Jesse Draper

I did a fun podcast with @Sammicohentalks where I talk about my interview with Elon Musk, venture capital, family and so much more. Let me know what you think!

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jes…

Big announcement this week! Our EV charging company ‘It’s Electric!’ just announced that they were selected by the city of New York to be THE charging company! inc.com/elisa-miller-o…

My grandfather Bill Draper was an incredible man. Publicly, he was a Yale and HBS alumnus and a member of the secret society Skull and Bones with George Bush, who he remained close with throughout his life. He would never let you hear the end of why you should go to Yale—he even named one of his dogs after Eli Yale. When asked about the infamous Skull and Bones, he would leave the table because it was a “secret” society, and the rule was not to discuss it.

What he did and helped create in Silicon Valley is immeasurable, but whenever he was given credit, he would pass it off to Leland Stanford. You can read about much of it in his book, The Startup Game. He was ahead of his time and had an incredible female partner, Robin Richards, during much of his venture career, at a time when that certainly wasn’t the norm. He was also the first venture capitalist in India, and to this day, without fail, anyone I meet from India raves about how much he did for the country. Always a gentleman and an eternal optimist.

His accomplishments were extraordinary—from running for Congress against THE Shirley Temple, to backing some of Silicon Valley’s first startup successes, to his work around the world and funding nonprofits through the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation.

But my memories are about the love he had for all of us, and especially for my grandmother, whom he cared for throughout her 40-year battle with Parkinson’s. A real love story. They are now happily reunited. ❤️

Family came first, a lesson he taught us all. He would bring me international black teas from his United Nations travels, and when I was little we’d have tea parties with cream and sugar. He was at every major event in my life, cheering and standing with a hand in the air, from my high school graduation to college graduation.

I can’t believe how lucky I was to have hundreds of Sunday night family dinners with him growing up, where we would debate—and, while I was applying to colleges, endure many tedious Yale mentions. 😂 He was always the kindest. My friends have been sending me wonderful messages with their own stories about growing up with him.

He was fiercely competitive when it came to chess, tennis, and just about any other game. He had a bowl of chocolate ice cream every day and often declared, “Hot fudge sundaes all around!”

I’m heartbroken to lose our patriarch, and so grateful that we had him until 98.

I was lucky enough to say goodbye to him on my grandmother’s birthday, the day before he passed, and to witness his final words with my aunt. Believe it or not, they were: “Ice cream.” 😊

He went out with a bang.

I hope this tribute is a reminder that life and family are precious—and certainly to always appreciate your dessert.

I love you, Pops, and I’ll miss you forever. Thank you for being the greatest role model any of us could have imagined.

Until we meet again. ❤️

So Keffe killed Tupac! Huge news! Now if we could figure out who killed Kennedy and if Marilyn was set up, that would be great!

Congrats to @elonmusk and all the @SpaceX investors on a historic IPO. So many questions. Elon, how are you feeling?! And also, do you assume you pay for meals from here on out? Like, I don’t know what etiquette is for a trillionaire. Keep building dude! #spacex #elonmusk