It’s not a stretch to say that the story of Bill Draper is the story of venture capital.
The iconic 83-year-old founder of Draper Gaither & Anderson, Sutter Hill Ventures and Draper Richards virtually created the West Coast incarnation of the industry when he and his partners founded DGA in 1959 and set the stage for the massive growth of Silicon Valley over the next five decades. He is also part of a family line of investors – his father preceded him in the business, and his son, Tim, co-founded Draper Fisher Jurvetson.
Draper, who is the author of a new book, “The Startup Game,” was interviewed by Ann Winblad of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco Monday night. He engagingly recounted the beginnings of his career, some of his most notable investments, and his feelings about entrepreneurs. Asked about what he would say to his grandson were he to follow in the family footsteps and get into venture capital, he said: “Make sure you have operating experience, do your homework, try to be humble at all times, think about each opportunity from the entrepreneur’s standpoint, and be gracious to all of them, because they are the future of this country.”
To read the full, original article click on this link: Bill Draper Takes Stock Of A Venture Industry He Helped Create - Venture Capital Dispatch - WSJ
Author: Zoran Basich
