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The 0% Take Rate Marketplace Valuation Conundrum
Albert Wenger – Apr 9, 2015
I wrote a post not that long ago about how take rate (or rake) is one vector for disrupting incumbent marketplaces. Recently I have seen a number of startups that have taken this to its logical extreme: charge nothing at [...] Read more
Where Are We?
Albert Wenger – Apr 3, 2015
I have been away for two weeks in Europe. The first skiing and the second meeting with startups in Berlin. As usual while traveling I took a break from blogging which I find helps me in a couple of ways. [...] Read more
Not Too Late: Obama Should Shut Down Gitmo
Albert Wenger – Mar 19, 2015
I was going to write about something else this morning but then I happened upon a video of President Obama saying yesterday that he should have closed Guantanamo Bay on day 1 of his presidency I have written here on [...] Read more
Hack the Environment(al Data)
Albert Wenger – Mar 18, 2015
I have long been writing about climate change on Continuations. Mostly it has been about more evidence with the occasional call to action. Today is such a call if you live in London: Our portfolio companies AMEE and Twilio together [...] Read more
The Misunderstood Self Driving Car
Albert Wenger – Mar 17, 2015
Yesterday I saw a funny cartoon about self driving cars by Scott Adams from the perspective of a robot with an attitude: When I discuss the impact of automation on the labor market I sometimes run into the argument that [...] Read more
VCs Are (What Google Thinks)
Albert Wenger – Mar 16, 2015
Last night at dinner while waiting for the food we played the “Google autocomplete game.” Here is how it goes. You go to Google and type the beginning of a search query. Then you tell the others the possible completions [...] Read more
Wishing for an Interactive Math, Programming & Physics Learning Environment
Albert Wenger – Mar 9, 2015
It is now six years ago that we at USV held our one day mini conference on “Hacking Education.” A lot has happened since then. We have made investments in Codecademy, Duolingo, Edmodo and Skillshare. MOOCs really took off with [...] Read more
Valuations: Public and Private Markets Misleading Each Other?
Albert Wenger – Mar 5, 2015
With the NASDAQ going above 5,000 for the first time since the year 2000 valuations in tech are once again on everyone’s mind, mine included. It has been a long period writing here on Continuations that I have thought valuations [...] Read more
Knowledge
Albert Wenger – Mar 3, 2015
As our son reminded me the other day, the classical definition of knowledge, going as far back as Plato, are statements that are justified, true and believed. Each of those criteria though is problematic and lacks a clear meaning, despite [...] Read more