Tim is a true thought leader - not a follower. When we had a very bold, disruptive idea to invent a search engine called GoTo with bidded listings, most people shied away, but not Tim. Tim boldly stepped up and led our Series A, and we proceeded to make a 100x return together and changed the face of internet advertising forever.

We cold-called Draper on a Monday, met that week, and had a term sheet the following Thursday. He moved as fast as we did. Tim was on our board and stuck with us through some dicey times, but he never flinched. Tim's staunch support enabled us to survive and succeed.

Throughout my career, I have had the pleasure and opportunity to start many companies, including Redgate Communications, and help mentor and grow several startups, nurturing some of the brightest ideas that have since gone on to shape our world. It has been a privilege to have worked closely with Tim Draper and the Draper venture funds, all of which encompass this same entrepreneurial ethos of bringing their visions for governance and education to life.

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!

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.

I'd like to say something more philosophical: A thank you from all entrepreneurs. Way back when, entrepreneurs used to think VC meant 'vulture capital'... and for good reason... you gave a VC all of your financials, so they pretty much knew exactly when you'd run out of money... and boy would they milk that... traditional VC's would delay investment until you were so desperate you'd take any deal on the table. As entrepreneurs just trying to do something new in the world, the process felt anything but supportive. Tim changed all that. If he saw something he liked, he would simply say, 'Let's do it!' That didn't mean Tim and John weren't shrewd business people... What it meant was they so respected you as an entrepreneur, trying to change your corner of the world, that they didn't jerk you around. Tim's successes forced the entire venture world to change. In fact, I believe this is actually one of the great, unsung innovations in Silicon Valley... re-inventing the venture funding approach... which was directly responsible for the global tech boom over the next four decades. That's quite an accomplishment, Tim!

There have never been higher highs or lower lows in my career than being an entrepreneur, but every second was worth it! Of course, I had worked with Tim before (anyone remember Stanford: The Game?) but now the stakes were much higher. Tim and John were the dynamic duo, Tim with his big ideas and John who grounded us with his attention to details, including our financials :) Thank you Tim and John for your support then and now!

My favorite Tim Draper moment was when we pitched to invest in Justin.tv. At that time, many Justin.tv users were streaming television content they didn't have the rights to and Tim asked if our users were seeing the TV advertising along with the content. When I replied, 'Yes,' Tim suggested we bill the TV networks for the advertising reach we were providing. I knew right then that Tim was a different type of investor. Tim invested his own money and everything worked out great in the end. Without Tim writing that check, Twitch probably wouldn't exist.

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.

Tim is the investor every entrepreneur needs. He will support you no matter what. He takes risks, and he helps you think big! He is one of a kind!

I loved collaborating with Tim and Steve because their remarkable optimism for the future was realized. Only Tim had the chutzpah to suggest that I ask Microsoft for $2 billion, which would be cheap in today's dollars.

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.

When you develop a bleeding-edge secure hardware technology for cryptocurrencies, you need a dauntless, nonconformist visionary venture capitalist. You need Tim Draper.

Netcentives — which reached over $2 billion in market cap after going public on the Nasdaq in 1999 — would not have been possible if it was not for the support and backing of Tim Draper and his funds. Tim was willing to take a bet in 1996 on two newly minted business school grads and our crazy plan to use frequent flyer miles to drive promotional and loyalty marketing on the new World Wide Web. We initially received seed investments from Draper Associates I and Wasatch Fund, followed by Draper Fisher Jurvetson on a later round. Tim's funding and guidance came at a critical time for our company and enabled us to launch what became, at the time, the biggest incentive marketing firm on the web. We went on to secure exclusive partnerships with every leading airline in the country; major deals with giants such as Visa, AOL, Barnes & Noble, AmEx; and nearly every leading e-tailer not named Amazon. But it all started with Tim taking a risk on us and backing our very first funding round.

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.

Just think of the last four decades in terms of innovation and technological advancement. Human knowledge and tool creation advanced more than the previous 100,000 years combined. What an amazing piece of history to be alive in! I feel privileged to have been backed by Tim and John as an entrepreneur in the earliest days of the internet and then later joining to co-found DFJ Growth. It's been an exhilarating ride. Thank You.

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.

PLX Technology, a semiconductor company, was founded in 1986 by Wei-Ti Liu, Jim Guzy, and Mike Salameh, all three of whom were young and minimally experienced in business. Tim Draper, our lead investor and board member, was also new to the startup game...we may have been the first investment of the VC firm he had just launched. Right from the beginning, PLX experienced the typical startup rollercoaster of chaos, setbacks, and changes of direction. In fact, there were times so bleak that some investors gave up and even we founders were doubting our direction. But Tim had a relentless positive energy that turned the tide several times in low moments. He urged us to do the impossible. More importantly, his confidence in our team motivated us to put our doubts aside and break through walls to succeed. Often, VCs fixate on technology and markets. Tim relies more on finding the right management team and supporting them unconditionally as they experiment, thrash, and figure it out. PLX went on to have a successful IPO and fifteen years later was acquired by Broadcom. Today, PLX's products are key building blocks of nearly all enterprise, AI, and hyperscaler data centers. It's hard to imagine that this all started with a beginner investor making a bet on three novice entrepreneurs.

A startup isn't just a company—it's an experiment in fast learning. Fail fast, pivot smart, and keep pushing forward. The word 'pivot' began as a sports metaphor, but for me, it's been a lifeline. At Preview Media, we had four major pivots as we transformed from producing non-broadcast travel programming to producing syndicated TV news and entertainment content, then to infomercial production and travel sales, and ultimately to online travel services as Preview Travel. These 'near-death experiences' could have been fatal if not for Tim's patience and support, which gave us the time and capital to survive and thrive.

There's no way to tell PrettyLitter's early story without Draper Associates and Draper U. To start the company within the Draper network of support was crucial to the foundations of our origin story. The opportunity to leverage the Draper relationships to advance the trajectory of the company's success was invaluable. Proud to have Draper Associates as PrettyLitter's earliest investor.

Tim Draper took a real risk on us when we got started with PTC. He is an ideal investor who thinks big, trusts the players, and has remarkable instincts.

Stay eager to share your pitch, the most consequential relationships start with the most chance encounters - even over a rack of BBQ ribs in Wyoming, shared between Draper and Arkham.

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.

Aside from being smart - lots of VCs are smart - Draper is fast. Draper sticks to the mantra that venture experts talk about. He finds and connects deeply with great teams and great ideas. He gets money on board and helps shape those ideas into earnings. It's the real deal. What venture capital is all about. And it is absolutely who Draper is.

Tim is a tireless champion for entrepreneurs everywhere. He is always optimistic, high energy, and ready to lend a hand in building the future.

Tim Draper continues to be a transformative force in cultivating groundbreaking technologies that reshape industries and markets. His keen ability to spot promising startups, genuine curiosity for new opportunities, steadfast commitment to pushing technological boundaries, and strategic vision make him an invaluable mentor to entrepreneurs and innovators. I am fortunate to have benefited from Tim's guidance on my journey from a simple idea to becoming the worldwide remote access market leader. The Combinet solution provided secure, on-demand access to enterprise networks from remote and branch offices. At the time, our solution delivered connectivity ten times faster than the highest-speed modem available, representing a revolutionary technological breakthrough. Today, as a management consultant to startups and growth companies, I continue to draw inspiration from Tim's approach with a thought-provoking question, 'What's your unfair advantage?' This concept challenges entrepreneurs to identify what sets them apart in a competitive landscape: a unique technology, a novel business model, or a deep market insight. Working with Tim has been an extraordinary privilege. His influence extends beyond individual success stories, inspiring new entrepreneurs to develop disruptive, innovative, defensible, and scalable solutions that challenge the status quo. I look forward to seeing how his visionary leadership shapes the future of technology and entrepreneurship.

I don't have pictures with me on wild adventures. Not my thing. I tend to enjoy coaching (and now just watching) my kids on the athletic fields and hockey rinks and that seems to fill a dozen hours every week with few exceptions. Fishing and hunting are my hobbies and how I spend time away from the day to day. I have five kids, the youngest of them just 13 years old, so being a dad and husband keeps me pretty busy. I enjoy spending time with my wife (photo is near our beach on Martha's Vineyard). She's the love of my life. Life is fun. Life is good. No complaints. 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 DFJ's courageous support and intrigue hub and spoke model that teamed us with the DFJ New England team. Loved the original CEO retreat to Half Moon Bay back in 2006 or so. What a memory. Texas Hold 'em with Tim and Steve in the finals against each other, of course. Appreciate what Tim, John, and Steve 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 backed me as a 25-year-old first-time founder with little prior business or entrepreneurial experience. He believed in the vision and took a big risk. Tim provided great insight (and levity) in the boardroom, and he was a major contributor to our eventual successful IPO and later acquisition. We couldn't have done it without Tim's contributions on many levels. I consider Tim the 'OG VC.' He is the original risk master.

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.

Tim was the largest angel investor in Fivetran. He took a chance on two first-time founders and always did right by the company. Fivetran wouldn't be here without Tim.