Lots of folks in Silicon Valley think that Peter Thiel, because of his celebrity and wealth, is the man steering Founders Fund, the investment vehicle he co-founded in 2005.
But the real showrunner is Lauren Gross, a 35-year-old who is playing a larger and larger role as the venture firm’s partnership transforms. Several general partners have shuffled in and out of the science-focused fund in recent years, leaving her as one of nine partners.
Gross is one of the few top-tier VCs who doesn’t play an active day-to-day investing role. As chief operating officer, she is responsible for Founders Fund’s relationship with its limited partners, who have given the fund $2 billion in the last three years. With a series of early-stage hits — in SpaceX, Lyft and Airbnb — raising that amount of cash likely isn’t a terrible pain.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
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