Tim Draper

Tim Draper is a venture capitalist based in Silicon Valley, recognized as the founder of Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), Draper Associates, and Draper Venture Network, a global network of venture capital funds. Draper is also the founder of Draper University and Draper Venture Network. He is the third generation in a family of venture capitalists, continuing a legacy of early-stage investing that has influenced the technology sector. Draper earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He also holds honorary doctorates from The International University and Trinity College Dublin.

Draper Associates was established with $6 million borrowed from the U.S. Small Business Administration's SBIC program, investing in private companies, five of which later went public. John Fisher joined in 1991, leading to the formation of Draper Fisher Associates, and Steve Jurvetson joined in 1994, resulting in the creation of Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ). DFJ became known for investments in companies such as Baidu, Tesla, Skype, SpaceX, Twitch, Hotmail, Focus Media, Robinhood, Athenahealth, Oklo, Coinbase, Cruise, Carta, and PTC, among others, with more than 50 companies funded from the seed stage. Draper is credited with developing the concept of viral marketing, a method that spreads electronic services exponentially from customer to customer, which contributed to the growth of Hotmail, Skype, and other technology applications. This approach influenced the evolution of social media, crowdsourcing, and growth hacking.

Draper has been a prominent advocate for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, purchasing nearly 30,000 bitcoins at a public auction held by the U.S. Marshals Service. He is recognized as a spokesperson for Bitcoin, blockchain, ICOs, and cryptocurrencies, and his early support for digital assets, including a widely discussed prediction about Bitcoin's value, contributed to the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrency. Draper founded Draper University of Heroes, a global accelerator in San Mateo, California, which has trained more than 6,000 founders from over 100 countries who have launched more than 2,000 companies.

Draper serves as a judge on the television show "Meet the Drapers," where he has identified successful startups such as Boxabl, and he is the author of "How to Be the Startup Hero." The show has featured winners including Balloon and It's Skinny. DraperTV, his television channel, offers programming focused on business and entrepreneurship, available on streaming platforms such as Roku. DraperTV features shows including "Draper Decentralized," the "Can't Be Done" podcast, and "Talk with Tim." The channel reaches a global audience, with content filmed in regions such as Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Denmark, Taiwan, and Silicon Valley, often aligning with Draper's international speaking engagements.

Draper is frequently featured on major networks as an advocate for entrepreneurship, innovative governance, free markets, and Bitcoin. He has received honors such as the World Entrepreneurship Forum Entrepreneur of the World Award and has been ranked on lists including Worth Magazine's top 100 most powerful people in finance, Crypto Weekly's top 20 most influential people in crypto, AlwaysOn's most networked venture capitalist, Forbes Midas List, and among the most influential Harvard alumni. Draper also launched the Draper Innovation Index, which tracks innovation and entrepreneurship trends globally and in the United States. He is known for his insights on decentralized finance, disruptive technology, and fostering entrepreneurship.