Tim Draper

Draper Fisher Jurvetson

Managing Director

Press quality photos

Biography

Timothy C. Draper is the Founder and a Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson.  His original suggestion to use "viral marketing" in web-based e-mail to geometrically spread an Internet product to its market was instrumental to the successes of Hotmail and YahooMail, and has been adopted as a standard marketing technique by hundreds of businesses.  On behalf of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Tim serves on the boards of Glam, Kyte.tv,  Meebo, ShareThis, SocialText, Wigix and DFJ Plug 'N Play companies.  Previous successes include: Skype (EBAY), Overture.com (YHOO), Baidu (BIDU), Parametric Technology (PMTC), Hotmail (MSFT), PLX Technologies (PLXT), Preview Travel (TVLY), Digidesign (AVID), and others. 

Tim launched the DFJ Global Network, an international network of early-stage venture capital funds with offices in over 30 cities around the globe. He founded or co-founded DFJ ePlanet (global), Draper Fisher Jurvetson Gotham (NYC), Zone Ventures (LA), Epic Ventures (Salt Lake City),  Draper Atlantic (Reston), Draper Triangle (Pittsburg), Timberline Ventures (Portland), Polaris Fund (Anchorage), DFJ Frontier (Sacramento and Santa Barbara), DFJ Vina Capital (Vietnam), and DFJ DragonFund (Shanghai).

As an advocate for entrepreneurs and free markets, Tim is regularly featured as a keynote speaker in entrepreneurial conferences throughout the world, has been recognized as a leader in his field through numerous awards and honors, and has frequent TV, radio, and headline appearances.  He was #52 on the list of the 100 most influential Harvard Alumni, and #7 on the Forbes Midas List. He was named Always-On #1 top venture capital deal maker for 2008.  He was awarded the Commonwealth Club’s Distinguished Citizen Award for achievements in green and sustainable energy. His blog is featured at www.theriskmaster.com.

Tim is the course creator and Chairman of BizWorld, a 501c3 organization built around simulated teaching of entrepreneurship and business to children. He also serves on the Harvard Business School Board of Dean’s Advisors.

Previously, Tim served on the California State Board of Education.  In November of 2000, Tim launched a statewide cyber-initiative on school choice for the California General Election.  He was a member of Singapore's International Economic Council and Ukraine's Orange Circle.  He was on the Board of U.C. Berkeley's Haas School of Business.  He has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

 

Press Quotes:

"My hope is that aliens get a hold of my DNA so my clones can spread entrepreneurship to galaxies throughout the universe." - Tim Draper on sending his DNA to orbit along with celebrated game designer Richard Garriott, who is traveling to the International Space Station on Oct. 12, 2008 

"Long known for his antics, Tim Draper proved in 2005 that he's just as adept at exits - with Baidu and Skype. He has now joined his famous father, Bill Draper, in the League of Extraordinary VCs."
- Venture Capital Journal

"In a town filled with risk-takers, Silicon Valley venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson is one of the biggest gamblers of all... Tim Draper looks for 'people who talk about changing the world, not building a business. When you ask them where it will be in ten years, they have an answer.'"
- Forbes

"Tim Draper loves the thrill of the risk and the gamble that strikes gold. But he also enjoys the other side of venture capitalism -- doing whatever it takes to help a company he's invested in succeed... Early in his career, Draper sniffed out an interesting East Coast 'opportunity' -- a lone software developer working on a computer-aided-design and engineering program. Ten years later, Parametric Technology Corporation is a publicly traded company worth more than $5 billion -- and Draper has netted over 500 times his initial investment."
- San Francisco Focus

Mind the Curve: Tim Draper explains high-tech's return from hibernation with his iS curve (a.k.a. "The Draper Curve") - rapid boom-busts like the dot.com gold rush are followed by slower, more sustainable recoveries, which eventually surpass the revenue and revolution of the boom itself.
- Red Herring

"Tim Draper is one of the hottest guns in venture capital. His deals are smart, cutting-edge and provide handsome returns for his partners."
- Financial World

"Tim Draper said his firm looks for the following before financing companies: A developer with a great team of talent (suggests the developer is onto something); A quantum leap in technology and the ability to demonstrate it; An exploding market target; And large gross margins. 'You've got to be able to make a few mistakes on how you invest your gross profits,' Draper said. If that line is too thin, we know you are going to suck up a lot of capital.'" - CES speech, as reported in New Media Week

"Tim Draper: More money for technology companies brings out more entrepreneurs. But I think it's more than that. I believe it is the return of the can-do American. The entrepreneurial spirit is catching! Whether this happy virus comes from wealth creation, innovation, or one-upmanship, I hope there is no cure." - Upside

"Tim Draper: We look very hard at two things: the individual entrepreneurs and the company's markets. Entrepreneurs are by definition heroes. They must have an intense dedication to what they are doing - one that will overcome all odds. We also look for the 'change the world' factor. We see 20 plans a day, so eventually we run into some serious innovations. We're seeking companies offering significant improvements over existing technology that could, if there is a large enough market, change the world. We're also investing in a team of people. Management has to be committed to getting the best people possible for the jobs - people who can do those jobs better than the founder. And the founders must be willing to give those people enough of the company to make it work." - The Culpepper Letter

"Each of these 'best and brightest'... VCs responded to the challenge by finding mentors. Tim Draper only had to look as far as his father and grandfather, who pioneered the business of venture capital in Silicon Valley." - The Herring Guide to Technology Finance