The Best One Yet

🦸 “Superhero Money” — Interview with Tim Draper: The Godfather of VC

September 25, 2026·47 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Live from San Francisco, we sit down with Tim Draper, the venture capitalist who wrote early checks into Tesla, SpaceX, Skype, Coinbase, Twitch and more than 20 unicorns. He was the first investor to say yes to Robinhood after its founders heard 25 no's, he bet on Bitcoin when almost nobody knew what it was, and he holds a Guinness World Record for hearing 52 startup pitches in 52 minutes while sitting in a cold plunge.Tim reveals the one question he asks every founder before writing a check, why he kept betting on SpaceX after watching its rockets blow up three times, and what happened when a self-driving car he was testing swerved into oncoming traffic. Plus how he lost his first Bitcoin in the Mt. Gox collapse, the condition he put on Robinhood's founders before investing, the industries he says AI will disrupt next, and his one piece of advice for building the next billion-dollar business.0:00 - Intro: Tim Draper Live in San Francisco3:48 - Tim Draper's Guinness World Record: 52 Startup Pitches in a Cold Plunge5:40 - Meet the Drapers: Why Tim Draper Became His Own Media Company9:48 - What Tim Draper Looks for Before Writing a Venture Capital Check12:20 - Why Tim Draper Looks for Controversial Startups13:20 - How Tim Draper Backed Tesla and SpaceX Before Elon Was Elon15:35 - SpaceX Rockets Blew Up 3 Times: Why Tim Draper Kept Betting19:10 - How Tim Draper Bet on Bitcoin Before Almost Anyone23:40 - Tim Draper's Bitcoin Prediction: Inflation, Debt and the Halving26:50 - Why Tim Draper Was Robinhood's First Investor After 25 Rejections28:45 - The Industries Tim Draper Says AI Will Disrupt Next32:30 - How to Invest Like a Venture Capitalist in the Public Stock Market34:50 - Tim Draper's Case for Capitalism and Free Markets39:15 - Why Tim Draper Says Not to Fear AI Taking Your Job44:30 - Rapid Fire: Tim Draper's Favorite Brand and Stock Ticker46:10 - Takeaway: How to Build a Billion-Dollar BusinessNEWSLETTER:https://tboypod.com/newsletter OUR 2ND SHOW:Want more business storytelling from us? Check our weekly deepdive show, The Best Idea Yet: The untold origin story of the products you're obsessed with. Listen for free to The Best Idea Yet: https://wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/NEW LISTENERSFill out our 2 minute survey: https://qualtricsxm88y5r986q.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dp1FDYiJgt6lHy6GET ON THE POD: Submit a shoutout or fact: https://tboypod.com/shoutouts SOCIALS:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tboypod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tboypodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tboypod Linkedin (Nick): https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-martell/Linkedin (Jack): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-crivici-kramer/Anything else: https://tboypod.com/ About Us: The daily pop-biz news show making today’s top stories your business. Formerly known as Robinhood Snacks, The Best One Yet is hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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