1517 Fund

About 1517 Fund

1517 Fund is a venture capital fund and anti-establishment educational institution that backs founders at the earliest stages, including dropouts, renegade students, deep tech scientists, and uncredentialed founders. It emphasizes a global community of hackers, makers, and researchers, providing funding, micro-grants, and ongoing support to help these edge-builders start, grow, and scale their ventures. Founded in 2015 by Thiel Fellowship co-founders, the firm seeks to expand the Thiel Fellowship’s vision by backing nontraditional paths to innovation across software, hardware, and deep tech. The organization positions itself as an ecosystem that nurtures unusual talent outside conventional credentialing across the United States and beyond.