Draper Investment Company (Zurich)

«Thinking Global for Family Offices»

In 2001, the Draper family wanted
to capitalize on the success of
Draper International, the first US
institutional venture fund in India
in 1990, by expanding its focus
on a global basis. This vision became
Draper Investment Company
with an emphasis on emerging,
disruptive and ground-breaking
technologies in new markets.
With the internet telecommunications
company Skype, Draper had a very
prominent exit and demonstrated its
know-how in the ICT sector. By moving
its headquarters to Zurich from
San Francisco, the investment company
hopes to continue to find entrepreneurs
with new visionary technologies
as well as co-investors who share the
same mindset to invest in technology
companies with global vision.
The two-man investment team comprises
Bill Draper and Don Plaisted, a
former Deloitte&Touche senior manager.
Plaisted is responsible for the day
to day management and has 12-years
experience as a VC. William H. Draper
(III) has over thirty years of experience
as one of America’s first venture capitalists.
His father, General William H.
Draper, Jr. (II), formerly an Army Undersecretary,
was responsible for the economic
reconstruction of Germany and
Japan under the Marshall Plan. In 1958
he founded Draper, Gaither & Anderson.
It is clear that with such a dynastic
history, trust will be the most valuable
asset in its work with entrepreneurs
and investees to build-up successful
and lasting technology companies.
Draper seeks investments in early-stage
companies, typically in a company‘s first round of financing.