Joe Lonsdale is an entrepreneur, technology investor, and co-founder of Palantir Technologies. He later founded and helped build companies including Addepar, OpenGov, Affinity, Epirus, Resilience Bio, and 8VC, where he serves as Founder and Managing Partner. Through 8VC and his broader company-building work, Lonsdale focuses on enterprise software, defense technology, financial infrastructure, healthcare, and public-sector innovation.
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8VCJoe Lonsdale | Our Team | 8VCJoe Lonsdale is the Founder and Managing Partner at 8VC, an early-stage venture capital firm managing over $6 billion in capital. In 2003, he founded Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR), a global software company known for its work supporting US and its allies’ defense and intelligence. Since then, he has founded over a dozen prominent companies, including Addepar, a wealth management platform helping investors manage over $7 trillion, and OpenGov, the leading cloud software provider for local governments which recently sold for $1.8 billion. He continues to create and scale companies through the 8VC Build program. Joe was an early investor in Anduril, Oculus (acq. FB), Guardant Health (NASDAQ:GH), Oscar (NYSE:OSCR), Illumio, Wish (NASDAQ:WISH), JoyTunes, Blend (NYSE:BLND), Flexport, Joby Aviation (NYSE:JOBY), Orca Bio, Qualia, Synthego, RelateIQ (acq. CRM), Yugabyte, among many others. Joe and his wife Tayler are active in a variety of philanthropic and institutional pursuits. In 2018, they founded the nonpartisan Cicero Institute to fight for effective and accountable government. It has quickly grown into one of the most effective public policy organizations battling special interests, partnering with courageous leaders, and passing 175 bills across nearly 30 states. In 2021, Joe became the founding chairman of the board of the University of Austin (UATX), a new university dedicated to restoring the pursuit of truth in higher education. He also sits on the board of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute. Joe, Tayler, and their six children live in Austin, TX.
Cicero InstituteJoe Lonsdale | Cicero InstituteJoe Lonsdale is an American entrepreneur and technology investor; he founded Palantir, Addepar, OpenGov and other companies, and is a Partner at 8VC, his venture capital firm. Along with friends and colleagues, he is building the Cicero Institute to help policymakers and entrepreneurs work together on society’s challenges.
AddeparA Conversation with Joe Lonsdale, Addepar Founder and ChairmanInsights from Joe Lonsdale on venture capital, innovation during economic downturns, and emerging investment opportunities.
LinkedinJoe Lonsdale - 8VC | LinkedInExperience: 8VC · Education: Stanford University · Location: United States · 500+ connections on LinkedIn. View Joe Lonsdale’s profile on LinkedIn, a professional community of 1 billion members.
X (formerly Twitter)Joe Lonsdale (@JTLonsdale) on XI'm an entrepreneur, investor, & philanthropist. I founded @PalantirTech @Addepar @UAustinOrg @8VC & other mission-driven orgs. Bold policy @InstituteCicero
ForbesJoe LonsdaleJoe Lonsdale is #1440 on Forbes' 2026 Billionaires list. Read more about Joe Lonsdale, their experience, their asset summary, and more here.
Reason.comWhy Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale left California for TexasThe entrepreneur, who founded the Cicero Institute to fix government and University of Austin to fix higher education, wanted space to flourish.
Joe LonsdaleHome - Joe LonsdaleOfficial personal website supporting Lonsdale’s description as an entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, and founder of more than a dozen mission-driven companies.
- Defense technologyAndurilDefense technology company building autonomous systems and other defense products.
- Virtual realityOculusVirtual reality hardware and platform company acquired by Facebook.
- HealthcareGuardant HealthPrecision oncology company using blood tests and data to support cancer care.
- HealthcareOscar HealthTechnology-driven health insurance company.
- CybersecurityIllumioCybersecurity company focused on zero-trust segmentation.
- E-commerceWishE-commerce marketplace platform.
- EdtechJoyTunesMusic learning technology company known for app-based music education products.
- FintechBlendDigital lending and banking software platform.
- LogisticsFlexportTechnology-enabled freight forwarding and logistics platform.
- AerospaceJoby AviationElectric air taxi and eVTOL aircraft company.
- BiotechOrca BioBiotechnology company developing cell therapies.
- ProptechQualiaReal estate transaction and title software platform.
Lonsdale has repeatedly built and backed companies at the intersection of software, data infrastructure, government, finance, healthcare, and defense. His Palantir background and 8VC platform make him a strong fit for enterprise, government, and operational AI markets where complex institutions need mission-critical software.