Crypto & Blockchain

Building the Decentralized Future

Where Financial Freedom Meets Technological Innovation

Bitcoin is more than digital currency—it represents a fundamental shift in how we think about value, ownership, trust, and freedom. Blockchains and cryptocurrencies are enabling, for the first time in history, any individual to have a choice over how they store, send, and manage their money. This is making financial stability and wealth creation accessible in regions where traditional currencies are collapsing, inflation runs rampant, or basic banking is unavailable. We invest in companies pioneering decentralized finance, tokenized real-world assets, and blockchain infrastructure that create tangible economic stability, financial inclusion, and freedom worldwide.

PORTFOLIO LEADERSHIP

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Draper-backed crypto companies including Coinbase, Robinhood, and Polymarket are defining the decentralized economy, with Coinbase named to TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies of 2025 and Polymarket achieving $1B+ valuation with over $1 billion in prediction market volume.

2025

Year Coinbase was named to TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency infrastructure, blockchain technology financial innovation platform

DEFI REVOLUTION

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draper Portfolio companies are pioneering the DeFi ecosystem that exceeded $100 billion in total value locked (TVL) in 2024, with predictions suggesting growth to $200 billion by 2025 as decentralized finance transforms traditional banking and investment.

$200B

Projected DeFi total value locked (TVL) by end of 2025

EARLY VISION

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Draper began investing in Bitcoin in 2011, establishing the foundation for decentralized finance. Our early conviction in blockchain technology positioned us to back the infrastructure companies that drive transparency, scalability, and adoption in the digital asset ecosystem.

2011

Year Draper began major investments in Bitcoin and blockchain infrastructure

Decentralized finance DeFi protocol, smart contracts blockchain financial applications

WE HAVE BACKED JUGGERNAUTS ACROSS Crypto & Blockchain

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

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

Solo

Having Tim's name behind us gave us the confidence and the leverage to go from pitching strategic partners to acquiring talents to closing deals. Inspiring. After attending Draper's 40th Anniversary celebration in May, we felt even more confident that Tim is not just an investor, but a mentor and a supportive friend backing countless successful companies around the world, including Solo in the future.

Edison Siu

Torram

Vakeesan Mahalingam, CFA

TrustMe

Chingiz Dauletbayev

Unocoin

Sathvik Vishwanath

Robinhood

Baiju Bhatt

Roxom & Previously Lemon Cash

Borja Martel Seward

Roxom

Nick Damico

LunarCrush

Every early stage founder knows what it's like to have your back up against a wall and sometimes it seems impossible to fight your way through. Tim and Draper Associates had our backs when it mattered most and their support changed everything. Not a unicorn! (yet!!!)

Joe Vezzani

Maestro

Draper's venture team and BitcoinFi accelerator program has been a immense source of sale leads and strategic partnerships, contributing to Maestro's exponential growth and success. Draper Associates is the investor I'm the closest to. The value they bring goes way beyond capital injection. They are a mentor and confident that guide founders on their business journey.

Marvin Bertin

Ledger

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

Eric Larcheveque

Ledger

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!

Pascal Gauthier

Coinbase

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

Brian Armstrong

BitMask by DIBA

The strategic, living advice from Tim a few years back during the Survival Weekend with the Draper Hero Program helped solidify the conviction to build and launch BitMask which is now our flagship product and still in its infancy with over 1 million wallets created in public testnet. Draper Associates care about the active development of founders. They help show you what is possible, and most importantly, they are very founder-friendly, patient, and nurturing.

Gideon Nweze

Arkham

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.

Miguel Morel

Digital asset trading platform, cryptocurrency financial technology innovation

The Decentralized Revolution

Bitcoin and blockchain are not just transforming finance—they are redefining the very nature of money, ownership, and freedom. For the first time in history, individuals can choose how they store, send, and manage their wealth without relying on traditional financial institutions. This represents a fundamental shift toward economic sovereignty and financial inclusion.

Decentralized Finance (DeFi): The Future of Banking

DeFi is revolutionizing traditional finance by replacing banks and brokers with automated smart contracts that enable instantaneous, permissionless transactions. By tokenizing real-world assets—ranging from equities and debts to T-bills—DeFi creates a transparent, globally accessible ecosystem where anyone with an internet connection can unlock liquidity, access credit, and invest without the friction and gatekeeping of conventional systems.

Bitcoin: The Foundation of Decentralization

Bitcoin remains the backbone of the decentralized economy. As blockchains get faster and more scalable, Bitcoin's role as the most decentralized, most capitalized, and most widely accepted cryptocurrency becomes even more critical. We believe most blockchain applications will eventually converge to Bitcoin, making it the primary settlement layer for the global digital economy.

Smart Contracts and Automation

Smart contracts on blockchains enforce code-based agreements and automate transactions, boosting business reliability and cutting costs. These programmable contracts execute automatically when conditions are met, eliminating intermediaries like lawyers and brokers. Their immutability and decentralization ensure security and trust, fostering transparency and efficiency across sectors.

Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN)

Blockchains create a coordination layer enabling Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN), making essential services like telecommunications and energy more affordable and accessible, particularly in underserved communities. This decentralization shifts control from corporations to individuals, offering economic autonomy and protection from censorship.

Our Investment Thesis

We back companies building decentralized finance platforms, tokenized real-world assets, Bitcoin scalability solutions, blockchain infrastructure, and DePIN networks that create tangible economic stability, financial inclusion, and freedom worldwide. We invest in founders who don't just want to improve finance—they want to reinvent it entirely.

Market-Defining Portfolio

Our crypto portfolio includes revolutionary companies like Bitcoin (2014 investment), Coinbase (mainstream crypto adoption), Robinhood (commission-free trading), Arkham (blockchain intelligence), Ledger (hardware wallet security), Unstoppable Domains (decentralized identity), Stacks (Bitcoin Layer 2), Polymarket (prediction markets), Dawn (decentralized wireless), Maestro (UTxO infrastructure), and Zest Protocol (Bitcoin lending). These companies are redefining finance, ownership, and economic freedom.

The Next Frontier

We continue to explore opportunities in Bitcoin scalability and programmability, DeFi platforms, tokenized asset markets, DePIN networks for essential services, privacy-focused Web3 applications, and crypto-powered AI models. Our focus remains on technologies that provide tangible economic stability, financial inclusion, and freedom to billions worldwide.