Future Vice President JD Vance Has A Powerful Silicon Valley Backer – Peter Thiel, Who Funded His 2022 Ohio Campaign With $15M

JD Vance was primarily known to the general public for his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, but his path to national politics had a lot more to do with his powerful backer, Peter Thiel. Thiel, a billionaire investor and cofounder of PayPal, played a big role in Vance's venture capital career and his 2022 Senate campaign, ultimately paving the way for his new role as Donald Trump’s vice-presidential running mate.

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The two first crossed paths in 2011 when Vance was a Yale Law student. Thiel's speech at Yale caught Vance’s attention and stirred a desire to move away from law into something more dynamic. When Hillbilly Elegy made waves in 2016, Thiel brought Vance into his venture capital firm, Mithril Capital.

However, Vance’s time at Mithril wasn't especially memorable from a business perspective. Former coworkers report that Vance was rarely in the office, as he appeared to be more interested in marketing his memoir than engaging in the firm's day-to-day operations. Even though it wasn’t a significant or long-lasting job, it did contribute to the development of Vance’s relationship with Thiel, which would later be vital.

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In 2017, Vance left Mithril to join Revolution, an investment firm started by AOL cofounder Steve Case. At Revolution, Vance helped develop the Rise of the Rest initiative and worked on several other deals, focusing on startups outside of the typical tech hubs. Additionally, he invested in the indoor farming business AppHarvest. Unfortunately, AppHarvest ended in bankruptcy in 2023 after a series of lawsuits, but by then, Vance had already moved on.

Vance eventually cofounded his venture capital firm Narya Capital, with financial backing from Peter Thiel. Narya sought to assist new businesses in underprivileged U.S. regions. Despite the ups and downs of his venture capital career, Vance’s relationship with Thiel remained steadfast.

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In 2022, Vance decided to run for a Senate seat in Ohio. He faced stiff competition, including several wealthy candidates willing to spend tens of millions of dollars of their own money. Enter Peter Thiel, who contributed $15 million to a super PAC supporting Vance's campaign – the largest donation Thiel had ever made to a single candidate. The super PAC spent heavily on ads and campaign promotions that helped Vance win and become more prominent in politics.

Beyond funding, Thiel also invested alongside Vance in political ventures. In 2021, they both put money into Rumble, a video platform seen as a conservative-friendly alternative to YouTube. As mainstream social media companies tightened rules on content, Rumble became popular among right-wing voices seeking fewer restrictions. This investment aligned Vance and Thiel further with the political right and laid some groundwork for Vance’s continued public profile.

In 2024, Vance's political rise took yet another leap. In an attempt to regain the presidency, former President Donald Trump selected JD Vance as his running mate. Thiel's influence helped Vance evolve from a memoirist into a venture capitalist and, ultimately, the United States Vice President.

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