# Ajay Royan Co-founder and Managing General Partner of [[Mithril Capital]], launched in 2012 alongside [[Peter Thiel]] and [[Jim O'Neill]]. Royan is the operational lead of the fund while Thiel provides strategic direction and network access. ## Mithril Capital Mithril is named after the fictitious metal in *The Lord of the Rings* — a Thiel signature (see also: [[Palantir]], named after the seeing stones in Tolkien). The fund focuses on growth-stage technology companies, positioning it between [[Founders Fund]] (early stage) and Thiel's personal investments (public markets). ## Network Position Royan is a second-tier node in [[the Thiel network]] — not as publicly visible as [[David Sacks]] or [[JD Vance]], but managing a significant pool of Thiel-affiliated capital. [[JD Vance]] worked at Mithril before launching his political career, making Royan part of the direct pipeline from Thiel's investment world to the Vice Presidency. ## See Also - [[Peter Thiel]] - [[Mithril Capital]] - [[Jim O'Neill]] - [[JD Vance]]