I'm not sure he actually is all that good at picking such things given his history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thiel#Clarium_Capital
> 57.1% return … 7.8% loss … 40.3% return
> …By 2011, after missing out on the economic rebound, many key investors pulled out, reducing the value of Clarium's assets to $350 million, two thirds of which was Thiel's money.
Sounds like it was overall somewhat profitable?