Our Name & Logo

The Mercury Name

In naming our fund, we wanted to emphasize our commitment to being involved with very early stage companies and disruptive technologies that are capable of rapid growth.  Someone suggested the name Mercury and it really seemed to fit:  In classic mythology, Mercury is the god of speed and commerce.  It is also the first and smallest planet.

The Mercury name also has a special tie to our home in Houston. During NASA’s Mercury program, President John F. Kennedy gave his famous “Moon Speech” at Rice Stadium, challenging our nation’s start-up space program to commit to greatness.  We believe that every great entrepreneur wants to change the world so we were struck by the appropriateness of the President’s words:

“We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people…”

The DFJ Mercury Logo

Our logo is comprised of three main images.  The globe is the logo of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, symbolizing the global nature of entrepreneurial opportunities and our affiliation with the DFJ Global Network.  Attached to the globe are Mercury’s wings, symbolizing speed and commerce.  On top of the globe sits the Star of Texas, symbolizing our roots and home office.