# Palmer Luckey Inner Circle The **tight, trusted core** around [[Palmer Luckey]] — the [[Anduril]] co-founders, the Thiel-orbit patrons, and the [[Erebor]] partners. This is the small inner ring; the fuller directly-connected map lives in [[Palmer Luckey First Degree Connections]]. > Roster, not biographies. Each name links to its own page where the deep profile lives. ## Anduril co-founders (2017) | Person | Role | |---|---| | [[Trae Stephens]] | Co-founder & chairman; [[Founders Fund]] partner — the Thiel bridge | | [[Brian Schimpf]] | Co-founder & CEO; runs the company day-to-day | | [[Matt Grimm]] | Co-founder & COO | | [[Joe Chen]] | Co-founder | ## Patrons & capital | Person | Tie | |---|---| | [[Peter Thiel]] | [[Founders Fund]] led Anduril's rounds; the founding patron | | [[Joe Lonsdale]] | [[8VC]]; co-founded [[Erebor]] with Luckey | ## Erebor partners [[Erebor]] (2025) — the digital-first bank Luckey co-founded with [[Joe Lonsdale]], backed by [[Founders Fund]], [[8VC]], Haun Ventures, and [[Lux Capital]]. Luckey is principal shareholder and board member; Schimpf-style operating control sits elsewhere. The "Palmer's political network will get this done" fundraising line drew [[Elizabeth Warren]]'s scrutiny. ## How to use this page vs. its neighbors - **This page** = the trusted core (co-founders, patrons, bank partners). - [[Palmer Luckey First Degree Connections]] = everyone directly connected, including looser political and customer ties. - [[Palantir Mafia]] / [[PayPal Mafia to Pentagon Pipeline]] = the broader network context. ## See Also - [[Palmer Luckey]] — canonical biography - [[Anduril]] · [[Erebor]] · [[Founders Fund]] - [[Palmer Luckey First Degree Connections]] - [[Palmer Luckey Dossier]]