{{Short description|American venture capitalist and entrepreneur (born 1983)}} {{Use American English|date=April 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = Trae Stephens | image = Trae Stephens of Founders Fund at 2024 TechCrunch StrictlyVC event (cropped).jpg | caption = Stephens in 2024 | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age text|November 1983}} | birth_place = | known_for = {{ubl | Co-founder and chairman of Anduril Industries | Co-founder of Sol | Co-founder of Varda Space Industries | Co-founder of Valinor Enterprises }} | education = Georgetown University | relatives = | website = | spouse = Michelle Stephens | children = 2 }} '''Trae Stephens''' (born November 1983) is an American venture capitalist and entrepreneur. He is a co-founder and executive chairman of Anduril Industries, a defense technology company. He is a partner at Peter Thiel's venture capital firm Founders Fund and a former Palantir Technologies employee.
In June 2025, Stephens became a billionaire after Anduril's Series G fundraising round.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomas |first1=Trevear |title=The Growth Transformer's Playbook: M&A As A Platform For Growth |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/deloitte/2025/10/24/the-growth-transformers-playbook-ma-as-a-platform-for-growth/ |work=Forbes |date=10 June 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Trae Stephens |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/trae-stephens/ |website=Forbes |access-date=26 October 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
== Early life == Trae Stephens grew up in Lebanon, Ohio. He was a senior in Lebanon High School at the time of the September 11 attacks, an event which inspired him to pursue a career in national security. Stephens attended Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he focused on Arabic and Security Studies and earned a degree in Regional and Comparative Studies (Middle East) in 2005.
During his college years, he gained early experience in government and international affairs. He interned in the office of Republican congressman Rob Portman and at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C., shortly after the establishment of Hamid Karzai’s post-Taliban transitional government.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trae Stephens |url=https://fedsoc.org/contributors/trae-stephens#:~:text=Trae%20was%20a%20senior%20in,the%20United%20States%20Intelligence%20Community |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=fedsoc.org | date=2 September 2019 }}</ref>
== Career == After graduating from Georgetown, Stephens began his career in computational linguistics working within the US Intelligence Community. He does not disclose the name of the specific agency he worked for.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Silverman |first1=Jacob |title=Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley |date=9 October 2025 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-3994-1996-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZ19EQAAQBAJ&pg=PA20 |language=en}}</ref> He worked as "a computational linguist building enterprise solutions to Arabic/Persian name matching and data enrichment".<ref name= founders>{{Cite web |title=Trae Stephens |url=https://foundersfund.com/team/trae-stephens/ |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=Founders Fund |language=en-US}}</ref> He said, "I'd say twenty percent of my time was literally just running searches and merging database files. This was taking up a full day out of every week. I thought I was going to show up and it would be this James Bond thing –they'd give me a supercomputer and the keys to an Aston Martin. Instead, it was a joke."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shah |first1=Raj M. |last2=Kirchhoff |first2=Christopher |title=Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War |date=24 June 2025 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-6680-3139-1 |pages=124, 125 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I1VgEQAAQBAJ&pg=PA124 |language=en}}</ref> In 2008, he joined the Silicon Valley data analytics firm Palantir Technologies as one of its early employees. He led teams focused on expanding business in the defense and intelligence sector, on international growth, product development, and helped design analytical software. He served briefly as an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University.<ref name= founders/>
According to tech writer<ref>{{cite book |last1=Turi |first1=Abeba N. |title=Financial Technologies and DeFi: A Revisit to the Digital Finance Revolution |date=1 January 2023 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-031-17998-3 |page=12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W9WkEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA12 |language=en}}</ref> Mario Gabriele, when Stephens was at Palantir, Alex Karp, the CEO, told him that he would not let Stephens meet Thiel because he would be poached from Palantir. Karp managed to keep the two separated for two years, until 2012. Stephens began to work for the Founders Fund in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gabriele |first1=Mario |title=Founders Fund: The Kingdom |url=https://www.generalist.com/p/founders-fund-4 |website=www.generalist.com |access-date=19 October 2025 |language=en}}</ref> It is known that he has a close relationship with Thiel at the Founders Fund.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chafkin |first1=Max |title=The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and the Rise of the Silicon Valley Oligarchs |date=21 September 2021 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-9848-7854-0 |page=283 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mcETEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA283 |language=en}}</ref>
In 2014, he became a partner at Founders Fund, where he has focused on investments in startups in the government and defense technology. In late 2016, Stephens served on President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team, where he led the Department of Defense transition effort.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Levy |first=Steven |title=Trae Stephens Has Built AI Weapons and Worked for Donald Trump. As He Sees It, Jesus Would Approve |url=https://www.wired.com/story/big-interview-trae-stephens-has-built-ai-weapons-and-worked-for-donald-trump-as-he-sees-it-jesus-would-approve/#:~:text=,Are%20you%20currently |access-date=2025-03-16 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Biddle |first=Sam |date=2025-07-09 |title=Trump's Big Beautiful Gift to Anduril |url=https://theintercept.com/2025/07/09/trump-big-beautiful-bill-anduril/ |access-date=2025-07-14 |website=The Intercept |language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2017, Stephens co-founded Anduril Industries alongside Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus VR and fellow former Palantir colleagues Matt Grimm, Joe Chen, and Brian Schimpf. The idea for Anduril arose in 2014, when Stephens met Luckey at a Founders Fund retreat, where they bonded over the idea of applying Silicon Valley startup techniques to the defense sector. Anduril (named after a legendary sword in ''The Lord of the Rings'') set out to build advanced autonomous weapon systems and autonomous surveillance technology.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Levy |first=Steven |title=Inside Anduril, Palmer Luckey's Bid to Build a Border Wall |url=https://www.wired.com/story/palmer-luckey-anduril-border-wall/ |access-date=2025-03-16 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fang |first=Lee |date=2019-03-09 |title=Defense Tech Startup Founded by Trump's Most Prominent Silicon Valley Supporters Wins Secretive Military AI Contract |url=https://theintercept.com/2019/03/09/anduril-industries-project-maven-palmer-luckey/ |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=The Intercept |language=en-US}}</ref>
The company’s first major project was a “virtual border wall” – a network of sensor towers and drones designed to detect unauthorized crossings on the U.S.–Mexico border.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-06-12 |title=Oculus Founder Palmer Luckey Is Building a Defense Contractor With Consumer Technology |url=https://www.nextgov.com/artificial-intelligence/2018/06/oculus-founder-palmer-luckey-building-defense-contractor-consumer-technology/148951/#:~:text=The%20new%20startup,%20named%C2%A0Anduril%C2%A0after%20a,U.S.%20border |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=Nextgov.com |language=en}}</ref> Under Stephens's and Luckey's leadership, Anduril quickly expanded its product line to include counter-drone systems, autonomous aircraft, and other AI-driven defense hardware. As chairman of Anduril, Stephens has helped the company secure significant contracts with the Department of Defense and allied nations. By early 2024 the company was valued at approximately $8.4 billion.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Loizos |first=Connie |date=2024-03-02 |title=VC Trae Stephens says he has a bunker (and much more) in talk about Founders Fund and Anduril |url=https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/02/vc-trae-stephens-says-he-has-a-bunker-and-much-more-in-talk-about-founders-fund-and-anduril/ |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref>
He co-founded a company called Sol (at one point Sindarin Inc.) in 2021, which developed a next-generation wearable e-reader device.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trae Stephens |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/trae-stephens/ |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref name="StephensTechcrunch">{{cite news |last1=Loizos |first1=Connie |title=VC Trae Stephens says he has a bunker (and much more) in talk about Founders Fund and Anduril |url=https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/02/vc-trae-stephens-says-he-has-a-bunker-and-much-more-in-talk-about-founders-fund-and-anduril/ |work=TechCrunch |date=2 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About |url=https://solreader.com/about |website=Sol |access-date=28 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250929205146/https://solreader.com/about |archive-date=29 September 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Patents Assigned to Sindarin, Inc. - Justia Patents Search |url=https://patents.justia.com/assignee/sindarin-inc |website=patents.justia.com |access-date=28 October 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251028011729/https://patents.justia.com/assignee/sindarin-inc|archive-date=28 October 2025}}</ref>
In 2020, he co-founded Varda Space Industries with Thiel fellow Delian Asparouhov and former SpaceX engineer Will Bruey (CEO). He also sits on the board of directors.<ref name="VardaTechcrunch">{{cite news |last1=Shieber |first1=Jonathan |title=Space manufacturing startup Varda, incubated at Founders Fund, emerges with $9 million in funding |url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/08/space-manufacturing-startup-varda-incubated-at-founders-fund-emerges-with-9-million-in-funding/ |work=TechCrunch |date=9 December 2020}}</ref>
In 2024, he co-founded Valinor Enterprises, a "company of companies" (incubator or accelarator), alongside former Palantir's senior vice president Julie Bush (CEO), General Catalyst's Paul Kwan and Red Cell's Grant Verstandig.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Demarest |first1=Colin |title=Exclusive: Valinor wants to build defense-tech "picks and shovels" |url=https://www.axios.com/2025/10/15/valinor-harbor-bush-stephens-kwan |work=Axios |date=15 October 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bush |first1=Julie |title=Today, we are thrilled to introduce Valinor to the world! Valinor is a first-of-its-kind company providing a go-to-market engine for the world's best technologists building products for government… {{!}} Julie Bush {{!}} 113 comments |url=https://www.linkedin.com/posts/julie-bush-124901169_today-we-are-thrilled-to-introduce-valinor-activity-7249424403329953792-G6T8/ |website=www.linkedin.com |access-date=28 October 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Media |first1=Resilience |title=In conversation with General Catalyst |url=https://www.resiliencemedia.co/p/in-conversation-with-general-catalyst |website=www.resiliencemedia.co |access-date=28 October 2025 |language=en}}</ref> The team is sourced from Palantir Technologies, Anduril Industries and Helsing. The firm also holds strategic relationships with these companies. Each of Valinor's product comes with its own product company, which acts as a lean subsidiary of Valinor's. In a year (from its 2024 founding to 2025), Valinor has launched 10 such product companies. It has also launched Valinor Streamline, "the first third-party application installable in Palantir Foundry".<ref>{{cite web |title=Seeding the Future with Valinor |url=https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-valinor |website=www.generalcatalyst.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Media |first1=Resilience |title=In conversation with General Catalyst |url=https://www.resiliencemedia.co/p/in-conversation-with-general-catalyst |website=www.resiliencemedia.co |language=en}}</ref> Valinor participates in Anduril's Lattice Partner Program,<ref name="fieldhospital">{{cite news |last1=Tucker |first1=Patrick |title=Startup aims to reinvent battlefield medicine for the drone era |url=https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2025/10/startup-aims-reinvent-battlefield-medicine-drone-era/408770/ |work=Defense One |date=12 October 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=New monopoly? Inside VC tech's overthrow of the primes {{!}} Responsible Statecraft |url=https://responsiblestatecraft.org/defense-tech-partnership/ |website=responsiblestatecraft.org |access-date=20 October 2025 |language=en}}</ref> and the two companies are also members of the Defense Industrial Base Consortium.<ref>{{cite news |title=Current Members |url=https://www.dibconsortium.org/current-members/ |access-date=20 October 2025 |work=Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250805120104/https://www.dibconsortium.org/current-members/ |archive-date=5 August 2025}}</ref> Valinor's announced products include a mobile field hospital named Harbor<ref name="fieldhospital"/> and a mobile drone charging station named Dispatch.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Easley |first1=Mikayla |title=Startup unveils mobile charging station to transform drone operations |url=https://defensescoop.com/2025/10/17/valinor-dispatch-dock-mobile-drone-charging-station/ |work=DefenseScoop |date=17 October 2025}}</ref>
Anduril, Sol, Varda and Valinor were incubated or co-incubated by the Founders Fund. Among these companies, Sol is the sole non-military company.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Levy |first1=Steven |title=Trae Stephens Has Built AI Weapons and Worked for Donald Trump. As He Sees It, Jesus Would Approve |url=https://www.wired.com/story/big-interview-trae-stephens-has-built-ai-weapons-and-worked-for-donald-trump-as-he-sees-it-jesus-would-approve/ |work=Wired |date=25 September 2024}}</ref><ref name="VardaTechcrunch"/>
Stephens also sits on the board of Flexport (he led the Founders Fund's investment in the company).<ref>{{cite news |title=Flexport Raises $65 Million in Venture Capital to Expand Operations - TT |url=https://www.ttnews.com/articles/flexport-raises-65-million-venture-capital-expand-operations |work=Transport Topics |date=29 September 2016 |language=en}}</ref>
He is a commissioner at the Atlantic Council Commission on Software-Defined Warfare.<ref>{{cite web |title=Atlantic Council Commission on Software-Defined Warfare: Final report |url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/atlantic-council-commission-on-software-defined-warfare/ |website=Atlantic Council |access-date=28 October 2025 |date=27 March 2025}}</ref>
He served as federal advisory committee member on the Defense Innovation Board (DIU) chaired by Eric Schmidt and co-authored a software acquisition study for the DIU in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Software Is Never Done: Refactoring the Acquisition Code for Competitive Advantage |url=https://media.defense.gov/2019/May/01/2002126692/-1/-1/0/SWAP%20MAIN%20REPORT%20+%20APPENDICES%20A-D.PDF |access-date=28 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250212054111/https://media.defense.gov/2019/May/01/2002126692/-1/-1/0/SWAP%20MAIN%20REPORT%20+%20APPENDICES%20A-D.PDF |archive-date=12 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Sapra |first1=Bani |title=A group of VCs warn that funding for defense startups will dry up unless government agencies take action: 'Give contracts, not lip service' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/vcs-warn-no-defense-funding-without-contracts-2020-5 |work=Business Insider |date=12 May 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200515132756/https://www.businessinsider.com/vcs-warn-no-defense-funding-without-contracts-2020-5 |archive-date=15 May 2020}}</ref><ref name="StephensTechcrunch"/>
The outlet ''Newcomer'' remarks that Stephens "has done as much as anyone to bring military technology into the venture capital mainstream.{{sfn|Silverman|2025|p=20}}
== Personal life == Stephens has spoken openly about the influence of his personal beliefs on his professional endeavors. He describes himself as Christian, and in June 2024 he garnered attention for preaching a sermon to a gathering of tech entrepreneurs about the intersection of Christian faith and innovation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Rise of Founders Fund's Faithful Warrior |url=https://www.theinformation.com/articles/the-rise-of-founders-funds-faithful-warrior |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=The Information |language=en}}</ref>
He is a devout Christian and has preached to tech entrepreneurs. His wife started a Christian nonprofit called ACTS17 to minister to elites; it funded Peter Thiel's 2025 lectures on the antichrist and events by Garry Tan, featuring Pat Gelsinger.{{Citation needed|date=May 2026}}
Stephens is married to Michelle Stephens and they have two sons.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldberg |first=Emma |date=2025-02-11 |title=Seeking God, or Peter Thiel, in Silicon Valley |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/11/business/silicon-valley-christianity.html |access-date=2025-03-22 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In a 2024 ''TechCrunch'' interview, he mentioned that his wife has made him promise never to run for public office, despite his involvement in government advisory roles. He is also personally interested in prepping: in the same interview, Stephens revealed that he has built an emergency bunker and keeps a survival kit.<ref name=":0" /> His wife founded ''ACTS 17'' (Acknowledging Christ within Technology and Society), a Christian nonprofit to minister to elites. After Peter Thiel gave a speech at her husbands 40th birthday in 2023, she realized "ministering to elites is just as important as Christian teachings about ministering to the poor." ACTS17 funded Peter Thiel's 2025 lectures on the antichrist and events by Garry Tan, featuring Pat Gelsinger.<ref name="wp">{{Cite news |date=October 10, 2025 |title=Inside billionaire Peter Thiel's private lectures: Warnings of 'the Antichrist' and U.S. destruction |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/10/10/peter-thiel-antichrist-lectures-leaked/ |access-date=2025-10-15 |work=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
== References == <!-- Inline citations added to your article will automatically display here. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:REFB for instructions on how to add citations. --> {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Trae}} Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:American business executives in technology Category:American technology company founders Category:Businesspeople from Ohio Category:Georgetown University alumni Category:Palantir people