The Palantir Mafia have founded startups like Anduril, and IronClad.
Mar 17, 2025 - businessinsider.com
The article highlights the emergence of the "Palantir Mafia," a group of former Palantir employees who have collectively raised over $6 billion for their own startups across various sectors, including AI, legaltech, consumer, and healthcare. This group includes notable figures like Garry Tan of Y Combinator, Joe Lonsdale of Addepar and 8VC, and the founders of companies like Anduril, Ironclad, and ElevenLabs. The Palantir Mafia is compared to the PayPal Mafia, known for producing successful entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, who co-founded Palantir. The startups founded by these former Palantir employees have attracted investments from top venture capital firms such as a16z, Sequoia, and Y Combinator.
The article provides a detailed look at several key members of the Palantir Mafia, including their roles at Palantir and the startups they have founded. For instance, Garry Tan, who was a lead engineer at Palantir, is now the president and CEO of Y Combinator. Anduril, co-founded by Palantir alums Trae Stephens, Matt Grimm, and Brian Schimpf, has raised $3.8 billion, making it the most funded among the group. Other highlighted startups include Ironclad, ElevenLabs, Peregrine, and Sourcegraph, each with significant funding and notable investors. The article underscores the entrepreneurial spirit and success of these former Palantir employees in leveraging their experience to create impactful companies.
Key takeaways:
Some former Palantir employees have left the software company to build their own startups.
BI identified 30 founders building in the AI, legaltech, consumer, and healthcare spaces.
The Palantir Mafia includes Partiful, Ironclad, Joe Lonsdale, Anduril, Garry Tan, and more.
In total, the startups identified by BI have collectively raised more than $6 billion in VC funding.
