Tim Draper
Billionaire venture capitalist and founder of Draper Associates.
- Industry
- Venture capital, cryptocurrency
- Country
- United States
- Format
- Video interview
- Interviewer
- Richard C. Wilson
- Source
- Forbes profile
Watch the Interview
Exclusive video interview: Tim Draper with Richard C. Wilson
About Tim Draper
Tim Draper is a billionaire venture capitalist. He founded Draper Associates and DFJ. He also founded Draper Venture Network. He has his own show, Meet the Drapers. He has backed more than 15 unicorns at the seed stage. Tesla and SpaceX are two of them. Box and Carta are on the list as well. He has invested in over 50 crypto companies, including Coinbase. His strategies helped Hotmail and Skype go viral. Worth Magazine has called him one of the top 100 Most Powerful People in Finance. He started with money borrowed from the government through the SBIC program. Five IPOs, including Parametric Technology, let him pay back the government and build his business. He was the first Silicon Valley venture capitalist to go to China. He was also the first to invest in something in Eastern Europe. He funded Baidu and Skype. He is a strong supporter of entrepreneurs around the world.
What They Shared in the Interview
In Their Words
“I realized that if you can do something to delight your customers and somehow get them to spread the word, then your customers can be your sales force.”
“The way you make money is you invest it in human endeavor, and you invest it with people who are dedicated to what they do, and this is all they want to do with themselves.”
“Think to give first, and that ends up being really powerful.”
“All the decisions I’ve made based on fear have been huge mistakes, and all the decisions that I’ve made based on risk or possible opportunity or, “What if it works?” I haven’t regretted any of those.”
“Go ahead, use your fear to figure out what could go wrong, but then always invest for what if it works?”
FAQs
What companies did Tim Draper help fund?
He helped fund Tesla and SpaceX. Box and Carta are on the list too. He also backed Coinbase and Baidu. Skype and Hotmail were his bets as well.
What does Tim Draper call the most powerful thing in business?
He says it is always thinking of how to delight your customer and making your customer into a sales force.
Which spirit animals did Tim Draper pick?
He named the rhino, the hummingbird and the dolphin. He says the rhino suits an entrepreneur because you charge forward even when you cannot see what is going to happen next.
