Fundraising Fox

Drew Houston

Unicorn founder

Co-founder & CEO at Dropbox

San Francisco, CA

Writes $100K – $1M checks · typically $25K

FoundedDropbox$12B · YC

30 Under 30 2022 · Hall of Fame30 Under 30 2013 · Consumer Technology30 Under 30 2012 · Consumer Technology

About

Drew Houston co-founded Dropbox in 2007 after forgetting a USB stick on a bus, took it through Y Combinator, and led it to a 2018 IPO and hundreds of millions of users. He famously turned down a nine-figure acquisition approach from Steve Jobs, who called Dropbox a feature rather than a product. He remains CEO and invests through Dropbox Ventures.

Invests in

AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsFuture of Work

Beyond investing

Founded
Co-founded Dropbox in 2007.
Boards
Serves on the Dropbox board of directors.

Mentioned above: the Dropbox mafia →

From Drew's own website — common ground for a warm intro.

Co-founder & CEO at DropboxYC S07

Intro paths

YC

Drew went through Y Combinator (Summer 2007) — any YC alum in your network can reach them through the YC community.

→

In turn, Drew can intro founders to Dropbox's investors below.

Dropbox's investors · 13

AccelPalo Alto · $1.6M – $70M checks · since 2014Altos VenturesBurlingame · $1M – $3M checks · since 2014BenchmarkSan Francisco · $100K – $30M checks · since 2014BlackRockNew York · since 2014Felicis VenturesSan Francisco · $500K – $15M checks · since 2014Garage CapitalWaterloo · since 2014Greylock PartnersSan Francisco · $100K – $200M checks · since 2014Index VenturesSan Francisco · $540K – $10.8M checks · since 2014RBC Capitalsince 2014RIT Capital PartnersLondon · since 2014SAV (Scale Asia Ventures)Palo Alto · since 2014Sequoia CapitalMenlo Park · $4.4M – $214M checks · since 2014Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K checks · since 2007

Co-founders at Dropbox

AFArash Ferdowsi
Arash FerdowsiCo-founder & CTO

Experience

  1. DropboxFounder & CEOcurrent2007 — presentSan Francisco, CA
  2. MetaBoard of Directorscurrent2020 — presentMenlo Park, California, United States
  3. AccoladeFounder2004 — 2007
  4. Bit9, Inc.Software Engineer2006 — 2007

Skills & more

Python8SaaS20Enterprise Software5Entrepreneurship41Start-ups66Product Management15Scalability5Mobile Applications20Venture Capital13Mobile Devices10Cloud Computing8Guitar5
+9 moreProduct DevelopmentOnline AdvertisingDropboxE-commerceMonetizationStrategic PartnershipsUser ExperienceAnalyticsWeb Development

From Drew's professional profile.

Podcasts & interviews

featuring Drew Houston

On starting and scaling Dropbox (YC W07)

Y Combinator

Network19

Balaji SrinivasanScout
Angel investor and founder of The Network School
Arash FerdowsiScout
Co-founder of Dropbox
Tobias LütkeScout
Co-founder & CEO of Shopify
Amjad MasadScout
Co-founder & CEO of Replit
Andrew NgScout
Managing General Partner at AI Fund
Anu DuggalScout
Founding Partner at Female Founders
Bradley KeywellScout
Investor at Lightbank
Brandon BeckScout
Principal at Kickstart Fund
Cameron McLainScout
Building things that endure, and living fully along the way.
Carter ReumScout
Co-Founder and Partner at M13
Chun XiaScout
Founding Partner at TSVC
Claire Hughes JohnsonScout
Corporate Officer, Stripe at Operator Collective
▶7 more connections

Dan Scholnick · scoutDavid Waxman · scoutDJ Patil · scoutEric Demuth · scoutKyle Vogt · scoutBill LeeKevin Hartz

Investors connected to Drew in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Drew Houston?
Drew Houston co-founded Dropbox in 2007 after forgetting a USB stick on a bus, took it through Y Combinator, and led it to a 2018 IPO and hundreds of millions of users. He famously turned down a nine-figure acquisition approach from Steve Jobs, who called Dropbox a feature rather than a product. He remains CEO and invests through Dropbox Ventures.
Where does Drew Houston work?
Drew Houston is Co-founder & CEO of Dropbox.
What does Drew Houston invest in?
Drew Houston invests in AI & Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Data & Infrastructure, Developer Tools, Future of Work.
What check size does Drew Houston write?
Drew Houston typically writes checks of $100K – $1M.
What companies did Drew Houston found?
Drew Houston founded Dropbox.
Where did Drew Houston go to school?
Drew Houston studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, Computer Science).
What podcasts and interviews feature Drew Houston?
Tracked appearances include "On starting and scaling Dropbox (YC W07)".

Paths to reach Drew

People who overlapped with Drew at the same organization — a shared school or employer with one of them is a warm way in.

Together at DropboxDrew: Co-founder & CEO

Arash Ferdowsi2007–2026Co-founder of DropboxMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyDanny Rimer2011–2015Partner at Index VenturesHarvard University · International School of GenevaQuentin Clark2017–2019Investment Team at General CatalystUniversity of Massachusetts AmherstAna Andreescu2013–2017Investor at Index VenturesGeorgetown UniversityMark Goldberg2013–2015Investor at Index VenturesBrown University · Choate Rosemary HallRachel Hansen2014–2020Investor at Index Ventures

Founder mafias

Y Combinator mafia8,773

Also came through, then founded or led a company.

Sam AltmanPresidentFounded Tools for Humanity +3Jessica LivingstonCo-founderFounded Y CombinatorAlexis OhanianYC Summer 2005Founded RedditFred EhrsamYC Summer 2012Founded Nudge +1Matt HuangYC Winter 2011Founded HotspotsTrae StephensYC Winter 2022Founded Pursuit +1

+ 8,766 more

Massachusetts Institute of Technology mafia546

Also came through, then founded or led a company.

Elad GilPhDFounded Brain Co.Nat FriedmanBachelor of ScienceFounded XamarinMatt HuangB.S.Founded HotspotsDelian AsparouhovDropoutFounded Nightingale +1Arash FerdowsiComputer ScienceFounded DropboxJoe GebbiaProduct DevelopmentFounded Airbnb

+ 539 more

Dropbox mafia59

Also came through, then founded or led a company.

Kanjun QiuProduct ManagerFounded Kanjun +2Gautam JayaramanEngineerFounded Onsite Pro +2Ivan KiriginProduct ManagerFounded YesGraph +1Sam OdioSenior Director of Product ManagementFounded Divvyshot +1Sheridan ClayborneMachine Learning Product ManagerFounded Lendtable +1Anton KrutianskySoftware EngineerFounded AtlasGrid +1

+ 52 more

Accolade mafia2

Also came through, then founded or led a company.

Galen SimmonsCEO & FounderFounded Direct Match

Same school

Also attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology1,387

Fred WilsonCo-founder & Partner at Union Square VenturesElad GilSolo general partner investing through Gil CapitalAileen LeeFounder & Managing Partner of Cowboy VenturesHemant TanejaCEO & Managing Director of General CatalystNat FriedmanCo-lead of Meta Superintelligence Labs; co-founder of NFDGBrad FeldCo-founder of Foundry and Techstars

+ 1,381 more

Shared employers

Also worked at Dropbox137

Danny RimerPartner at Index VenturesArash FerdowsiCo-founder of DropboxQuentin ClarkInvestment Team at General CatalystAna AndreescuInvestor at Index VenturesMark GoldbergInvestor at Index VenturesRachel HansenInvestor at Index Ventures

+ 131 more

Also worked at Meta304

Nat FriedmanCo-lead of Meta Superintelligence Labs; co-founder of NFDGDaniel GrossMeta Superintelligence Labs; co-founder of NFDG and Safe SuperintelligenceGabriel PereyraCo-founder & President of HarveyTinaInvestments & Portfolio Services Team Member at Clear VenturesMike ArpaiaComputer scientist working on machine learning and data infrastructureKevin ColleranManaging Director at Slow Ventures

+ 298 more

Also worked at Bit9, Inc.12

Maria CirinoInvestor at .406 VenturesJeff HinckManaging Director at Rally Ventures Management, LlcBill MurphyVenture Partner at LegalTechKen ElefantPartner at Sorenson VenturesNaveed IhsanullahTechnical Partner at Eterna CapitalKen LovelessPartner, Co-Founder at Founders Circle Capital

+ 6 more