Inside political VC firm Rockbridge and how its kept GOP and tech united
This week, Silicon Valley heavyweights mingled with top Trump administration officials at a conference at the Ritz-Carlton in Miami.The event was hosted by the Rockbridge Network, a secretive yet increasingly powerful organization at the center of business, technology, and Republican politics.Those in attendance included venture capitalists Chamath Palihapitiya and Keith Rabois, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.
Kennedy Jr., Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and real estate developer-turned-United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.The Rockbridge Network was founded in 2019 by now-Vice President J.D.Vance and financier Chris Buskirk, with the aim of building a new “political infrastructure” to replace what its founders saw as a failed system.According to Rockbridge materials, the goal was to create a dynamic, tech-oriented, right-of-center alliance that could drive the party’s future and “replace the current Republican ecosystem of think tanks, media organizations and activist groups that have contributed to the party’s decline.”And with the rise of Vance and the new right — a younger, tech-savvy, and pragmatic wing of the GOP — Rockbridge and its conferences have reached a whole new level of influence.“The whole purpose is to bring donors, venture capitalists, private equity folks, and CEOs together with high-level officials making the big decisions for the country,” a Rockbridge insider told me, Rockbridge has a selective group of well under 200 members.
Membership is invite-only and costs $100,000 per year, with the money primarily going to political causes.The twice a year conferences have become an opportunity to see friends, fundraise for tech companies and make investments and political donations — all in one stopLike any conference, there are panels with named speakers.
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