# Draper University

> Draper University is a San Mateo entrepreneurship education and accelerator company founded by venture capitalist Tim Draper in 2012. It offers residential founder training, virtual education and customized ecosystem programs, with selected blockchain cohorts receiving investment or grants alongside mentorship and investor introductions.

- **Founded:** 2012
- **Headquarters:** San Mateo, United States
- **Founders:** Tim Draper (Founder)
- **Products:** Hero Training, Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship, Government innovation programs, Stellar Builder Residency, Stellar Embark Accelerator
- **Notable:** Hero Training page reports 3,300+ alumni, 700+ companies and $950M+ raised by alumni; figures are self-reported and do not establish causation., Government programs page reports partnerships with more than 20 government agencies., Cardano Foundation’s September 2026 update reports 13 Genesis teams presenting and two teams winning an industry hackathon.

## Products & services

- **Hero Training** — Five-week residential pre-accelerator for aspiring entrepreneurs, including applicants without an idea.
- **Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship** — Listed virtual course offering 30 hours of entrepreneurship learning; the public page shows a 2024 session and closed applications.
- **Government innovation programs** — Customized entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem training for government partners.
- **Stellar Builder Residency** — Residency with a stated $20,000 equity-free grant and covered accommodation; participant agreement governs disbursement.
- **Stellar Embark Accelerator** — 2025 ten-week residency advertising $50,000 investment, released in milestone-linked tranches.
- **Cardano Genesis Pre-Accelerator** — 2026 four-week residency for early-stage technical teams, with up to $20,000 investment for a target 2% equity.
- **Cardano Apex Growth Accelerator** — 2026 ten-week residency for investor-ready startups, with up to $70,000 investment for a target 3.5% equity.

## Achievements

- Hero Training page reports 3,300+ alumni, 700+ companies and $950M+ raised by alumni; figures are self-reported and do not establish causation.
- Government programs page reports partnerships with more than 20 government agencies.
- Cardano Foundation’s September 2026 update reports 13 Genesis teams presenting and two teams winning an industry hackathon.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Cardano and Draper Dragon announced the $80M Orion ecosystem fund, using Draper University as a founder development platform; this is not funding raised by Draper University.
- **2026-09** — Cardano Foundation reported the first Genesis cohort’s pitches and hackathon wins by Agentic Dynamics and ChatterPay.
- **2026-10** — Published schedules list Hero Training beginning October 11 and Apex beginning October 12; these are scheduled starts as of October 8.

## Links

- Website: https://draperuniversity.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/draperuniversity/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/draper_u
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DraperTV
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/draperuniversity/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DraperUniversity/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/draper-university
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-08