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Blackbird Labs
Fred Wilson – Oct 6, 2022
At USV, we are looking for applications that can bring hundreds of millions of users onto web3. As great as the decentralized finance and digital art applications of web3 are, they aren’t likely to get my mom or your mom [...] Read more
Why Trust Matters
Fred Wilson – Jun 4, 2019
Dani and Nick and the rest of the USV team worked on a talk about “Why Trust Matters” that we presented at the recent USV CEO Summit. Dani published it on the USV blog yesterday . It is a great [...] Read more
Trusted Brands
Zach Goldstein , Dani Grant and Nick Grossman – May 29, 2019
We recently held our annual CEO summit where 65 of our portfolio company CEOs came together in NYC. Because we had updated our thesis since last year’s summit, we wanted to share some of our thinking with the group around trusted brands, [...] Read more
Sofar
Andy Weissman – May 21, 2019
At a Sofar, you are sitting on the floor in a room full of mostly strangers, listening to artists you’ve never heard of, perhaps in a city you’ve never been to before, and yet it’s possible to feel comfortable and content. [...] Read more
The Distributed Computing Update #3
Dani Grant – Feb 27, 2019
Why is distributed compute important? It's not about price, it's about integrity with developers. Developers can trust that a distributed compute protocol won’t go away, fall down, lock them in, revoke their access, or become their direct competitor. Developers cannot trust Amazon, Google or Microsoft to promise them the same. Read more
Come for an Action, Stay for the Community
Rebecca Kaden – Feb 15, 2019
The next wave of social systems will likely emphasize breadth and depth differently than the last--and may not look much like social networks at all. With the current networks, the horizontal nature of the platform is the product. Users come for the community. But it may be that with the next, the community is what keeps users long term engaged but is formed around another intent. Come for an action, stay for the community. Read more
Welcoming Dia&Co to USV
Rebecca Kaden – Nov 15, 2018
There are two core reasons that make Dia&Co particularly exciting as an addition to the USV portfolio. First, the size and current state of the market they are focused on. Second, how well positioned this team is to tackle this problem and the ability they’ve shown to create not just a transactional business but a large, fast scaling, emotionally engaged community. Read more
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Andy Weissman – Oct 25, 2018
Differentiated user experiences are a cornerstone of the defensible businesses that USV has invested in for over 10 years. In the most recent articulation of our thesis - 3.0 - we also stressed experiences and trusted brands that expand access [...] Read more
Our Investment in Modern Fertility
Rebecca Kaden – May 30, 2018
Modern Fertility is building a trusted consumer brand in fertility, starting with their launch today of at-home testing for women. In the comfort of their own homes, and for a fraction of what it would cost at a clinic, women can have their key fertility hormones tested through a few drops of blood. Read more