Tim DraperFounder and Managing Partne, Draper Associate · I back the ideas that look crazy first

Sometimes, innovation is born out of necessity. 💊

24 Jan 2025 · 1 min

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In this brief first‑person testimonial, the speaker explains how a diagnosis of hepatitis C and a severe financial shortfall—earning $1,000 at a university while needing $2,000 for medication—prompted them to start a business. The venture was created specifically to raise the funds required for treatment. The speaker describes the experience as a turning point, noting that the business effort succeeded, allowing them to afford the medication and become virus‑free. The narrative frames entrepreneurship as a tool for personal agency and a way to overcome health‑related adversity.

Chapters

Doing business gives you tools to control your life and then help others. I started doing business because I was diagnosed with hepatitis C, and my salary at the university was only $1,000, and I needed to pay $2,000 for my medicine. And I was sitting and, like, thinking, right now I need to help myself. And I started a business to get that funds for the treatment. At the end of the day, the magic happened. And I'm virus-free.