Draper Richards
Encyclopedia
Draper Richards is a private equity
firm focused on venture capital
investments in U.S. technology companies. The firm was founded in 1996 by Bill Draper
an early venture capitalist, who had previously founded Sutter Hill Ventures
in 1964 together with Robin Richards Donohoe. The firm invests principally on behalf of the Draper Richards Foundation, a non profit organization.
Draper has been a founding investor in such notable companies as Activision
(acquired by Mediagenic), Apollo Computer
(acquired by Hewlett Packard), Dionex, Hybritech (acquired by Eli Lilly and Company
), Integrated Genetics (acquired by Genzyme
), LSI Logic, Measurex
, Quantum, Qume
(acquired by ITT Corporation
) and Xidex (acquired by Eastman Kodak
), among others.
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
firm focused on venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
investments in U.S. technology companies. The firm was founded in 1996 by Bill Draper
William Henry Draper III
William Henry Draper III is a prominent American venture capitalist.-Early life and career:Draper was born in White Plains, New York, the son of Katherine and banker and diplomat William Henry Draper, Jr. He attended Yale University with George H. W. Bush, graduated in 1950, the year after George...
an early venture capitalist, who had previously founded Sutter Hill Ventures
Sutter Hill Ventures
Sutter Hill Ventures is a private equity firm focused on venture capital investments in technology-based start-up companies. The firm is based in Palo Alto, CA....
in 1964 together with Robin Richards Donohoe. The firm invests principally on behalf of the Draper Richards Foundation, a non profit organization.
Draper has been a founding investor in such notable companies as Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
(acquired by Mediagenic), Apollo Computer
Apollo Computer
Apollo Computer, Inc., founded 1980 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts by William Poduska and others, developed and produced Apollo/Domain workstations in the 1980s. Along with Symbolics and Sun Microsystems, Apollo was one of the first vendors of graphical workstations in the 1980s...
(acquired by Hewlett Packard), Dionex, Hybritech (acquired by Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...
), Integrated Genetics (acquired by Genzyme
Genzyme
Genzyme Corporation is a fully owned subsidiary of Sanofi-Aventis. Before its acquisition, Genzyme was an American biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2010, Genzyme was the world’s third-largest biotechnology company, employing more than 11,000 people around the world...
), LSI Logic, Measurex
Measurex
Measurex was an American company based in Cupertino, California. Measurex was one of the first companies developing computer control systems for industry, primarily the paper-making industry. The development of the control systems included the development of control software, and development of...
, Quantum, Qume
Qume
Qume was a manufacturer of daisy-wheel printers originally located in Hayward, California, later moving to San Jose. Around 1980, it also opened a manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico. It once dominated the daisy-wheel market. As the market for its printers declined in the 1980s, the company...
(acquired by ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
) and Xidex (acquired by Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
), among others.
See also
- William Henry Draper, Jr.
- Horace Rowan GaitherHorace Rowan GaitherHorace Rowan Gaither, Jr. , known as H. Rowan Gaither, was a San Francisco attorney, investment banker, and a powerful administrator at the Ford Foundation. During World War II, he served as assistant director of the Radiation Laboratory at M.I.T. In 1948, he helped found the Rand Corporation and...
- Draper Richards, a venture capital firm founded by William Henry Draper IIIWilliam Henry Draper IIIWilliam Henry Draper III is a prominent American venture capitalist.-Early life and career:Draper was born in White Plains, New York, the son of Katherine and banker and diplomat William Henry Draper, Jr. He attended Yale University with George H. W. Bush, graduated in 1950, the year after George...
- Draper Fisher JurvetsonDraper Fisher JurvetsonDraper Fisher Jurvetson is a venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California with affiliate offices in more than 30 cities around the world and over $7 billion in capital commitments....
, a venture capital firm founded by Timothy C. DraperTimothy C. DraperTimothy Cook Draper is the founder of the global venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson.Draper is third in a line of venture capitalists. His father, William Henry Draper III , founded Draper & Johnson Investment Company in 1962, Sutter Hill Ventures in 1968, Draper International India in...
External links
- Draper Richards (company website)
- Draper Richards Foundation (organization website)