Tim Draper

One of the biggest red flags for me when I am pitched is when the entrepreneur talks about how he (or we) are going to make money. Or they talk about exits. Or they talk about how a competitor is w...

I've backed some incredible founders over the years. But watching my son Adam Draper raise $87,654,321 for Boost VC's fourth fund? That hits different. VC is our family trade. It's what we do. ...

Throwback to 1985. I borrowed $6M from the US Small Business Administration’s SBIC program to invest in private technology companies. Five of those companies went public, including PTC - the most...

In 1985 I rode down Sand Hill Road on an elephant to open DFJ's first office. 40 years later, no elephant, but we just opened our first New York Draper office. Since 1985, we have: - Invested in ...

How to think about the founder who won’t take “No.” for an answer. Regulatory barrier? They find a workaround. Technical limitation? They build around it. Market rejection? They pivot the approa...

When we write a check, we're usually the first people to believe in a founder. (After their mother, of course.) And that belief had value beyond the money. Having "Draper" next to your name opens...

If you're solving massive problems for humanity and making people feel uncomfortable along the way... We should probably talk. I want to fund the wild, weird, and unconventional. As my son puts ...

Call to action! America's college students, if you have a business plan, or an innovative idea, please apply to America's Startup competition https://lnkd.in/ev5xtASp America's Startup is part of...

The $9 million cab ride that became worth $20 billion. Picture this: I was in a taxi in Beijing, negotiating to invest in the first search engine for China, but the valuation seemed too high, and ...

I just had a debate with Karl Marx's AI twin. It got heated. He thinks capitalism is exploitation. I think it's liberation. I said, “What were you thinking? Your Socialist ideas have subjected m...

One of the biggest red flags for me when I am pitched is when the entrepreneur talks about how he (or we) are going to make money. Or they talk about exits. Or they talk about how a competitor is w...

Throwback to 1985. I borrowed $6M from the US Small Business Administration’s SBIC program to invest in private technology companies. Five of those companies went public, including PTC - the most...

I've backed some incredible founders over the years. But watching my son Adam Draper raise $87,654,321 for Boost VC's fourth fund? That hits different. VC is our family trade. It's what we do. ...

How to think about the founder who won’t take “No.” for an answer. Regulatory barrier? They find a workaround. Technical limitation? They build around it. Market rejection? They pivot the approa...

In 1985 I rode down Sand Hill Road on an elephant to open DFJ's first office. 40 years later, no elephant, but we just opened our first New York Draper office. Since 1985, we have: - Invested in ...

I just had a debate with Karl Marx's AI twin. It got heated. He thinks capitalism is exploitation. I think it's liberation. I said, “What were you thinking? Your Socialist ideas have subjected m...

A founder’s voice tells me a lot. Most investors generate a gut feeling when they watch an investor pitch. By the end of the meeting (sometimes within the first 5 minutes), I can “feel” it or I c...

If you're solving massive problems for humanity and making people feel uncomfortable along the way... We should probably talk. I want to fund the wild, weird, and unconventional. As my son puts ...

See below companies that left CA. Each billionaire represents about 25,000 jobs. How many more jobs does California want to lose? And they wonder why there is a homeless problem here. #deregulate...

Here's the thing about fundraising that nobody talks about: Many VCs won't even look at your deck unless someone they trust sends it to them. At Draper, any founder can pitch us directly through ...