“Can VCs be bred?” asks US Weekly Fast Company‘s recent feature on the Draper dynasty, an absurdly wealthy coterie of ski-loving venture capitalists who just so happen to share the same bloodline. The elder Drapers founded some of the most notable investment firms–perhaps you’ve heard of Draper Richards, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, or Sutter Hill Ventures? Now, the younger Drapers–Jesse, Adam and Bill, all in their 20s–are ready for their time in the spotlight, and this article serves as their coming out of sorts.
While reading the piece, we found we were at a loss for words. Several frenzied Skype messages were exchanged, each more convoluted than the last. It was best, we finally decided, to communicate in our native language in order to truly do this piece justice: it was best to communicate via GIFs.
Upon seeing the photo, in which Jesse Draper is wearing only one shoe, one Draper son has his collar dramatically popped and Papa Bill looks like a salt-haired version of David Caruso:
“If you’re connected to the Draper family, you simply must attend the Valley Girl holiday party, a bat mitzvah-type blowout at Atherton’s posh country club, the Menlo Circus Club.”
“That’s the thing about growing up in Silicon Valley. No one’s famous and no one’s rich . . . because everyone’s famous and everyone’s rich,” says Anderson. “So no one realizes, Oh, not everyone celebrates ski week?”
“My brother got bored in the middle of an interview with Eric Schmidt and put the camera down on the ground,” Jesse says of the show’s early days.
His next venture: trying to turn Silicon Valley into its own state. “I’ve already written up a constitution,” he says.