Big Stunts, Small Checks: Shrug Capital’s Unusual Rise

Niv Dror used to ride his motorcycle up and down Sand Hill Road to ogle the entrances to Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and other iconic venture capital firms. Then working as an accountant auditing Chris Sacca’s Lowercase Capital, Dror grew obsessed with powerful people and how they worked.

Today, two years after starting his own fund, the 29-year-old manages a $15 million fund of his own, the second in a series, called Shrug Capital. Between his first, a $3 million fund, and the new effort, he’s made small investments in about 50 startups. They include a mix of virtual reality, direct-to-consumer underwear, and business and entertainment software firms, including exclusive email service Superhuman and an app for purchasing personalized video shoutouts from celebrities, Cameo.