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Feb 9, 2016 · 23m · top-founders

This is The Worlds Most Influential, Powerful Investor with Tim Draper of DFJ Venture (Timothy Draper)

Tim Draper · 12m spoken Nathan Latka · 7m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this episode of 'The Top,' host Nathan Latka interviews iconic venture capitalist Tim Draper, exploring his legendary investments in companies like Skype, Tesla, and Hotmail alongside his global venture syndicate. Draper shares foundational insights on experiential entrepreneurship education, viral growth strategies, civic reform, and the vital role of intuition in business leadership.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 35.4% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 2.6 Guest teaching 2.6 Guest disagreement 1.4 Nathan pushing back 1.7
05100:0010:0020:004:03–6:09 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Draper Venture Network and Fund Structures Nathan tries to press Draper on fund sizes and return metrics, playfully asking him to break SEC rules. Draper deflects by explaining SEC restrictions and the intricate global umbrella structure of Draper Venture Network.6:10–10:17 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Educational Philosophy and Startup U Nathan asks about Draper's reality TV show 'Startup U', referencing a specific episode challenge. Draper elaborates on his educational philosophy of experimentation, rewriting rules, and overcoming fear of failure.10:18–13:16 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Sourcing Deals and Backing Tesla Early Nathan assumes Draper entered Tesla in Series C, but Draper gently corrects him that he came in during the first round under Martin Eberhard before Elon Musk took over operations.13:19–17:13 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Six Californias Proposal and Governance Reform Nathan questions Draper on his Six Californias ballot proposal and whether he would ever run for political office. Draper presents his thesis on government competition using Estonia as a benchmark.17:13–19:54 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Inventing Viral Marketing with Hotmail Nathan highlights Draper's legacy in pioneering viral marketing at Hotmail. Draper shares the story of pitching the signature line to resistant founders without seeking patent protection.19:54–22:23 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan guides Draper through his standard Famous Five rapid-fire format. Draper enthusiastically endorses his father's book, portfolio CEOs including Elizabeth Holmes, and gives advice on intuition.22:23–23:10 · Nathan as informed peer 0/10 Episode Conclusion and Next Episode Preview Standard host outro, housekeeping, listener call to action, and preview for the next episode.4:03–6:09 · Guest teaching 4/10 Draper Venture Network and Fund Structures Nathan tries to press Draper on fund sizes and return metrics, playfully asking him to break SEC rules. Draper deflects by explaining SEC restrictions and the intricate global umbrella structure of Draper Venture Network.6:10–10:17 · Guest teaching 3/10 Educational Philosophy and Startup U Nathan asks about Draper's reality TV show 'Startup U', referencing a specific episode challenge. Draper elaborates on his educational philosophy of experimentation, rewriting rules, and overcoming fear of failure.10:18–13:16 · Guest teaching 5/10 Sourcing Deals and Backing Tesla Early Nathan assumes Draper entered Tesla in Series C, but Draper gently corrects him that he came in during the first round under Martin Eberhard before Elon Musk took over operations.13:19–17:13 · Guest teaching 3/10 Six Californias Proposal and Governance Reform Nathan questions Draper on his Six Californias ballot proposal and whether he would ever run for political office. Draper presents his thesis on government competition using Estonia as a benchmark.17:13–19:54 · Guest teaching 2/10 Inventing Viral Marketing with Hotmail Nathan highlights Draper's legacy in pioneering viral marketing at Hotmail. Draper shares the story of pitching the signature line to resistant founders without seeking patent protection.19:54–22:23 · Guest teaching 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan guides Draper through his standard Famous Five rapid-fire format. Draper enthusiastically endorses his father's book, portfolio CEOs including Elizabeth Holmes, and gives advice on intuition.22:23–23:10 · Guest teaching 0/10 Episode Conclusion and Next Episode Preview Standard host outro, housekeeping, listener call to action, and preview for the next episode.4:03–6:09 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Draper Venture Network and Fund Structures Nathan tries to press Draper on fund sizes and return metrics, playfully asking him to break SEC rules. Draper deflects by explaining SEC restrictions and the intricate global umbrella structure of Draper Venture Network.6:10–10:17 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Educational Philosophy and Startup U Nathan asks about Draper's reality TV show 'Startup U', referencing a specific episode challenge. Draper elaborates on his educational philosophy of experimentation, rewriting rules, and overcoming fear of failure.10:18–13:16 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Sourcing Deals and Backing Tesla Early Nathan assumes Draper entered Tesla in Series C, but Draper gently corrects him that he came in during the first round under Martin Eberhard before Elon Musk took over operations.13:19–17:13 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Six Californias Proposal and Governance Reform Nathan questions Draper on his Six Californias ballot proposal and whether he would ever run for political office. Draper presents his thesis on government competition using Estonia as a benchmark.17:13–19:54 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Inventing Viral Marketing with Hotmail Nathan highlights Draper's legacy in pioneering viral marketing at Hotmail. Draper shares the story of pitching the signature line to resistant founders without seeking patent protection.19:54–22:23 · Guest disagreement 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan guides Draper through his standard Famous Five rapid-fire format. Draper enthusiastically endorses his father's book, portfolio CEOs including Elizabeth Holmes, and gives advice on intuition.22:23–23:10 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Episode Conclusion and Next Episode Preview Standard host outro, housekeeping, listener call to action, and preview for the next episode.4:03–6:09 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Draper Venture Network and Fund Structures Nathan tries to press Draper on fund sizes and return metrics, playfully asking him to break SEC rules. Draper deflects by explaining SEC restrictions and the intricate global umbrella structure of Draper Venture Network.6:10–10:17 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Educational Philosophy and Startup U Nathan asks about Draper's reality TV show 'Startup U', referencing a specific episode challenge. Draper elaborates on his educational philosophy of experimentation, rewriting rules, and overcoming fear of failure.10:18–13:16 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Sourcing Deals and Backing Tesla Early Nathan assumes Draper entered Tesla in Series C, but Draper gently corrects him that he came in during the first round under Martin Eberhard before Elon Musk took over operations.13:19–17:13 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Six Californias Proposal and Governance Reform Nathan questions Draper on his Six Californias ballot proposal and whether he would ever run for political office. Draper presents his thesis on government competition using Estonia as a benchmark.17:13–19:54 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Inventing Viral Marketing with Hotmail Nathan highlights Draper's legacy in pioneering viral marketing at Hotmail. Draper shares the story of pitching the signature line to resistant founders without seeking patent protection.19:54–22:23 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan guides Draper through his standard Famous Five rapid-fire format. Draper enthusiastically endorses his father's book, portfolio CEOs including Elizabeth Holmes, and gives advice on intuition.22:23–23:10 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Episode Conclusion and Next Episode Preview Standard host outro, housekeeping, listener call to action, and preview for the next episode.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 67.8% · guest 32.2%0:00 · Nathan 67.8% · guest 32.2%3:00 · Nathan 23.7% · guest 76.3%3:00 · Nathan 23.7% · guest 76.3%6:00 · Nathan 27.8% · guest 72.2%6:00 · Nathan 27.8% · guest 72.2%9:00 · Nathan 13.4% · guest 86.6%9:00 · Nathan 13.4% · guest 86.6%12:00 · Nathan 23.4% · guest 76.6%12:00 · Nathan 23.4% · guest 76.6%15:00 · Nathan 23.4% · guest 76.6%15:00 · Nathan 23.4% · guest 76.6%18:00 · Nathan 55.6% · guest 44.4%18:00 · Nathan 55.6% · guest 44.4%21:00 · Nathan 55.1% · guest 44.9%21:00 · Nathan 55.1% · guest 44.9%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 4:22 Refusing SEC-sensitive disclosure

Draper shuts down Nathan's attempt to reveal current fundraising numbers by explicitly pushing back on SEC rules.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 4:50 Pressing on fund sizes

Nathan refuses to let go of the fund sizing question, giving Draper 'one last chance' to break SEC compliance.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 10:28 Correcting Tesla investment round and leadership timeline

Draper corrects Nathan's misconception about DFJ entering Tesla in Series C, setting the record straight about Martin Eberhard and the first round.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 13:40 Reciting Six Californias regional breakdown

Nathan demonstrates detailed knowledge of Draper's initiative by listing out all proposed state regions unprompted.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Draper Venture Network and Fund Structures 3424 Nathan tries to press Draper on fund sizes and return metrics, playfully asking him to break SEC rules. Draper deflects by explaining SEC restrictions and the intricate global umbrella structure of Draper Venture Network.
Educational Philosophy and Startup U 4311 Nathan asks about Draper's reality TV show 'Startup U', referencing a specific episode challenge. Draper elaborates on his educational philosophy of experimentation, rewriting rules, and overcoming fear of failure.
Sourcing Deals and Backing Tesla Early 3532 Nathan assumes Draper entered Tesla in Series C, but Draper gently corrects him that he came in during the first round under Martin Eberhard before Elon Musk took over operations.
Six Californias Proposal and Governance Reform 3322 Nathan questions Draper on his Six Californias ballot proposal and whether he would ever run for political office. Draper presents his thesis on government competition using Estonia as a benchmark.
Inventing Viral Marketing with Hotmail 3211 Nathan highlights Draper's legacy in pioneering viral marketing at Hotmail. Draper shares the story of pitching the signature line to resistant founders without seeking patent protection.
The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions 2112 Nathan guides Draper through his standard Famous Five rapid-fire format. Draper enthusiastically endorses his father's book, portfolio CEOs including Elizabeth Holmes, and gives advice on intuition.
Episode Conclusion and Next Episode Preview 0000 Standard host outro, housekeeping, listener call to action, and preview for the next episode.

Statements from this episode (8)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Draper: Skype Cut 100k Audio Users for First Video Call
“The first Skype video call, they cut off a 100,000 simultaneous audio users in order to get the bandwidth for our video to work.”
Tim Draper Feb 9, 2016 ▶ 2:31
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Draper: Skype Never Tapped Firm's Invested Capital
“They actually never had to tap into our money.”
Tim Draper Feb 9, 2016 ▶ 3:52
Opinion
Draper: Traditional schools have become too rigid and stifle experimentation
“Schools have gotten pretty rigid out there. They're telling you what to say, what to do, what to think and they're not letting you explore and experiment and try things”
Tim Draper Feb 9, 2016 ▶ 9:06
Assertion Supported
Draper: Elon Musk was not CEO when DFJ funded Tesla
“Actually, I met Elon long before Tesla and Elon was not the CEO when we funded it. A guy named Martin Everhard was.”
Tim Draper Feb 9, 2016 ▶ 12:22
Assertion Supported
Elon Musk Funded Struggling Tesla on Condition He Could Run It
“Elon was an investor with us, and on board, and then when the company was in a dire straits, Elon said that he put money in if he could run it.”
Tim Draper Feb 9, 2016 ▶ 12:43
Assertion Not publicly verifiable
Tim Draper Pushed Hotmail Founders to Add Viral Email Signature
“The idea was to say, PS, I love you. Get your free email at Hotmail. And they thought I was out of my mind. And then they said, okay, okay. After we pounded the table for a long time, they finally said, okay, okay, we'll do it. But no PS, I love you. Just get …”
Tim Draper Feb 9, 2016 ▶ 17:51
Disclosure
Tim Draper Refused to Patent the Viral Email Signature to Spur Adoption
“I decided not to patent the idea or anything because I thought, you know, this is such a cool thing. I kind of want the whole world to do it because then communications will spread faster. New products will spread faster. Everything will be better.”
Tim Draper Feb 9, 2016 ▶ 18:23
Opinion
Tim Draper Defended Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes as 'Terrific' in 2016
“Oh yeah, she's terrific.”
Tim Draper Feb 9, 2016 ▶ 21:26
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