Thiel's Facebook First Check
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A story about Joe Lonsdale being present when Peter Thiel wrote the first investment check into Facebook, though he admits he gets no credit for it.
"I was around when Peter wrote the first check into Facebook. It was just one of many things he was doing at the time. They seemed particularly smart and interesting, but I can't say I thought it was going to be what it became - I don't think anyone realized that.
It was clear they were really smart, interesting guys who were very aggressive. One of my good friends actually helped Peter write the check - he's played in the movie by an African American guy, which he jokes about because he's actually a little Jewish guy.
But that's what's funny about it - Peter wrote the first check into Facebook at that time, and even though some other investments didn't make as much sense, when you hit something like that, I mean give me a break - everyone in venture isn't going to have a 100% hit rate."
Joe Lonsdale
Co-founded 8VC, a venture capital firm focused on building sustainable businesses. Helped launch Resilience to address vulnerabilities in medical supply chains.
Serial entrepreneur with a track record of founding and guiding companies in various sectors. Instrumental in the success of Epirus, which secured significant contracts and funding.