There was barely a breeze on the roof of the MCM studios building in Manhattan last week as six entrepreneurs graced a stage to pitch their businesses.
At one point, it was April Wachtel’s turn. She stood and made the case for her company, Cheeky Cocktails, to a judging panel that included the billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper. Men holding TV cameras circled her as she pitched, capturing the moment live for Draper’s “Shark Tank”-style business competition show “Meet the Drapers.”
The show is entering its eighth season, with past winners including the leadership platform Balloo and the food company It’s Skinny.
After the show, Wachtel told TechCrunch the experience was a “whirlwind” and said the exposure is huge for startups like hers. Cheeky Cocktails offers a line of handcrafted cocktail mixers. She heard about the show after coming in second at another pitch competition earlier this month. A producer for “Meet the Drapers” reached out and asked if she was available to film, and less than two days later, she was pitching on the show.
“There’s no substitute for hearing a founder tell their own story,” she said. “At the end of the day, people might buy from you because they like you and then stick around because they love the product.”
Last Monday, the show provided a behind-the-scenes look at how it’s made to selected media and guests. Draper told TechCrunch he wanted to offer a behind-the-scenes look at how investments are made.
His judging panel included his sister, Polly Draper, an actress best known at the moment for appearing in “Hacks.” Also on the panel were Andy Tang, a partner at Draper Associates, and Rosie Rios, who served as Treasurer of the United States from 2009 until 2016.
The show is one of many on Draper’s newly launched television channel, DraperTV, which offers programming around business and entrepreneurship, available via streaming services like Roku. Previously, the show aired on channels like BizTV.
This season of the show travels throughout various cities in the U.S., such as Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Austin, and Detroit, tapping into local talent and highlighting different tech ecosystems.
Wachtel was one of six founders on the New York episode, the winners of which go on to the semifinal round against all the other city winners, and then the grand finale in San Francisco to vie for the $1 million prize.
“The idea was for people around the world to be able to see what the entrepreneurial and venture capital interaction looks like, and why it’s one of the best things for creating jobs and wealth and energy and consumer activity around the world,” Draper said.
The show had all the hallmarks of entrepreneurship and entertainment that viewers love. Draper has a big personality and knows when to poke fun at himself. The investors gave clear insights, and the founders came with grand visions. Everyone hailed from diverse ethnic and gender backgrounds and various careers in a myriad of industries.
Sujana Chandrasekhar, founder of the medtech KivviMed, partook in the same New Jersey pitch competition as Wachtel and also received a recommendation to audition for “Meet the Drapers.” Chandrasekhar said she was more nervous than usual while pitching on “Meet the Drapers,” especially knowing the show’s audience size. KivviMed is creating a medical device to help alleviate ear pain.
I’ve created five digital twins. I’ve got my digital twin interviewing, like, Karl Marx.
Draper said the show has a big viewership, specifically in India, Brazil, and Taiwan. DraperTV, launched last summer, reaches more than 350 million households throughout the world, according to stats the show provided.
“I was able to stay focused and convey what I needed to convey and answer the questions as best as I could,” Chandrasekhar told TechCrunch. The show’s staff also helped prepare her, she said. They helped her hone her pitch, did a tiny walking tour of New York with the founders, and provided hair and makeup, which, she said, made her feel special.
“The exposure that our company and vision receives is outstanding,” she added about why she chose to participate.
Hilary Taylor, the founder of WattsUp, agreed. WattsUp is a startup that created electric vehicle infrastructure. Taylor found out about the show through the Techstars Alabama Accelerator program, of which her company is currently a part.
She called the show engaging and challenging, saying it was just as much about storytelling as it was business.
“You have to connect with viewers and judges in a very short window, simplifying complex technology for a mainstream audience while still sounding credible to investors,” she continued, adding that the show helps early-stage founders connect with those beyond the tech bubble.
“Unlike the buttoned-up feel of many VC pitch rooms, this one had candid, funny, even goofy moments that made it feel human and unexpectedly fun,” she said.
“Meet the Drapers” is only one part of a larger Draper media empire being built. Draper himself is a third-generation investor (after his famed father and grandfather) and, in the 1980s, founded Draper Associates, a venture firm that has backed some of the biggest names in tech, like Tesla, Skype, and Twitch. His children have also entered the family venture capital business, including Jesse Draper, founder of Halogen Ventures, and Adam Draper, founder of Boost VC.
It’s clear Draper has big ambitions for his tech and startup-focused media empire. DraperTV offers shows like “Draper Decentralized,” about AI and web3; the “Can’t Be Done” podcast, about emerging technology; and “Talk with Tim,” in which Draper shares his perspectives about business and technology.
There’s no substitute for hearing a founder tell their own story.
He’s also building digital twins: AI versions of himself that can interact with people and even conduct interviews. He believes digital twins will become a more significant part of entertainment, media, and news, though added humans will still play a big role in news development.
“I’ve created five digital twins,” he said. “I’ve got my digital twin interviewing, like, Karl Marx.”
Beyond his TV network, Draper is still running Draper University, a program that has, at times, used unconventional methods to train entrepreneurs on how to survive in the startup-world jungle. For instance, one of his first forays into reality TV was a show based on Draper University called “Startup U,” which was quickly canceled after one season. But Draper said he still likes the premise and hasn’t ruled out making another, similar attempt.
“We’ve done some extraordinary things with entrepreneurs, and it has made some very good videos and some very good storytelling,” he said.
Draper believes that the innovation these founders are building will be of greatest importance in the decades to come and that showcasing such talent now is a gateway for people to explore the future. On “Meet the Drapers,” that meant a sneak peek at how people are seeing the future of sports betting, how founders are looking to enhance drug discovery, and how electric vehicle infrastructure is about to see a shake-up.
“There are a few networks that are thinking about the future,” Draper continued. “They are all telling the story of what’s happening right now. We want the story of 15 years from now.”