Long before SpaceX was valued in the trillions and before Elon Musk became the world's richest person, one of his closest friends and earliest backers was spending nights on Tesla's factory floor helping solve production problems.
That friend was Antonio Gracias, the founder and CEO of Chicago-based growth equity firm Valor Equity Partners. Known for his hands-on approach to investing, Gracias became one of Musk's most trusted allies over two decades, backing his companies during periods when many investors stayed away. Now, as SpaceX prepares for its hotly anticipated stock market debut, Musk might finally have found a way to say "gracias" to Gracias, as his loyalty could be rewarded with one of the largest-ever returns from a private investment.
