Peter Thiel on What You Can't Learn in College The venture capitalist and co-founder of PayPal answers questions about his initiative to back the business dreams of select teen entrepreneurs willing to put their educations on hold.
By Jennifer Wang •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In the startup universe, college can be a distraction. Just ask Peter Thiel, co-founder and former CEO of PayPal and an early investor in Facebook.
At the end of May, Thiel announced the first "20 Under 20" Thiel Fellows: Out of more than 400 applicants, he picked two dozen of the best (accepting four more than originally planned) to receive a $100,000 grant, access to a network of about a hundred high-profile mentors and two full years to begin turning their business hopes into reality.
There's just one condition: You can't be enrolled in college at the same time.