# Union Square Ventures

Union Square Ventures is a Venture Capital based in New York, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Venture Capital
- **Headquarters:** New York, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** New York, NY, United States
- **Founded:** 2003
- **Assets under management:** >$1B (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** usv.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/union-square-ventures
- **Wikidata:** Q4355661

## Regulatory record

- **CRD number:** 162375
- **SEC file number:** 802-75126
- **Registration status:** Registered
- **Reports private funds:** Yes
- **IAPD record:** https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/162375

## About

Union Square Ventures is an exempt reporting adviser in New York, NY. It focuses on early-stage technology investments. The firm invests in US and international companies.

## Sectors

- Enterprise Software
- FinTech
- Digital Health
- AI/ML
- Education
- PropTech
- Media & Entertainment
- Energy Transition & Renewables

## People

- Fred Wilson — Co-founder & Partner
- Brad Burnham — Co-founder & Partner
- Albert Wenger — Partner
- Rebecca Kaden — Partner
- Nick Grossman — Partner

## Questions

### How does Union Square Ventures source proprietary deal flow?

USV's primary sourcing differentiator is its thesis-driven, public-facing intellectual property engine. Partners and the firm publish detailed investment theses on their website, which attracts founders who already align with those frameworks before ever meeting the investment team. Fred Wilson's long-running daily blog, AVC, reinforces this inbound-filter model with unusual transparency and has built deep trust across the developer community over two decades.

### Which sectors does USV explicitly avoid?

USV's thesis-driven approach means the firm avoids any sector where it cannot articulate a clear networks-and-platforms investment thesis. The firm has historically stayed away from capital-intensive hardware, traditional biotech, and pure-play enterprise SaaS that lacks embedded network effects. The firm's focus on 'trustworthy networks' has also led it to avoid ad-driven business models that depend on surveillance-based monetization.

### What portfolio companies define USV's track record?

USV's early funds backed Twitter, Etsy, Zynga, and Tumblr — four companies that defined consumer internet in the 2000s. Later vintages produced positions in Coinbase Global, Stripe, Duolingo, 1Password, and Protocol Labs, marking the firm's pivot into web3 and developer infrastructure while maintaining the same networks thesis that drove its earliest bets.

### Is USV structured as a traditional venture firm or does it operate differently?

USV is structured as a traditional venture capital partnership with closed-end fund vehicles, but its operational model diverges significantly from the industry norm. The firm publishes investment theses publicly, maintains a lean partnership without a dedicated marketing or LP-sales function, and treats its blog and social media presence as core investment infrastructure rather than ancillary branding. The resulting inbound deal flow reduces reliance on the warm-introduction networks that dominate peer firms.

## Related profiles

- [UnionRock Partners](https://altss.com/profile/unionrock-partners)
- [Union Tech Ventures](https://altss.com/profile/union-tech-ventures)

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Last updated: 2026-08-14T12:30:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/union-square-ventures

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