New Adventures: Joining Union Square Ventures in NYC

I am excited to share that I am joining the Union Square Ventures partnership alongside Albert, Andy, Fred, John, Brad, and the rest of the fantastic USV team.

What struck me first about each of my future partners at USV is that they so clearly love what they do and the founders they do it with.  While their investments in many category-defining businesses speak for themselves, I quickly learned that their passion around entrepreneurs and innovation, deep curiosity, hunger, and belief in seismic change is contagious. They have an ability to think at a universal level about massive societal shifts, and then drill that thinking down to the tangible, messy, uncertain, exciting beginnings of early-stage businesses. They have the conviction to make bold bets and believe the unlikely possible, and they know that this industry is not only in a moment of change now; it is constantly in flux. That the magic of entrepreneurship and the creation of the new is its constant evolution. The USV team embraces this change with excitement, not fear, and continually looks to push their thinking. Most importantly, they have a track record of being standout partners to the entrepreneurs they back. Every founder I talked to said essentially the same statement: they dream big; they are in it with us.

These are the same values I learned to place importance in at Maveron, a firm and team I love and believe in and whose belief in me has been a monumental gift. There is no doubt in my mind that this is an apprenticeship business and my Maveron partners allowed me to learn from both exceptional consumer investors and people I deeply admire. Dan, David, Jason, Pete, Anarghya, Elise, and Clayton taught me not only about investing but, most of all, about the necessary combination of head and heart, what it means to be a true team, and that, in our business and all businesses, it is all about the people. I’m grateful for the opportunity and experience, and equally so for the fun and friendship along the way. I can’t wait to find many opportunities to collaborate in the future.

A huge part of my motivation for this next adventure is my excitement about getting back to NYC and digging into its entrepreneurial ecosystem. New York City is my hometown, a community I care about, and a group of founders and creators that I am passionate about working with. I grew up loving the curiosity and sense of possibility New York inspires, and I can’t wait to dive further into how that helps form the great companies of tomorrow. Coming home is fun for many reasons, but coming home to such a hotbed of innovation and dreamers, particularly in the categories that excite me the most, is simply awesome.

Next up: exploring the intersection between our core USV thesis around network effects, whether centralized or decentralized, and the entrepreneurs building the standout consumer businesses that integrate into our hearts and minds. In each generation, no matter the changes, great consumer brands have emerged into the fabric of the world, and technology is accelerating their growth, reach, and potential more than ever before. Thinking about how to stretch the USV scope to include these breakout consumer businesses that I’ve become passionate about at Maveron is an exciting piece of this partnership. I’m equally eager to stretch my own scope, too. More on that soon as we continually evolve and iterate the USV thesis together.

If you’re a founder or potential founder building something transformational, I’m so eager to meet you. I’m on a new adventure and I’m ready to dive into yours, too. You can reach me at [email protected].