Backing the bold ideas that shape the future. Founder of @DFJvc, @drapervc, @Draper_U, @meetthedrapers. Pitch me: [email protected]
Menlo Park, CA
Joined February 2009
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Tim Draper retweeted
Talent is uniformly distributed in society. Opportunities are not. America's Startup is one way we're doing our part about it.
A warm welcome to the new @America250 Investor Council members: @CathieDWood, @PratherARK, @christine_tsai, @skg_accel, @billreichert, @SungerBiggs, @BiedermanRob, @Robert_Katz and others. We're all inspired by @RosieRios's original vision: support our nation's youth and democratize entrepreneurship in America.
I judged round one... those teams weren't waiting for permission to build. They were already building. Round two: over $1M in cash and prizes, up to $50K non-dilutive per team, finale in DC this December.
Undergrad founders: applications close Thursday, Oct 8, 7:59pm EDT. Link in first reply.
We're here to help founders fulfill their entrepreneurial dreams. Your part is to apply :)
Tim Draper retweeted
Something startups often struggle with is biz dev, with a major blocker being hiring and training sales staff fast enough to get revenue in the door. Now imagine anyone starting had a playbook of what everyone on the team knows - and the ability to practice on “live” sales calls with buyer personas and get immediate feedback from a coach. Plus the ability for an AI avatar to answer customer questions when they’re browsing in different time zones. It's AI automation with the sales process… without replacing the humans that close deals. And now @Zoom backs it, too.
Really couldn't be prouder of portco Avarra today!!
ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/av…
Tim Draper retweeted
Kairos Health, a former @America250 America's Startup competitor, just got into @ycombinator's Fall 2026 cohort. They built an AI front desk for dental clinics and are now well on their way to scaling. Their story could be yours. If you're an undergrad with a big idea, apply by Oct 8 👇
america250.org/americas-star…
Tim Draper retweeted
Payroll, taxes, suppliers, all on Bitcoin, no accountant, no lawyer, no bookkeeper.
@TimDraper gives an actual timeline for it, and it's closer than you think.
Full video in the comments 👇
Tim Draper retweeted
If you’re building in crypto, blockchain, decentralization, or Web3, Tim Draper has a message for you.
Applications are open for the Draper University x @Cardano Apex Growth Accelerator, an in-person program in Silicon Valley for founders ready to turn ambitious ideas into venture-scale companies.
For more than a decade, DraperU has brought together founders who want to build what’s next, giving them access to a community of entrepreneurs, mentors, investors, and operators who can challenge them, support them, and continue opening doors long after the program ends.
As @TimDraper puts it, the value is not only in the program itself. It’s in the relationships you build with other founders working on similarly ambitious problems. These people can help you succeed, and you can help in return.
If you’re building in crypto, blockchain, decentralization, or Web3, this is your opportunity to join the Draper ecosystem and spend 10 weeks building in Silicon Valley.
Apply to Apex by Sep 1 -> draperuniversity.com/cardano…
Tim Draper retweeted
The best is yet to come... looking forward to round 2 of America250's Startup competition! We're looking for student entrepreneurs with world-changing ideas that can benefit from funding, mentorship and a spot in our Draper University residency. Applications are due October 8 - details on how to apply below 👇
Applications are OPEN 🚀
Student founders—this is your shot to win a share of $1M prize pool, get mentorship, and pitch live in D.C.
Apply now before Oct 8: america250.org/americas-star…
#AmericasStartup #Startups #Entrepreneurs #Innovation
Tim Draper retweeted
Every defense conversation lately ends in the same place: not "can you build it" but "can you build 500 of them." The demo is the easy part (relatively speaking!).
Which is why I like where this round is going. @aureliuslasers is putting it into their own optics and laser source production lines. Boring stuff, also the whole ballgame... it makes them one of two vertically integrated directed energy companies in the US, and what they don't use themselves they can sell to everyone else building in this space.
Meanwhile the system works. 20+ drones knocked down at a government test event this year, and they got it talking to both the Army's newer software and the legacy system it has run for years, which is usually where promising defense startups die. Rheinmetall is putting it on their robotic vehicles now too.
Congrats @LaFrogman and team on the $40M Series A. Proud to co-lead with KAS Venture Partners.
Great writeup by @e_h_obrien @TectonicDefense: tectonicdefense.com/aurelius…
@DraperVC
Tim Draper retweeted
We just launched a @TimDraper digital twin on our contact page.
Founders can now talk to Tim directly, pitch him, ask how we actually think about deals, before ever getting on a call with the team.
Feels like a small thing but it's a real shift in how founders can get access to a fund early on.
Check it out @DraperVC
Tim Draper retweeted
@ArAIstotle_Jr is currently the only bot on X that detects basic universal emotions and deception cues on X.
For a limited time only, anyone can
tag @araistotle_jr ) with "behavioural analytics" in the comments of an X video. Short close-up front-facing videos of one person of interest in the center of the frame, like this analysis of Elon xitter.cf/araistotle_jr/status/2…?, rather than longer videos where there are multiple angles/people, will be better.
Not every day @TimDraper, the man behind @DraperVC and @DFJvc, acknowledges you as a leader in AI truth-seeking.
We're here to build the truth layer he knows the world needs.
This is just the beginning.
Tim Draper retweeted
THE MAISON IS OPENING.
Today, Voyage reveals the Maison for Mind Computing.
We are designers, neuroscientists, philosophers, and engineers building neural interfaces for your inner voice, as objects of desire. Backed by Draper Associates and other believers.
Apply to be a Member of the Maison. Or join us inside — we’re hiring @maisonvyg
--> voyage.inc
Tim Draper retweeted
heh... I am leaning in because I could feel the heat of the rubber cement on the "Hot Mail" box burning to my left! Dripps of fire on the grass below... no AI or photoshop here....
Tim Draper retweeted
Congrats!! A great milestone for a great company. We first backed @VenusAerospace in 2021 and all they've done since is prove their thesis that rotating detonation rocket engines, theorized for decades in academic papers, could be commercialized to redefine propulsion (with gigantic implications for defense, for space, and eventually, for commercial aviation).
In the intervening years, they've built the world's most efficient rocket engine. And they made history last year with the first U.S. flight test of a high-thrust RDRE, a breakthrough engineers had chased for 30+ years.
Congratulations the entire team on this fundraise - we at @DraperVC could not be more proud to be your investors!!
Last year, we proved what was possible.
Today, we're accelerating what comes next.
Venus Aerospace has closed a $91M Series B led by @MercuryFund, with participation from @LockheedMartin Ventures, to transform our flight-proven RDRE into deployable propulsion systems for defense and space.
The next chapter starts now.
Read more: venusaero.com/newsroom/venus…
Tim Draper retweeted
The Live Fact Checker is here.
No more pausing. No more Googling. No more losing the moment.
ArAIstotle's Live Fact Checker transcribes and verifies claims in real time on YouTube, Twitch, Google Meet, X videos, and more right inside the Chrome extension.
How it works:
• Claims are extracted automatically as you watch
• High-priority claims are checked instantly
• Verdicts (True / False / Unverifiable) appear in real time
• Auto or Manual mode — you choose
Share the truth. Spread the word.
Tim Draper retweeted
I wrote more about these amazing students and their missions here on LinkedIn - if anyone is interested! linkedin.com/pulse/america-2…
Tim Draper retweeted
250 years ago, a bunch of audacious founders dreamed up an untested operating model and scaled it into the most powerful nation on earth. To celebrate, we ran America's Startup Challenge with @America250 and brought the top 10 teams to Silicon Valley for the finals. I was blown away — students building everything from biodegradable seaweed-based fire suppressant to precision cancer therapies. Entrepreneurs like this are why I'm optimistic about America. Their drive and vision are what make this country what it is.
Excited to keep working with them at @draper_u ! Here's to 250+ more years 🇺🇸
Tim Draper retweeted
New episode out now with the LEGEND & ICON of VC @TimDraper!!! (First investor in @Bitcoin, @Tesla, @SpaceX) 🤯🐐🚀₿
youtu.be/eC3F_WpUKCU
@draper_u @HeroCitySpace @DraperVC @DFJvc
#timdraper #bitcoin #vc #draperuniversity #draperassociates – at Fremont, CA
Tim Draper retweeted
Yep
Bitcoin has always been operating in 4 year cycles where it crashes at the end
2014, 2018, 2022, 2026
It's actually great because every 4th year people really get super sad and give up on it (or well that's how it feels like)
There's also surely some sentiment pumping to push the price down so people can buy in cheap again
The next cycle up is 2027-2031
(And it has something to with the halvening which happens every 4 years cutting the reward for miners in half)
Tim Draper retweeted
"You're not trying to find a cancer drug for a million people, not even 100,000. One." @Andytang joins For Your Innovation to discuss why personalized cancer treatment could flip the entire U.S. Food and Drug Administration model on its head.