Peter Thiel | Fast Company

Reid Hoffman On PayPal's Pivoted Path To Success

BY Adam L. Penenberg | 05-21-2012 | 8:00 AM | INNOVATION

PayPal pivoted not once, not twice, but at least five times before settling on a winning business model. READ MORE›

The Facebook IPO Players Club: Peter Thiel

BY Kit Eaton | 05-18-2012 | 9:14 AM | INNOVATION

They were doing just fine before, but Facebook's biggest minority owners are about to be catapulted into a far more elite bracket. Peter Thiel, for example, will walk away with pockets stuffed with billions in cash, as he's selling many of his shares straight away.READ MORE›

Inside Stripe, The PayPal Competitor Backed By PayPal Founders Peter Thiel, Elon Musk

BY Austin Carr | 01-31-2012 | 8:53 PM | INNOVATION

Patrick and John Collison, brothers in their early 20s from Limerick, Ireland, have a decidedly bold mission: to become the next PayPal.READ MORE›

Thiel Foundation To New Crop Of College-Bound Grads: Don't Go

BY Jim O'Neill and Michael Gibson | 12-21-2011 | 6:38 PM | LEADERSHIP

Earlier this year the foundation gave a group of young fellows $100k and two years of mentoring in exchange for quitting college. The experiment is still playing out. But they're accepting applications for the next group. Here, the heads of the foundation make their case.READ MORE›

Blueseed: A Floating Startup Incubator Off The California Coast

BY Andrew Price | 11-30-2011 | 9:15 AM | DARIO MUTABDZIJA

Immigration laws in the United States can make it nearly impossible for even top-notch talent to come and start a company here. Blueseed wants to change that, by giving office space to startups in open water. READ MORE›

Peter Thiel's Latest Project: Funding For DIY Garage Scientists

BY Anya Kamenetz | 10-25-2011 | 7:51 PM | ETHONOMICS

He last turned heads by funding budding entrepreneurs who quit college to start businesses. Now Thiel's Breakout Labs is doing the same for scientists, granting $50,000 to $350,000 to entrepreneurial-minded free radicals. READ MORE›

What Has Being A Thiel Fellow Given Me? Credibility

BY Dale Stephens | 09-14-2011 | 11:55 AM | LEADERSHIP

Quitting college at 18 to move to Silicon Valley and pursue your startup is the stuff of Hollywood dreams. Here, Stephens discusses just what he has gained from becoming a Fellow.READ MORE›

Thiel Fellow Ben Yu Scrapped Harvard To Climb Kilimanjaro, Revolutionize Online Price Comparisons

BY Ben Yu | 07-22-2011 | 5:28 PM | LEADERSHIP

Dropping out of Harvard to climb Kilimanjaro, visit Buddha, and pose at Giza may seem like folly. But for Ben Yu--one of the Thiel Fellows bankrolled by Facebook investor Peter Thiel--it was the only way to get out of plain old Plainsfield, Ill., and into entrepreneurship.READ MORE›

Thiel Fellow Dale Stephens Drops Out (Of College), Moves In (To Silicon Valley), And Starts Up (Talent-Scouting RadMatter)

BY Dale Stephens | 07-18-2011 | 4:30 PM | ETHONOMICS

Quitting college at 18 to move to Silicon Valley and pursue your startup is the stuff of Hollywood dreams. Here, the first in a series of blog entries for Fast Company by the inaugural class of Thiel Fellows. READ MORE›

The Future Of College: Forget Lectures And Let The Students Lead

BY Trung Le | 06-24-2011 | 1:06 PM | CURRICULUM

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and forgotten the gift.” -- Albert Einstein In human-centered design observing how users modify ... READ MORE›

What Should We Make Of Peter Thiel's "20 Under 20" Education Program?

BY Mark Suster | 06-02-2011 | 10:51 AM | LEADERSHIP

We need to take some risks in education and in innovation in this country so anybody that it trying to break through the traditional mold and try to create a new model ought to be lauded, not attacked.READ MORE›

Peter Thiel Gives Whiz Kids $100K To Quit College, Start Businesses

BY Anya Kamenetz | 05-25-2011 | 4:01 PM | INNOVATION

It sounds like a reality show pitch: The legendary Facebook investor, PayPal founder, and thorn in the side of college deans everywhere announces what happens when 24 people, picked to live among mentors and innovation experts, stop going to school and start getting real--in business. READ MORE›

Why College Is Not A Bubble (Except For The University Of Phoenix)

BY Anya Kamenetz | 05-02-2011 | 1:01 PM | ETHONOMICS

The "college is a bubble" meme continues to flourish. But in reality, demand for an American-style college education, and the long-term value of said degree, is unlikely to decline. Here's why you should still feel justified in shelling out for a four-year degree. READ MORE›

Facebook, Zynga Backer Peter Thiel on Billion-Dollar Search "Monopoly"

BY E.B. Boyd | 02-04-2011 | 5:24 PM | INNOVATION

One of Silicon Valley's top investors says you can talk about new algorithms all you want, but until you bring down the costs of the search business--which Thiel pegs at $5-10 billion a year per company--it's going to remain a one-horse industry.READ MORE›

Silicon Valley's Angel Investors

BY Fast Company Staff | 06-27-2008 | 4:20 PM | ETHONOMICS

Founder, Half.com (sold to eBay). His First Round Capital has invested in StumbleUpon (to eBay), among others. Cofounder of Motive. Portfolio includes Digg and Twitter. Cofounder, Sun Microsystems; founder, Granite ...READ MORE›