Unconventional Ideas
Backing the Impossible to Make It Inevitable
Where Science Fiction Meets Scientific Reality
The most transformative ideas start as science fiction. We invest in visionaries building artificial wombs, de-extinction technologies, brain-computer interfaces, and other radical innovations that challenge the status quo. From reviving extinct species to redefining human reproduction and consciousness, our portfolio is shaping a future where the impossible becomes everyday reality.
DE-EXTINCTION LEADERSHIP
Colossal Biosciences achieved a $10.2B valuation in 2025 and announced the first "dire wolf" births in 10,000 years, advancing genetic engineering and conservation technologies that blur the line between extinction and revival.
$10.2B
Colossal Biosciences valuation, becoming Texas' first decacorn
NEURAL BREAKTHROUGHS
Brain-computer interface companies like Phantom Neuro are advancing neural prosthetics and human-machine integration, with clinical trials expanding and consumer applications emerging in specialized markets.
2025+
Era when brain-computer interfaces transition from research to clinical applications
REPRODUCTIVE REVOLUTION
Artificial womb technology is moving toward human trials as soon as 2028, with the FDA actively considering clinical applications. draper company, kangaroo bio, is a pioneering force in this transformative reproductive technology.
2028
Timeline for artificial womb technology human trials
WE HAVE BACKED JUGGERNAUTS ACROSS Unconventional Ideas
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
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
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
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
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
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
T/Maker
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!
Heidi Roizen
Redgate
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.
Ted Leonsis
T/Maker
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!
Royal Farros
Raven Resonance Inc.
Tim and the Draper team publicly champion our product and team, introduce helpful contacts, and give high quality feedback. They have also doubled down in subsequent funding, giving a positive signal to co-investors and helping our company thrive. Tim has a uniquely clear vision and conviction in the technologies that will shape the future, plus the ability to communicate them in a way everyone can get excited about. This is one of the ways Draper Associates is the perfect partner for us as a deep tech company.
Thomas Suarez
Mappa
Tim once told me, "It takes a wild animal to make a big vision work." Since then, we've only hired wild animals and we help our startup clients do the same. They're usually underdogs, unconventional, and anything but conformists. You've been the partner helping us break through our own limits.
Sarah Lucena
.svg){kind=logo}
Marblism
Draper's been the kind of partner who shows up, backs boldness, and always answers the call. The capital gave us the freedom to build without compromise, and that made all the difference.
Ulric Musset
Medior
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.
Barry Schuler
Preview Travel
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.
Jim Hornthal
Netcentives
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.
Eric Tilenius
.svg){kind=logo}
Hotmail
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.
Sabeer Bhatia
Justin.tv/Twitch
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.
Justin Kan
Halfmore Inc.
Draper is an investor who trusts you, believes in your space, and shows up when it matters most.
Isaac Lee
GoTo
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.
Bill Gross
Four11
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.
Mike Santullo
The Wild, the Weird, and the Inevitable
Some of the biggest technological revolutions start as ideas that sound strange, impossible, or even ridiculous, until they become inevitable. A decade ago, electric cars were seen as a niche product, cryptocurrency was considered an experiment, and private space travel was science fiction. Now, Tesla dominates the auto industry, crypto has created trillion-dollar markets, and SpaceX is launching missions to Mars.
Rewriting Biology
Bioengineering firms like Colossal Biosciences are pioneering de-extinction technologies, working to revive species like the woolly mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, dire wolf, and dodo. While true de-extinction remains impossible, these companies are creating hybrid species with key traits of extinct animals—effectively bringing back their ecological functions. In 2024, Colossal announced the birth of the first "dire wolves" in 10,000 years, though scientists note these are genetically modified gray wolves with dire wolf characteristics.
Redefining Reproduction
Artificial womb technology is approaching human trials, with the FDA actively considering clinical applications. Our artificial womb portfolio company, Kangaroo Bio, is among the leaders developing this revolutionary reproductive technology that could transform neonatal care and address global fertility challenges.
Consciousness and Connectivity
Brain-computer interfaces are advancing rapidly, with companies like Phantom Neuro developing neural interfaces for prosthetics and medical applications. While consumer-ready BCIs remain years away, the technology is moving from research labs to clinical trials, representing the cutting edge of human-machine integration.
Radical Innovation Across Industries
Companies like Navier are revolutionizing maritime transport with electric hydrofoiling boats, while Make Sunsets engineers atmospheric solutions to combat climate change. Biofire develops biometric smart firearms for enhanced safety, and Venus Aerospace is creating hypersonic spaceplanes for ultra-fast global travel.
Our Investment Thesis
We back companies developing artificial reproductive technologies, de-extinction and bioengineering, brain-computer interfaces, radical climate solutions, and unconventional innovations that challenge the status quo. The more unique the vision, the more we want to hear about it.
Market-Defining Portfolio
Our unconventional portfolio includes Colossal Biosciences (de-extinction, $10.2B valuation), a stealth artificial womb company (reproductive technology), Navier (electric hydrofoiling boats), Make Sunsets (atmospheric engineering), Imprimed (AI-powered pet diagnostics), Biofire (biometric firearms), Venus Aerospace (hypersonic spaceplanes), and Phantom Neuro (neural interfaces). These companies are turning science fiction into reality.
The Next Frontier
We're excited about de-extinction technologies, artificial reproductive systems, neural interfaces, interspecies communication, digital consciousness preservation, atmospheric engineering, and radical solutions across energy, safety, and human enhancement. The ideas that sound impossible today will define tomorrow's reality.