNA", and 7 more.

Trae Stephens

InvestorUnicorn founder

Founder at Anduril · Partner at Founders Fund

San Francisco, CA

Writes $500K – $150M checks · typically $5M

FoundedAnduril$61B Pursuit · YC

Midas 2024 · #91 Midas 2025 · #19 Midas 2026 · #7

Find your path to Trae

320 people in our graph share verified history with Trae — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Diana BerishaunlockedTrae: together at Georgetown (2005–2009)

×5Trae: together at Georgetown

×6Trae: together at Founders Fund

Photo: TechCrunch, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons ↗

About

Trae Stephens is a partner at Founders Fund and a co-founder and chairman of defense technology company Anduril, whose rise to a $61 billion valuation propelled him to number 7 on the 2026 Forbes Midas List. A former Palantir engineer, he focuses on national security and government-facing startups and has become one of the leading voices for Silicon Valley's return to defense work.

Contact· self-published, not guessed

t•••@foundersfund.comreveal

Invests in

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDefense TechFintechSpace Tech

Beyond investing

Founded: Stephens co-founded Anduril Industries in 2017 alongside Palmer Luckey, Matt Grimm, Joe Chen, and Brian Schimpf. Stephens co-founded Sol (at one point Sindarin Inc.) in 2021, developing a next-generation wearable e-reader device. Stephens co-founded Varda Space Industries in 2020 with Delian Asparouhov and Will Bruey. Stephens co-founded Valinor Enterprises in 2024, an incubator of product companies.
Education: Studied at Georgetown University (degree in Regional and Comparative Studies (Middle East), Arabic and Security Studies, 2005) Studied at Walsh School of Foreign Service
Boards: Stephens is a commissioner at the Atlantic Council Commission on Software-Defined Warfare. Stephens served as a federal advisory committee member on the Defense Innovation Board, chaired by Eric Schmidt, and co-authored a software acquisition study for it in 2019.
Communities: Stephens describes himself as Christian and in June 2024 preached a sermon to tech entrepreneurs about the intersection of Christian faith and innovation. Stephens grew up in Lebanon, Ohio, and was a senior at Lebanon High School during the September 11 attacks.
Hobbies: Stephens is interested in prepping and has built an emergency bunker and keeps a survival kit.
Family: Stephens is married to Michelle Stephens and they have two sons. His wife founded ACTS 17 (Acknowledging Christ within Technology and Society), a Christian nonprofit ministering to elites.
More: Stephens served on President-elect Donald Trump's 2016 transition team, leading the Department of Defense transition effort. Stephens became a billionaire in June 2025 after Anduril's Series G fundraising round.

From published sources — common ground for a warm intro.

Experience

Founders FundPartnercurrent2014 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
Anduril IndustriesCo-Foundercurrent2017 — presentOrange County, California, United States
PursuitCo-Foundercurrent2021 — present
SolCo-Foundercurrent2021 — present
Georgetown UniversityAdjunct Professor2013Washington DC-Baltimore Area
Palantir TechnologiesForward Deployed Engineer2008 — 2013Washington DC-Baltimore Area
LexisNexis Special ServicesLead Data Analyst, International Data2006 — 2008
Georgetown UniversityAsst. to the Chief of Staff2005 — 2006
Embassy of AfghanistanPolitical Affairs Intern2003 — 2005Washington DC-Baltimore Area
Office of Congressman Rob PortmanCongressional Intern2005

Skills & more

Government63Policy21Program Management55Security Clearance6DoD10Analysis34Data Analysis20Intelligence Analysis6Research13Requirements Analysis11National Security13Databases2

+8 more

System AdministrationCloud ComputingSQLEnterprise ArchitectureIntegrationDefenseProposal WritingSoftware Engineering

From Trae's professional profile.

Deals · 4

FlexportBoard seat

via Founders Fund · filed Feb 2022 · $935.4M raise

press ↗

Varda Space Industries, Inc.Board seat

via Founders Fund · filed Sep 2021 · $42.2M raise

Eight SleepBoard seat

via Founders Fund · filed Jul 2021 · $87.6M raise

Gecko RoboticsQuoted

via Founders Fund · filed May 2025

press ↗

Attribution from SEC filings, press coverage, and firm rosters.

Other disclosed investments

Board seats

Varda Space Industries

Sources: SEC Form D filings · curated public sources.

Podcasts & interviews

featuring Trae Stephens

Trae Stephens: Why No Company is Successful Because of their VC | E1135

20VC with Harry Stebbings

Anduril Founder Trae Stephens on Our Modern Defense System

goop

Trae Stephens on Anduril’s Origin, Peter Thiel, & Palantir DNA

Sourcery with Molly O'Shea

Anduril & Founders Fund’s Trae Stephens on Choosing Good Quests in the Age of AI | Ep. 35

Uncapped with Jack Altman

Trae Stephens – Anduril’s AI Weapons, Palantir Myths, Antichrist and War with China | SRS #245

Shawn Ryan Show

Trae Stephens on Founders Fund

Turpentine VC

4 more appearances

Colleagues at Founders Fund

Alex Bangash

Managing Director and General Partner at Transpose Platform Management

Alyx Sylvia

Assistant Controller at Founders Fund

Amin Mirzadegan

Partner at Founders Fund

Arkady Rakhilkin

CEO at Seven Rivers Capital LTD

Beatrice Couture

Principal at Teralys Capital

Bridget Harris

Associate at Founders Fund

Brooke Oliver

Chief Human Resources Officer at Main Street Capital

Danielle Biesanz

Head of Legal Operations at Founders Fund

Frequently asked questions

Who is Trae Stephens?: Trae Stephens is a partner at Founders Fund and a co-founder and chairman of defense technology company Anduril, whose rise to a $61 billion valuation propelled him to number 7 on the 2026 Forbes Midas List. A former Palantir engineer, he focuses on national security and government-facing startups and has become one of the leading voices for Silicon Valley's return to defense work.
Where does Trae Stephens work?: Trae Stephens is Founder of Anduril and Partner at Founders Fund.
What does Trae Stephens invest in?: Trae Stephens invests in AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Defense Tech, Fintech, Space Tech.
What check size does Trae Stephens write?: Trae Stephens typically writes checks of $500K – $150M.
What companies did Trae Stephens found?: Trae Stephens founded Anduril, Pursuit.
What boards does Trae Stephens sit on?: Trae Stephens holds tracked board seats at Eight Sleep, Flexport, Flexport, Varda Space Industries, Varda Space Industries, Inc..
Where did Trae Stephens go to school?: Trae Stephens studied at Georgetown University (BS, Regional and Comparative Studies (Middle East)); Lebanon High School.
What podcasts and interviews feature Trae Stephens?: Tracked appearances include "Trae Stephens: Why No Company is Successful Because of their VC | E1135", "Anduril Founder Trae Stephens on Our Modern Defense System", "Trae Stephens on Anduril’s Origin, Peter Thiel, & Palantir DNA", and 7 more.