Early-stage VC, New York

Union Square Ventures

Venture capital firm · New York · Founded October 2003

Quick read

Union Square Ventures (USV), an early-stage VC firm founded October 2003, headquartered at 817 Broadway in New York City. It manages over $1B across seven funds with a deliberately small team of ~29 people, backing companies that transform large markets through networks, platforms, and protocols. USV has posted exceptional returns — a reported 9x average DPI across funds — while keeping fund sizes in the $250–400M range.

Key facts

Founded
October 2003
Founders
Fred Wilson, Brad Burnham
Employees
29
Sectors
consumer, fintech, crypto, ai, generalist
Website
www.usv.com/

Investment thesis

USV backs early-stage companies that build large networks of engaged users, apply networks or platforms to transform markets, and create defensible value through data — with active interest across consumer tech, crypto/web3, fintech, and energy/climate infrastructure.

Recent activity

  • Feb 2026investment
    USV led Efficient Computer's Series A, with Rebecca Kaden authoring the announcement post on the USV blog. usv.com
  • 2026investment
    USV co-led Tasklet's $20M raise alongside Lightspeed, with Y Combinator, Jeff Dean, and Patrick & John Collison also participating. Tasklet is building a cloud agent operating system for work and crossed $5M ARR in Q1 2026. linkedin.com
  • 2026investment
    USV led Isembard's $50M Series A, less than a year after the company's seed round led by Notion Capital. linkedin.com
  • 2026investment
    USV led a $15M seed round (company not named in public snippet) per the firm's LinkedIn announcement. linkedin.com
  • 2026press
    Nick Grossman published a post announcing USV is actively investing in energy startups. linkedin.com
  • 2026leadership
    USV announced its Analyst Program 2026, opening applications for new analysts with a two-week application window. x.com
  • H1 2026press
    Rebecca Kaden appeared in a candid panel with Silicon Valley Bank on its H1 2026 State of the Markets report, discussing a "barbell" effect emerging in venture capital. linkedin.com
  • 2026investment
    USV participated in a geothermal AI-discovery funding round alongside Spring Lane Capital, Obvious Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, and others. linkedin.com

Notable investments

Key people

Named individuals at the firm. We don't expose direct email or phone — use their LinkedIn for outreach.

Sources

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Frequently asked

What is Union Square Ventures?+

Union Square Ventures (USV), an early-stage VC firm founded October 2003, headquartered at 817 Broadway in New York City. It manages over $1B across seven funds with a deliberately small team of ~29 people, backing companies that transform large markets through networks, platforms, and protocols.

Where is Union Square Ventures headquartered?+

Union Square Ventures is headquartered in New York, United States.

When was Union Square Ventures founded?+

Union Square Ventures was founded in October 2003 by Fred Wilson, Brad Burnham.

What sectors does Union Square Ventures invest in?+

Union Square Ventures focuses on consumer, fintech, crypto, ai, generalist. They primarily invest in these sectors.

How do I prepare for a meeting with Union Square Ventures?+

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Generated by briefthecall.com from public web sources on May 27, 2026. Each claim is linked to its source above.