Defense & Dual Use

The Next National Advantage

Building Dual-Use Technologies for Defense and Commercial Innovation

The world's geopolitical landscape is evolving rapidly, and traditional defense contractors have been too slow to adapt. Startups are now filling the gaps in advanced cybersecurity, autonomous defense, AI-driven intelligence, energy resilience, and next-generation military hardware. From hypersonic propulsion to decentralized power grids, our portfolio is building the technological foundation for America's future.

QUANTUM ADVANTAGE

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The quantum computing market is on track to creating $850B of economic value globally by 2040. Draper-backed companies like Rigetti (recent $35M Quanta investment) and Xanadu AI are developing scalable quantum processors for defense and commercial applications.

$850B

global economic value created by quantum computing by 2040 (BCG Report)

Defense technology quantum computing systems, national security infrastructure innovation

NUCLEAR INNOVATION

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Portfolio companies like Oklo (1,350 MW customer pipeline) and Radiant ($100M+ raised) are developing nuclear microreactors and portable nuclear solutions, ensuring energy resilience for both defense and commercial applications.

1,350MW

Oklo's nuclear microreactor customer pipeline capacity

QUANTUM PIONEERS

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Since 2014, Draper has backed quantum computing startups like Rigetti Computing and Xanadu AI, positioning the U.S. as a leader in computational advantage for both defense and commercial applications.

2014

Year Draper began major investments in quantum computing with Rigetti

Nuclear microreactor technology, clean energy defense applications innovation

WE HAVE BACKED JUGGERNAUTS ACROSS Defense & Dual Use

Otter.ai

I'm incredibly grateful for Tim's support over the past 15+ years. From the very beginning, before there was even a product or prototype, Tim saw something in our vision that others didn't. After dozens of VCs passed on my first idea, Tim gave me the chance to be an entrepreneur in residence at DFJ in 2010, where I incubated my first startup. He later invested in the startup, and that journey eventually led to a successful acquisition. In 2016, when I came back with the ambitious (and admittedly crazy) idea to record and make all the conversations in the world searchable, most people walked away citing privacy concerns or doubting we could compete with the tech giants. But not Tim. He immediately resonated with the vision, backed us before anything was built, and was the very first to use our product for every meeting, and strongly recommended Otter to everyone he met. Tim's contrarian mindset, visionary outlook, and unconditional support have been a constant source of inspiration. I've always felt lucky to have him on our team and even more so as we continue building Otter into something truly game-changing.

Sam Liang

Cruise Automation

Tim has taken a chance on me with both Justin.tv and Cruise - two wildly ambitious ideas where it was absolutely not clear whether they'd work at all. Tim has an amazing ability to identify unique opportunities far before others see them.

Kyle Vogt

Colossal

As a five-time entrepreneur, I know it is impossible to succeed without great investment partners on your team. When I seek out investment, I'm looking for people who not only see the ROI but want to support the team and mission. Draper has always had a reputation as one of the best because of how they go above and beyond for their portfolio, and our experience with you all has proven out why that reputation exists. This relationship has been critical for the growth of Colossal and we are grateful for the continued support since day one.

Ben Lamm

Beltways

Draper backs vision over convention, free from short-term pressures and groupthink. Tim and Michelle’s belief in Beltways fuels our pursuit of the extraordinary and amplifies everything we aim to achieve.

John Yuksel

ioNetworks

DA's financial support enabled us to take risks optimizing our product and invest R&D into chip partnerships with major players despite limited short-term revenue, while their U.S. network connections helped us go global. Draper Associates has been the visionary partner who recognized edge AI potential early and accelerated our journey to AIoT leadership across consumer electronics, automotive, healthcare, and smart city applications.

Erix Lin

Team Wildfire

While strategic and financial support is necessary, one of the most important aspects of working with investors like Draper is the moment that you, as a founder, realize you're not the only person crazy enough to believe in your vision. While founders are, of necessity, incredibly confident people, your confidence doubles when someone tells you they think you can make it happen, and backs that up with their money. Draper Associates is distinguished amongst investors in that they have not only a tolerance for risk, but an appetite for it, and they understand that the biggest payoffs require the greatest risk.

Steve Wolf

Torram

Draper Associates was one of the key early believers in our Bitcoin infrastructure and Lee and I as Cofounders, when not many were able to see our bold vision for the future of Bitcoin. Their bold backing, when others were doubtful, changed everything for us as a company.

Vakeesan Mahalingam, CFA

VVater

Draper didn’t just fund us; they opened doors. Their introductions refined our product-market fit and gave us critical business guidance. With Draper behind us, VVater captured the CES Best of Innovation and World Future Awards in 2025, and earned the title ‘America’s Next Water Company.’ Having Draper as a partner, not just a capital provider, is the catalyst for our success.

Kevin Gast

TrustMe

Draper Associates gave us far more than capital. They helped forge our founding team. I joined Tim Draper’s Hero Training and met the co-founder who now drives TrustMe forward with me. We’re in this for the long haul, and we couldn’t ask for a better partner than Tim and the Draper ecosystem.

Chingiz Dauletbayev

Webflow

Even after several setbacks with trying to start Webflow, Tim believed in us from the first few moments after hearing our story and our idea. He became our very first investor and helped us become the company we are today.

Vlad Magdalin

nVision

At Draper University, I learned to tell my story and make a business case at the same time. Tim taught me to be comfortable talking about my health scare and why I entered the healthcare space. As a first-time entrepreneur trying to find a detection mechanism for one of the most difficult diseases to diagnose early, ovarian cancer, I needed an (ad)venture capitalist to join me along my journey. Tim believed in the market and the problem we were trying to solve, and he supported me at every turn, from seed funding to acquisition. He asked tough questions, even hardware-related stuff. He was giving us design ideas. Tim is full service.

Surbhi Sarna

Wisecut

Draper's early trust, strategic advice, and credibility opened doors, accelerated our growth, and gave us the confidence to scale Wisecut's mission to build a self-scaling AI clips network empowering brands to reach millions organically. A true catalyst. Draper Associates has been the bold, visionary partner who empowers us to think bigger and reach milestones we once dreamed of.

Ivo Machado

Twitch

Without Tim, Twitch would probably not exist. He invested fearlessly when other investors only saw what was wrong with our business and could not imagine its potential.

Michael Seibel

TRAXyL Inc.

Identifying how our technology could be dual-use for commercial and government efforts was key to bringing in a substantial amount of non-dilutive funds. We have a capital-intensive hardware company, so we appreciate Tim for sharing our vision and investing at just the right time to help us close a government deal. We certainly appreciate his gentle approach to letting us figure things out. He's not heavy handed, yet we still feel firmly supported.

Daniel Turner

Unocoin

Tim Draper himself is a big believer of bitcoin. His mission of being a part of the industry globally and advice at crucial juncture of Unocoin's business has helped us to shape what is Unocoin today.

Sathvik Vishwanath

Robinhood

When we raised our seed round for Robinhood in 2013, many investors were skeptical of the idea. Tim took a bet on us and understood how technology could make finance accessible to a new generation. As a part of the deal for his seed investment (which was critical for the business), we agreed to forgo our salaries for a period of time. I'm grateful for Tim's early support!

Baiju Bhatt

Skype

We were building Skype from Europe in the wake of the dotcom crash and with a US lawsuit hanging over us from our previous company, Kazaa. It was a terrible environment for fundraising and we were starting to feel like we missed the boat. Amazingly, the first person to put money into our idea was Bill Draper. He wired us $100,000 before the documents had even been signed. That cheque made Skype possible from pretty much nothing and started a long-standing relationship with Draper Associates. Soon after we got to know Tim, who made it clear he wanted to invest in the next round - eventually he just asked, 'What are the terms you need?' Tim joined our board and became an important advocate for the Skype vision. In fact, he was the only board member against Skype's $2.6 billion acquisition by eBay. He correctly foresaw there was further upside. Draper Associates was essential to the inception and growth of a company that went on to help millions of people stay connected to loved ones and inspired a whole generation of new entrepreneurs. First and second order Skype alumni have created over 900 new companies.

Niklas Zennström

Roxom & Previously Lemon Cash

The biggest thing for me was shaping me with the right go-big or go-home mentality !!! Tim & Draper as a whole has been, mainly, my dream big, motivational partner. Besides that, you've always been my first check, which has nurtured a strong sense of confidence in myself.

Borja Martel Seward

Synaptic Bionics/Biogrip

It wasn't just the funding it was the trust. Draper gave us the space to dream big and the support to turn those dreams into something real, when it mattered most. Draper Associates has been that rare kind of partner who believes in you before it's obvious like having a teammate who sees the future with you, and won't let you give up on it.

Alan Hernandez

Roxom

Beyond capital, Draper gave us the strategic clarity to stay true to our mission: re-pricing the world in Bitcoin. Draper Associates has been a true conviction partner. Early, fearless, and aligned with our long-term mission to reshape global markets.

Nick Damico

TRAXyL Inc.

Daniel Turner

PLX Technology

PLX was three first-time founders and an unproven idea. Tim Draper was the only investor who bet on us anyway - and stayed when the lows hit. His relentless optimism and ‘do the impossible’ push kept the team moving when others walked away. That backing took us from near-shutdowns to an IPO, and eventually to a Broadcom acquisition. Today PLX chips sit inside almost every hyperscale data center, all because one VC believed in these three people first.

Mike Salameh and Wei-Ti Liu

EnerNOC

EnerNOC was the time of my life. Lightning in a bottle. A billion-dollar idea that's spawned dozens of companies. Couldn't have done it without Draper's courageous support and intrigue hub and spoke model that teamed us with the DFJ New England team. Appreciate what Draper did for EnerNOC by seeing what others couldn't and putting millions behind us so we could build EnerNOC into a powerhouse that has since become an iconic brand even after we sold it to a bigger company after ten years as a publicly traded company.

Tim Healy

Defense infrastructure technology, cybersecurity and dual-use innovation systems

The Next National Advantage

The world's geopolitical landscape is evolving rapidly, and traditional defense contractors have been too slow to adapt. Startups are now filling the gaps in advanced cybersecurity, autonomous defense, AI-driven intelligence, energy resilience, and next-generation military hardware. From hypersonic propulsion to nuclear microreactors, missile defense to space-based surveillance, the next wave of innovation in defense and national security will be led by agile, cutting-edge companies.

Dual-Use Technologies

Beyond defense, dual-use technologies are redefining both national security and commercial industries. AI-powered analytics, automation, and cyber resilience are becoming just as essential for enterprise security as they are for military operations. Quantum technologies are unlocking breakthroughs in both intelligence defense systems and commercial computing. Space infrastructure, autonomous robotics, and secure digital networks will be just as critical for global commerce as they are for government operations.

Next-Generation Defense Systems

Companies like Firehawk Aerospace are enabling the next generation of defense systems with solid rocket motors powered by additively manufactured propellant. Venus Aerospace is developing hypersonic spaceplanes for ultra-fast global travel and defense applications. These dual-use technologies serve both military and commercial markets, driving innovation across sectors.

Energy Resilience & Nuclear Innovation

The U.S. needs decentralized power grids, nuclear energy solutions, and more resilient digital infrastructure to remain competitive. Oklo is revolutionizing nuclear energy with compact, self-sustaining microreactors that provide clean, reliable power. Radiant is developing portable, zero-emission nuclear microreactors to deliver clean power anywhere on Earth and beyond. These technologies are critical for both national security and commercial energy independence.

Quantum Computing & Advanced Technologies

Since 2014, Draper has backed quantum computing pioneers like Rigetti Computing and Xanadu AI, developing scalable quantum processors for defense and commercial applications. Quantum computing could generate $450 to $850 billion in global economic value by 2040, with applications in cryptography, intelligence, and computational advantage.

Our Investment Thesis

We back companies building the next generation of cybersecurity, autonomous defense systems, AI-powered intelligence platforms, and space-based surveillance. The companies that build the infrastructure for America's technological future won't just reshape industries—they'll shape history.

Market-Defining Portfolio

Our defense and dual-use portfolio includes Firehawk Aerospace (rocket motors), Venus Aerospace (hypersonic spaceplanes), Oklo (nuclear microreactors, 1,350 MW pipeline), Radiant ($100M+ raised, portable nuclear), Focused Energy (laser-driven fusion), Vvater (water purification), Xanadu AI (quantum computing), Quoherent (mobile quantum processors), Rigetti ($35M Quanta investment, 2025), and D-Wave (quantum optimization). These companies are defining the future of security, infrastructure, and dual-use technology.

The Next Frontier

We're excited about autonomous defense systems, quantum-secure communications, nuclear energy solutions, space-based intelligence, decentralized power grids, and AI-powered defense platforms. The businesses that build off-world economies and reinvent critical infrastructure will define the 21st century.