Draper raises $190m round to invest in early stage ventures

Draper Associates raised $190 million on Monday to invest in early stage ventures.

San Mateo-based Draper Associates is an investment vehicle for Tim Draper, founder of DFJ and the Draper Venture Network and early investor in Skype, Baidu, Tesla, TwitchTV, Hotmail, Cruise Automation and Thumbtack. Draper’s DFJ fund has raised $760 million to date, closing a $350 million round in February. 

Draper remains the biggest limited partner. The fund will lead early stage investments, with the ability to support companies with follow-on rounds in special circumstances. The fund will focus on fintech, govtech, healthcare, education, insurance and logistics, but is open to any entrepreneur “who is willing to challenge the status quo.”