Who was the first major angel investor in Facebook in 2004?

Peter Thiel was Facebook’s first major angel investor in 2004.

Thiel, a PayPal co-founder and technology investor, met Mark Zuckerberg after Sean Parker helped connect the young company with potential backers. In the summer of 2004, Thiel invested roughly $500,000 in the then-small social network, which was still closely associated with its original name, Thefacebook.

The investment gave Thiel about a 10.2% stake and a seat on Facebook’s board. It was an important turning point because the company had begun as a student-focused service but needed money and business guidance to expand beyond its early university base. Thiel’s funding helped provide both runway and credibility for later investment rounds.

A common mix-up is naming Accel Partners, which became one of Facebook’s best-known early venture investors but invested later, in 2005. Sean Parker was an early executive and influential adviser, not the major angel investor identified in this question. Marc Andreessen joined Facebook’s board years later and was not its first major 2004 backer.