Early Life
Timothy Cook Draper was born in East Chicago, Indiana, on June 11, 1958. He comes from a lineage of venture capitalists and government officials. His grandfather, William Henry Draper Jr., founded Draper, Gaither, and Anderson in 1958 and served as the first ambassador to NATO. Draper attended Phillips Academy Andover before graduating from Stanford University with a BS in electrical engineering in 1980. He later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1984.
Rise to Success
Draper began his career in venture capital in 1985, after leaving the investment bank Alex. Brown & Sons. He founded Draper Associates, an early-stage venture capital firm. John Fisher joined in 1991, and Steve Jurvetson became a partner in 1994, leading to the firm's name change to Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ). Draper made several high-profile investments, including early investments in Hotmail, Skype, Tesla, and SpaceX. He is also a proponent of Bitcoin and decentralization and famously purchased nearly 30,000 bitcoins at a US Marshals Service auction in 2014.
Key Business Strategies
Draper is known for his vision and ability to identify opportunities in disruptive technologies. He is a strong advocate for Bitcoin, blockchain, and cryptocurrencies, and he played a key role in popularizing the term "viral marketing" through his early support of Hotmail. Through Draper University, he has also fostered entrepreneurship by offering courses in entrepreneurship. His approach involves investing in transformative ideas, with a focus on a global perspective.
Philanthropy
Draper's philanthropic efforts include founding BizWorld, a non-profit that teaches children about business and entrepreneurship. He also served on the California State Board of Education. Melissa Parker Draper, his wife, has also focused on philanthropy, particularly in arts and education.