Where does Tim Draper work?

Tim Draper is Founder & Managing Partner at Draper Associates.

What check size does Tim Draper write?

Tim Draper typically writes checks of $500K – $5M.

Where did Tim Draper go to school?

Tim Draper studied at Harvard Business School (MBA, Business); Stanford University (BS, Electrical Engineering); Phillips Academy, Andover (HS, General).

Tim Draper

Investor

Founding Partner at Draper Goren Blockchain · Steward at Draper Dragon · Founder & Managing Partner at Draper Associates · Founding Partner of Draper Associates & DFJ at Pegasus Tech Ventures · Investor, VenturesLab at Good AI Capital · +2 more

San Mateo, CA

Writes $500K – $5M checks

Photo: Web Summit, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons ↗

About

Tim Draper, a third-generation venture capitalist, co-founded Draper Fisher Jurvetson and now invests through Draper Associates. He is known for early bets on Hotmail, Skype, Tesla, and Twitch, a headline-making 2014 purchase of US Marshals-auctioned bitcoin, and Draper University, his entrepreneurship school in San Mateo.

Contact· published on Tim's own website

Invests in

AI & Machine LearningBiotechCrypto & Web3Deep TechFintechHardwareMarketplacesSaaSSpace Tech

Beyond investing

Founded: Is associated with Draper University, an entrepreneurship education venture he discusses in interviews. Draper founded the venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ). Draper founded Draper University, an entrepreneurship education program launched in 2013 and based in San Mateo, California. Draper founded Draper Associates and the Draper Venture Network. Draper co-founded the crypto venture studio Draper Goren Blockchain in 2023 with partners Alon Goren and David Bleznak.
Education: Studied at Stanford University (BS, electrical engineering, 1980) Studied at Harvard Business School (MBA, 1984) Studied at Phillips Academy Andover
Communities: Has trained hundreds of venture capitalists and works to spread venture capital and entrepreneurship globally. Advocates for California political reform, appearing in the LA Times and Sacramento Bee for his reform efforts.
Hobbies: Records and performs his own song 'The Riskmaster', which appears on the blog in numerous versions and languages. Draper played several sports from a young age, including tennis, baseball and basketball.
Family: Is part of the Draper family, which shares startup advice together, and his daughter Jesse Draper hosts The Valley Girl Show. Draper is the son of venture capitalist William Henry Draper III and grandson of William Henry Draper Jr., and the brother of actress Polly Draper. Draper is married to Melissa Parker and has four children, including Jesse Draper, Adam Draper and Billy Draper, who each run their own venture funds.
More: As a Stanford student, Draper created the campus board game 'Stanford - The Game' with Heidi Roizen. In 2014 Draper bought nearly 30,000 bitcoins seized from Silk Road at a US Marshals Service auction for about $19 million.

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

Experience

Draper AssociatesFounding Partnercurrent1985 — presentMenlo Park/San Mateo
Draper UniversityHeadmastercurrent2008 — presentSan Mateo, Ca
DFJFounding Partnercurrent1985 — present

Skills & more

Strategy98Leadership99Management99Strategic Planning29Public Speaking18SaaS50Start-ups99Strategic Partnerships99Private Equity99Public Relations88Venture Capital99Product Development30

+12 more

EntrepreneurshipProduct ManagementAngel InvestingGeneral AwesomenessCorporate DevelopmentBusiness PlanningBusiness DevelopmentBusiness StrategyInvestmentsCleantechInvestment BankingMergers & Acquisitions

From Tim's professional profile.

Investments

Investor

Ancestry.comAngelList Baidu CoinbaseCruise AutomationDefiMoneyMarketDocuSign DropcameSharesFocus MediaOpenGovPrettyLitterRingRobinhood SkypeSolarCitySpaceX TeslaTezosTheranosTwitchTwitter

Per curated public sources.

Books by Tim Draper

How to Be The Startup Hero

Self-published, 2017

Podcasts & interviews

featuring Tim Draper

Tim Draper, Founder of Draper Associates + Draper University joins NYSE TV Live

New York Stock Exchange

A Fireside Chat with Tim Draper, Founder Draper Associates, at Paklaunch UNConference '24.2

Paklaunch

Tim Draper, founder of DFJ and Draper Associates on what makes a place great for entrepreneurs

Eze Vidra

Tim Draper Founder Draper Associates, DFJ & Draper Venture Network on Covid19 Crisis for Startups

FinTech Silicon Valley

A Fireside Chat with Tim Draper, Founder Draper Associates/DFJ/Draper University

Paklaunch

Alon Goren on his relationship with Tim Draper, & how it led to Draper Goren Blockchain

Ty Smith @ Coinbound

Colleagues at Draper Associates

Addie Bonifas

Chief of Staff at Draper Associates

Andy Tang

Partner at Draper Associates

Asra Nadeem

Startup Education Advisor at Draper Associates

Caden Moskowitz

General Partner at Edge Case Capital Partners

Collin West

Data Advisor at Draper Associates

Collin West

Managing Partner at Ensemble VC

James Walker

Principal at Draper Associates

Karina Armstrong

Assistant Controller at Draper Associates

Frequently asked questions

Who is Tim Draper?: Tim Draper, a third-generation venture capitalist, co-founded Draper Fisher Jurvetson and now invests through Draper Associates. He is known for early bets on Hotmail, Skype, Tesla, and Twitch, a headline-making 2014 purchase of US Marshals-auctioned bitcoin, and Draper University, his entrepreneurship school in San Mateo.
Where does Tim Draper work?: Tim Draper is Founder & Managing Partner at Draper Associates.
What does Tim Draper invest in?: Tim Draper invests in AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Crypto & Web3, Deep Tech, Fintech, Hardware, Marketplaces, SaaS, Space Tech.
What check size does Tim Draper write?: Tim Draper typically writes checks of $500K – $5M.
What companies has Tim Draper invested in?: Investments tracked here include Ancestry.com, AngelList, Baidu, Coinbase, Cruise Automation, DefiMoneyMarket, DocuSign, Dropcam, eShares, Focus Media, OpenGov, PrettyLitter, and 10 more.
Where did Tim Draper go to school?: Tim Draper studied at Harvard Business School (MBA, Business); Stanford University (BS, Electrical Engineering); Phillips Academy, Andover (HS, General).
What podcasts and interviews feature Tim Draper?: Tracked appearances include "Tim Draper, Founder of Draper Associates + Draper University joins NYSE TV Live", "A Fireside Chat with Tim Draper, Founder Draper Associates, at Paklaunch UNConference '24.2", "Tim Draper, founder of DFJ and Draper Associates on what makes a place great for entrepreneurs", and 3 more.