Who Benefited from the SpaceX IPO? From an 83-Year-Old Fund Manager to a 27-Year-Old Employee

Following the successful initial public offering (IPO) of aerospace company SpaceX, attention is turning to the various beneficiaries beyond CEO Elon Musk, who has become a "trillionaire."

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on June 14 (local time) on those who invested early in SpaceX's success and reaped significant profits, ranging from executives and investors to employees and universities.

Among the investors, 83-year-old mutual fund manager Ron Baron stands out.

A vocal supporter of Musk, Baron began investing in 2017 when SpaceX's corporate value was just $22 billion.

It is also well-known that in 2022, when Musk was struggling to secure funds for his acquisition of X (formerly Twitter), Baron readily lent him a total of $100 million, including $35 million of his own personal funds.

As of last month, SpaceX accounted for 30% of the funds managed by Baron, while Tesla, another of Musk's companies, made up 19%.

Gavin Baker, a famous investor known for recognizing the true value of Nvidia, participated in a SpaceX venture funding round in 2015 while working at Fidelity Investments and later established his own investment firm to purchase additional shares.

Daruma Capital Partners has also been investing in SpaceX since 2019 and reportedly has not sold a single share.

The WSJ estimated that the hedge fund's investment returns could exceed $10 billion.

Success stories among SpaceX employees have also garnered attention.

Gwynne Shotwell, who has worked at the company for over 20 years, stood at the Nasdaq opening bell ceremony as a major shareholder and president of SpaceX.

Andre Lavoie (63), a former engineer, began receiving SpaceX shares when they were worth less than $2 each and has held onto them ever since.

Due to stock splits, the number of shares he holds has increased, and following the IPO, the value of his holdings has surpassed $28 million.

He expressed his intention to use the money for a project to change the heating system in the Italian village where he lives, stating, "I don't want to die with money sitting in the bank."

Maryellen Musselman (27), who joined SpaceX in 2022 and has worked as a marine engineer, consistently used 10% of her salary to purchase company stock over the past two years.

While she did not disclose the size of her holdings, she shared her dream of leading a ship repair business in the future.

In addition, Antonio Gracias, a board member and venture capitalist who has invested in several of Musk's companies, as well as his firm Valor Equity Partners, are reported to have reaped massive profits.

Founders Fund, the venture capital firm founded by Peter Thiel, who co-founded PayPal with Musk, was one of the first investors in SpaceX, and Silicon Valley venture capitalist Andreessen Horowitz holds $10 billion worth of SpaceX shares.

Among universities, the University of North Carolina secured a stake in SpaceX through an early investment in Founders Fund, and the University of Washington also invested in SpaceX in 2018.

However, it is reported that these universities sold some of their stakes prior to the IPO.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.