The end of near zero interest rates led the CIO of a large foundation to tell her investment team in late 2022 to “try to forget the last 14 years…the paradigm we lived in in the last 14 years was completely artificial.” This sea change in the economy has elevated the challenges both startups and emerging venture capital firms face in raising funds. Interest from multiple HBS alums in venture capital has led HBSANC to put on a chat with one of America’s first venture capitalists to remind us of the history of this industry and help us all see the bigger picture.
Bill Draper co-founded Sutter Hill Ventures and served as its senior partner from 1965-1981. On his watch, SHV, which remains today as one of the top VC firms in the US, was an early investor in Apollo Computer (acquired by Hewlett-Packard), LSI Logic, Measurex, and many others. After senior leadership roles at the United Nations, he co-founded the venture capital companies Draper International and Draper Richards. Bill was one of the first investors in Skype, which resulted in a 1,000X return when it was acquired by eBay in 2005, among other successes.
Join us to get an unparalleled perspective on an industry critical to US innovation.
Questions
- Jim Simmons at jpsimmonsjr@gmail.com.