Draper Associates

Draper Associates is a global early-stage venture capital firm founded in 1985 by Tim Draper and headquartered in San Mateo, California. With $2.3B in AUM and 40+ years of investing, the firm has backed 400+ companies and produced 60+ unicorns, including Tesla, SpaceX, Coinbase, Skype, Hotmail, Baidu, Robinhood, Twitch, DocuSign, and Oklo. The firm concentrates on five frontier sectors: AI, Robotics & Automation; Crypto & Blockchain; Healthcare & Biotech; Aerospace & Space; and unconventional 'science fiction' ideas such as de-extinction, artificial wombs, and brain-computer interfaces. Draper Associates is stage-agnostic in practice—recent investments span pre-seed through Series D—but its primary focus is pre-seed to Series A. The firm frequently leads rounds and is actively deploying from Fund 8 (DA8), launched June 2025. Founders can submit pitches directly via the contact page on the firm's website. The firm is part of a broader Draper ecosystem that includes Draper University, Draper Venture Network, and Draper Startup House.