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Who is Antonio Gracias, Indian-origin Musk loyalist, set to be a billionaire after the SpaceX IPO?

Antonio Gracias, the founder of Valor Equity Partners, who has spent more than two decades backing Elon Musk's ventures, is now set to make $68 billion (around Rs 6,468.16 crore) after the SpaceX IPO, according to reports. The 55-year-old has roots in India through his father, who immigrated to the US from Goa and later became a neurosurgeon in Detroit

Antonio Gracias, the 55-year-old is the founder of Valour Equity Partners has backed Musk's venture for over two decades: Image courtesy: X

FP Explainers|Jun 12, 2026, 16:24:22 IST

SpaceX is preparing for one of the most closely watched stock market debuts in years. One of its biggest beneficiaries is Elon Musk's all-weather friend, investor and confidant, Antonio Gracias. The 55-year-old founder of Valour Equity Partners has backed Musk's venture for over two decades, investing when many were reluctant to take risks.

Who is Antonio Gracias?

Gracias' roots are in India through his father. He immigrated to the US from Goa and subsequently became a neurosurgeon in Detroit. Gracias' mother is a Spanish pharmacist who ran a pharmacy.

He was raised in the US and established his career in finance, law and investing. Gracias has become one of the biggest names in private equity.

He pursued international economics at Georgetown University in the early 1990s. Gracias also attended the University of Chicago for law school. He also studied at Waseda University in Japan before working at Nikko Securities in Tokyo, Moneycontrol reported.

After graduation, Gracias spent two years working at Goldman Sachs before enrolling at the University of Chicago to study law. Over time, he built Valour Equity Partners into a major investment firm with stakes across the technology sector.

According to estimates reported by The New York Times, Valour and affiliated entities hold an estimated $65 billion (around Rs 6.19 lakh crore) stake in SpaceX, based on the company’s projected IPO valuation of about $1.77 trillion. The firm is said to be SpaceX’s second-largest publicly disclosed shareholder after Musk.

In the early 2000s, Musk and Gracias' relationship started through connections linked to PayPal. Over time, their professional relationship gradually developed into a close personal friendship.

"Antonio's ownership stems from absolute support, even when it looked like SpaceX would fail, and many investments over 2 decades. One could not ask for a better friend," Musk underscored in a post on X.

The friendship became especially significant during the 2008 financial crisis, a period when both SpaceX and Tesla were under intense financial strain.

Musk has previously noted that Gracias personally provided him with a short-term $1 million (around Rs 9.52 crores) loan to help navigate a difficult phase, according to reports.

When asked during a deposition whether his partnership with Musk had generated “dynastic or generational wealth,” Gracias responded directly and unambiguously. "We have amassed a great deal of wealth, yes," he said.