Antonio Gracias’s Valor Equity Partners holds a 6.7% stake in SpaceX valued at $68 billion after the company’s record-breaking IPO on June 12, 2026, making him the second-largest shareholder in the rocket company after Elon Musk.
SpaceX priced its shares at $135 each on June 11, raising $75 billion in the largest IPO ever recorded. The company’s valuation reached $1.77 trillion at the IPO price. Valor’s stake, which represents over 500 million Class A shares, positions Gracias among the world’s wealthiest individuals on paper.
Gracias, 55, founded Valor Equity Partners in 1995 as a private-equity firm focused on operational growth and distressed assets. His connection to Musk dates back roughly two decades, rooted in Silicon Valley and PayPal networks. The relationship proved pivotal during a financial crisis in 2008. According to Elon Musk, Gracias provided him with a short-term $1 million loan when both SpaceX and Tesla faced severe cash shortages. That gesture of loyalty has translated into extraordinary returns.
Valor became one of Tesla’s first institutional investors in 2005, a bet that seeded Gracias’s wealth. He served on Tesla’s board from 2007 to 2021. His early backing of SpaceX—though the exact timing of his initial investment remains less public—positioned Valor as a founding shareholder in Musk’s space venture. Over the years, Gracias has sat on the boards of multiple Musk-linked companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity, and Neuralink.
The $68 billion stake marks a watershed moment. Before the IPO, estimates of Gracias’s potential windfall ranged widely. Some analyses suggested his holdings could reach $90 billion or more at higher valuations. At the IPO price, the $68 billion figure represents roughly 3.8% of his total stake value—a historic return on a $1 million loan made 18 years earlier during a crisis few believed either company would survive.
SpaceX began trading on the Nasdaq under ticker SPCX on June 12, 2026. The IPO was heavily oversubscribed, with institutional investors placing orders for at least four times the available shares. The company sold 555.6 million shares at the $135 price point, according to CNBC reporting. Musk, who retains roughly 42% of SpaceX, saw his personal stake valued at approximately $742 billion at the IPO price, making him the world’s first trillionaire.
Gracias has maintained a low public profile despite his influence within Musk’s inner circle. His stake in Valor—and by extension, his SpaceX holdings—reflects decades of conviction in operational excellence and backing entrepreneurs with transformative ambitions. The IPO validates that bet in historic fashion.
Sources
- Wall Street Journal — Reported that Valor Equity Partners will own 6.7% of SpaceX’s Class A shares valued at $68 billion, making Gracias the second-largest shareholder after Musk (June 11, 2026).
- The New York Times — Confirmed that Gracias provided Musk with a short-term $1 million loan in 2008 when SpaceX and Tesla faced cash shortages; reported IPO pricing at $135 per share and Nasdaq trading debut on June 12, 2026 (June 10-11, 2026).
- CNBC — Reported that SpaceX sold 555.6 million shares at $135 per share, raising $75 billion in the largest IPO on record (June 11, 2026).
- Valor Equity Partners official website — Confirmed that Antonio Gracias founded Valor in 1995 and serves as Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Investment Officer.
- Forbes — Reported that Valor became one of Tesla’s first institutional investors in 2005 and that Gracias served as a Tesla director from 2007 to 2021.
- Yahoo Finance — Confirmed Valor controls a 7.2% stake in SpaceX (accounting for different share classes), the second-largest after Musk.
