Antonio Gracias

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Antonio Gracias
CitizenshipUnited States
Education Georgetown University (BSFS, MSFS)
University of Chicago (JD)
OccupationPrivate equity investor
Years active1995 to present
Board member of Tesla, Inc. (2007-2021)
SpaceX
Website https://www.valorep.com/team/antonio-gracias

Antonio Gracias is an American billionaire investor and executive who founded Valor Equity Partners. He has served on the boards of directors for several companies in which Valor has invested, including Tesla, Inc. and SpaceX. [1] A longtime ally of Elon Musk, Gracias has received media attention for his participation in the Department of Government Efficiency. [1]

Contents

Forbes estimates his net worth to be $2.2 billion as of April 2025. [2]

Education

Gracias attended Georgetown University where he pursued a joint degree program in the Walsh School of Foreign Service, graduating with a BSFS and MSFS with a concentration in international economics in 1993. [1] [2] [3] He also studied abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, later returning to that city for a fellowship with Nikko Securities. He later attended the University of Chicago Law School, graduating with a JD in 1998. [3] [2] [4]

As of 2025, Gracias is a member of the board of advisors for the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, as well as the University of Chicago board of trustees. [5] [4]

Investing career

While in law school, Gracias founded MG Capital, a private equity firm whose core team formed the basis for the founding of Valor Equity Partners in 1995. In addition to Tesla and SpaceX, Valor's portfolio companies include Anduril Industries, Neuralink, Reddit, Eight Sleep, and Zipline (drone delivery company). [6]

Valor often invests in companies led or funded by Elon Musk. [7]

Lykos Therapeutics acquisition

In May 2025, Gracias and British hedge fund billionaire Christopher Hohn led a $50 million Series B funding round to take control of Lykos Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company developing MDMA-assisted psychotherapy treatments. [8] The acquisition followed the Food and Drug Administration's rejection of Lykos's application for MDMA therapy approval earlier in 2025. [8]

Gracias had previously donated $1 million to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in 2020 and $16 million to psychedelics research at Harvard University in 2023. [8] According to MAPS founder Rick Doblin, Gracias's involvement with Lykos began after a conversation at Burning Man festival where Gracias advised on the company's future following the FDA rejection. [8]

Department of Government Efficiency

In the second presidency of Donald Trump, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been led by Elon Musk since its establishment by executive order on Inauguration Day. Following earlier part time involvement with DOGE, in March 2025, Gracias took on a role at the Social Security Administration to focus on DOGE cost-cutting efforts in the Social Security program. [1]

During his tenure at DOGE, Gracias led a taskforce that involved accessing immigration data at the Department of Homeland Security and appeared alongside Musk making claims about immigrants and public benefits. [8] He also promoted conspiracy theories about Democrats attempting to "import voters" during media appearances. [8]

Gracias's work at DOGE while simultaneously managing Valor Equity Partners drew criticism from labor organizations, including the AFL-CIO, which questioned potential conflicts of interest given that Valor manages retirement plans for public employees. [8] Flight records showed Valor's private jet made 23 trips from the Washington DC region between January and April 2025, suggesting significant time spent on government work. [8] In late July, the American Federation of Teachers sent letters to nine public pension funds asking them to review investments with Valor worth approximately $1.8 billion. [8]

Gracias announced his resignation from DOGE on July 4, 2025, though he continued working until July 2025. [8] [9] [10]

Relationship with Elon Musk

Gracias has maintained a close personal and business relationship with Elon Musk spanning more than two decades. He was an early investor in Tesla through Valor Equity Partners and served on Tesla's board from 2007 to 2021. He continues to serve on the SpaceX board and is an investor in Neuralink. [8]

The two men have taken multiple personal and family vacations together, including trips to magician David Copperfield's private island in the Bahamas, and Gracias was a groomsman at the wedding of Musk's brother Kimbal. [8] During Musk's acquisition of Twitter in 2022, Gracias served as an enforcer and proxy, communicating Musk's directives to staff. [8] Valor Equity Partners has reportedly been in talks with lenders to raise $12 billion for Musk's xAI artificial intelligence company. [8]

Political donations

Gracias contributed $1 million to Musk's America PAC effort to re-elect Trump in 2024. [8] During the first half of 2025, Gracias donated $1 million to MAGA Inc., a super PAC that supports Donald Trump. [11]

Philanthropy and psychedelics advocacy

Gracias has been a significant donor to psychedelics research and advocacy organizations. In 2020, he donated $1 million to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), and in 2023 contributed $16 million to psychedelics research at Harvard University. [8] He is part of a broader movement among Silicon Valley investors interested in the therapeutic and commercial potential of psychedelic drugs. [8]

Controversies

Ethics experts have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest stemming from Gracias's simultaneous roles in government and private business. His acquisition of Lykos Therapeutics while serving in DOGE, which has embedded staff in the FDA, has drawn scrutiny from government watchdog groups. [8] The Project on Government Oversight and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington have questioned whether former DOGE members should be seeking regulatory approval for companies they control. [8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Schleifer, Theodore; Conger, Kate; Mac, Ryan (March 14, 2025). "A Close Elon Musk Friend Joins His Effort on Social Security". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Antonio Gracias". Forbes. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Antonio Gracias". Valor. September 23, 2022. Archived from the original on May 1, 2025. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "University Trustees | Board of Trustees". trustees.uchicago.edu. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Board of Advisors". SFS - School of Foreign Service - Georgetown University. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Growth Investments". Valor. Archived from the original on April 14, 2025. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  7. ↑ Pulliam, Susan; Driebusch, Corrie; Peterson, Becky. "A Side Hustle for Friends of Musk: Selling Access to Stakes in His Private Companies". wsj.com. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Robins-Early, Nick (August 28, 2025). "How Elon Musk's billionaire Doge lieutenant took over the US's biggest MDMA company". The Guardian. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  9. ↑ Morgenson, Gretchen. "High-ranking DOGE official and Elon Musk ally, Antonio Gracias, has left government". nbcnews.com. NBC News. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  10. ↑ Latchem, Tom. "Musk's Billionaire Buddy Is the Latest Staffer to Depart DOGE". thedailybeast.com. The Daily Beast. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  11. ↑ Kamisar, Ben; Bowman, Bridget (July 31, 2025). "Trump's super PAC raises a massive $177 million, bolstering his political influence". NBC News . Archived from the original on August 3, 2025. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
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