Antonio Gracias

Antonio Gracias is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Investment Officer of Valor Equity Partners, a private equity firm he established in 1995. With over 25 years of experience in private equity investing, Gracias has been instrumental in scaling and enhancing the value of numerous companies across various sectors. Under his leadership, Valor has managed assets exceeding $17.5 billion as of August 2024, reflecting the firm's significant impact in the investment landscape. Valor's portfolio includes high-profile companies such as Tesla, SpaceX, WEKA, Zipline, and K Health, showcasing its diverse and influential investments.

In addition to his role at Valor, Gracias has served on the boards of several prominent companies, including Tesla from 2007 to 2021, where he was the Lead Independent Director for eight years and played a pivotal role in taking the company public. He continues to serve on the board of SpaceX. Gracias is also actively involved in philanthropic activities, serving as a trustee of The Aspen Institute and holding positions on the boards of visitors for the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and the University of Chicago Law School. His contributions to entrepreneurship and business leadership have been recognized with awards such as the Immigrant & Refugee Contributions Award for Entrepreneurial & Business Leadership from Changing Worlds in 2008. In 2015, he was appointed to the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship Program, a collaboration among the White House, entrepreneurs, and various U.S. government agencies aimed at fostering global entrepreneurship.