Antonio Gracias turned a nearly $100 billion win from SpaceX into a new search for investments. He is now looking at AI, energy, and space startups.
Gracias, founder of Valor Equity Partners, has been a SpaceX board member for years. His firm invested $5.8 billion in the rocket company over several years, some of which may have also gone into Musk's X and xAI.
On June 15, 2026, SpaceX went public in a record IPO. The profit - nearly $100 billion - came from bets in Musk's company.
Gracias's relationship with Musk extends back decades. He previously served on Tesla's board and played a key role during Musk's chaotic 2022 takeover of Twitter. More recently, Valor partner Jon Shulkin temporarily became chief revenue officer at xAI to boost sales. This close collaboration has given Valor an inside track on Musk's expanding empire.
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Gracias's deep involvement with Musk's ventures has provided him unique insight into the convergence of space, AI, and energy. His track record of backing transformative technologies positions him well to identify the next wave of startups in these sectors. By focusing on ex-SpaceX employees and companies that complement the rocket company's ecosystem, Valor aims to replicate its success.
During a June 2026 investor call, Gracias revealed to his fund's supporters that he is seeking additional opportunities in AI, energy, and space sectors. He plans to back multiple new ventures started by ex-SpaceX employees. Additionally, he aims to pour capital into companies operating within the space ecosystem that can synergize with and advance Musk and SpaceX's long-term goals.
"We are looking for these parallel businesses that we will continue to scale," Gracias said. The firm also facilitated SpaceX's acquisition of Nvidia Corp. chips by securing up to $20 billion in funding for AI infrastructure.
Gracias informed investors that he prefers not to cash out SpaceX holdings for distributions. He plans to keep his own shares in SpaceX "as long as I can," he said, adding that he believes in the business and wants to be part of it for the future, for his children and grandchildren.
Gracias believes that space and AI have become more capital-intensive. That shift favors hands-on firms like Valor. "SpaceX is quintessentially a Valor company, it's aligned with our mission to make the world better," Gracias said on the call.
Elon Musk praised Gracias in a social media post on June 6, 2026. "Antonio's ownership stems from absolute support, even when it looked like SpaceX would fail, and many investments over 2 decades," Musk wrote.
Gracias is now putting that mission to work in new sectors.
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