Union Square Ventures (USV)
Venture capitalNew York · Seed–Late Stage · 23 people tracked
Also known as Union Square Investment Co · UNION SQUARE VENTURES, LLC · USV
Investment thesis
Union Square Ventures focuses on investing at the edge of large markets undergoing transformation driven by technological and societal pressures. The firm targets sectors and opportunities where such forces are reshaping how markets operate.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 23 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 156 of 229 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×45SaaS ×39Fintech ×30Enterprise Software ×26Crypto & Web3 ×22Developer Tools ×21Cleantech ×18Energy ×18
HQs:United States×91United Kingdom×7Germany×3Canada×2Netherlands×2Colombia×1
Investments · 229 tracked
founders shown can be your intro path
Duolingo offers a language-learning app with short, game-like lessons that teach reading, writing, listening, and speaking, using research-based teaching methods and AI to personalize lessons for learners.
AI & Machine LearningConsumerEdTechPittsburgh, US
Andrew Moore(Director)Severin Hacker(Director)Luis von Ahn(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatBrad Burnham· per SEC Form D
Coinbase is a cryptocurrency exchange platform that offers trading, custody, and financial services for cryptocurrencies, stocks, derivatives, and prediction markets to consumers, institutions, and developers.
Crypto & Web3FintechLos Angeles, US
Brian Armstrong(Founder/CEO)in
MongoDB is a cloud database company that provides Atlas, a multi-cloud data platform for transactional, search, and generative AI workloads, along with enterprise on-premises options and integration tools for developers and partners.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsNew York, US
Chirantan 'CJ' Desai(President & CEO)Dwight Merriman(Director)Roelof Botha(Director)Sydney Carey(Chief Financial Officer)Dev Ittycheria(Chief Executive Officer)Charles M. Hazard, Jr.(Director)
Teamshares acquires small businesses from retiring owners and facilitates employee stock ownership, creating a permanent home for businesses while providing retiring owners with a reliable exit and employees with ownership opportunities.
B2B MarketplacesBrooklyn, US
Michael Brown(Founder & CEO)Kevin Shiiba(Executive Officer, Director)Alex Eu(Executive Officer, Director)
Twilio provides a cloud-based communications platform that enables businesses to integrate voice, messaging, and video into applications using APIs.
Cloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSan Francisco, US
Jeff Lawson(Founder)inEvan Cooke(Director)Scott Raney(Director)Lee Kirkpatrick(Executive Officer)Roy Ng(Executive Officer)Karyn Smith(Executive Officer)
Numerai operates a quantitative global equity market-neutral hedge fund built on a data science tournament, where participants build machine learning models on obfuscated financial data to predict market targets.
AI & Machine LearningCrypto & Web3FintechSan Francisco, US
Andrew Weissman(Director of the Issuer.)Richard Craib(Managing Member of the Issuer.)
Bogota, US
Daniel Vallejo Arbelaez(Executive Officer, Director)Santiago Suarez Vallejo(Executive Officer, Director)Jonathan Whittle(Director)Angela Strange(Director)John Buttrick(Director)
Board seatJohn Buttrick· per SEC Form D · $36.7M raise · filed May 2021
Indianapolis, US
MELODY DIPPOLD(Director)MATTHEW Y. BLUMBERG(CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND VICE PRESIDENT)SCOTT D. DORSEY(Director)JOHN T. SINCLAIR(TREASURER AND SECRETARY)
Board seatFred Wilson· per SEC Form D · $8.2M raise · filed Jul 2024
CoCounsel is an AI platform designed for legal, tax, audit, compliance, and drafting professionals, offering fiduciary-grade AI grounded in authoritative content with enterprise-grade security and transparency features.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareLegalTechSan Francisco, US
Jake Heller(Founder/CEO)in
Board seatJohn Buttrick· per SEC Form D
Sao Paulo
John Buttrick(Director)Brad Liebmann(Executive Officer, Director)Eileen Marie Serra(Director)
Board seatJohn Buttrick· per SEC Form D · $4M raise · filed Jun 2025
Dwolla provides a modern API platform that enables businesses to connect to US payment networks and facilitate fast bank transfers.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSDes Moines, US
Craig Ibsen(Director)Ben Milne(Executive Officer, Director)Jonathon Triest(Director)
Board seatAlbert Wenger· per SEC Form D
Fiveable provides AI-powered exam preparation for AP classes, offering practice questions with automated scoring and personalized study tools for high school students.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechMilwaukee, US
Amanda DoAmaral(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Craig Schedler(Director)
Board seatRebecca Kaden· per SEC Form D
New York, US
Abhishyant Khare(Director)Andrew Pignanelli(Executive Officer, Director)Rebecca Kaden(Director)
Board seatRebecca Kaden· per SEC Form D · $11M raise · filed Nov 2025
Granola is an AI notepad app that transcribes meetings from computer audio (without joining as a bot), enhances user notes, and generates action items and follow-ups.
AI & Machine LearningFuture of WorkSaaS
Board seatMichael Mignano· per SEC Form D · $20M raise · filed Aug 2024
San Francisco, US
KEITH PEIRIS(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)HENRI LIRIANI(Director)REID HOFFMAN(Director)SETH ROSENBERG(Director)
Board seatMichael Mignano· per SEC Form D · $43M raise · filed Mar 2023
Lowell, US
Olivia Joslin(Executive Officer, Director)Toshit Panigrahi(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatMichael Mignano· per SEC Form D · $30.9M raise · filed Oct 2024
San Francisco, US
JASON KRIKORIAN(Director)MARK BRITTO(Director)Michael Sha(Executive Officer, Director)JOHN BUTTRICK(Director)
Board seatJohn Buttrick· per SEC Form D · $11M raise · filed Jan 2015
iCapital operates an end-to-end platform for alternative investments, structured investments, and annuities, serving wealth advisors, asset managers, and fund managers.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechLegalTechMarketplacesSaaSNew York, US
Lawrence Calcano(Chairman & CEO)Lawrence Peccatiello(Executive Officer, Director)Daniel Gulati(Director)Brian Muller(Director)Nicholas Goss(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatJohn Buttrick· per SEC Form D
PayJoy provides financial services and credit access to unbanked and underbanked populations in emerging markets across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
B2B MarketplacesFintechImpact & Social GoodRetail TechSan Francisco, US
Douglas Ricket(Executive Officer, Director)Gilberto Lopez(Executive Officer)Mark Heynen(Executive Officer)
BoardJosh McFarlandTodd Schell
Board seatJohn Buttrick· per SEC Form D
Kansas City, US
Board seatJohn Buttrick· per SEC Form D · filed Apr 2025
Return Path (now part of Validity) offers email deliverability tools that provide real-time inbox placement testing, sender reputation and authentication monitoring, blocklist alerts, and pre-send deliverability checks.
Data & InfrastructureMarketing TechSaaSNew York, US
Fred Wilson(Director)Brad Feld(Director)Patrick Severson(Director)Scott Petry(Director)Jennifer Walsh(Secretary)George Bilbrey(Executive Officer)
Board seatFred Wilson· per SEC Form D
Shift EV converts commercial vehicle fleets to electric by retrofitting existing vehicles with battery packs and electric powertrains.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechClimate TechLogistics & Supply ChainMobility & TransportationBoston, US
Aly Eltayeb(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatAlbert Wenger· per SEC Form D
Soona provides on-demand custom content creation services for brands, using technology to connect creatives with clients seeking high-quality video and visual content at scale.
AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyE-commerceMarketing TechMedia & EntertainmentDenver, US
Elizabeth Giorgi(CEO)Hayley Anderson(CPO)
Board seatRebecca Kaden· per SEC Form D
Stash offers Smart Portfolio, a robo-advisor service that automatically builds and manages diversified investment portfolios for individual investors.
FintechNew York, US
Meredith Smith(Executive Officer)Rebecca Kaden(Director)Edward Robinson(Executive Officer, Director)Jon McNeill(Director)Steven Hodgeman(Executive Officer)Brandon Krieg(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatRebecca Kaden· per SEC Form D
New York, US
Oren Zeev(Director)Andy Weissman(Director)David Pakman(Director)Shaival Shah(Director)Adi Sideman(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatAndy Weissman· per SEC Form D · filed May 2020
San Francisco, US
Board seatBrad Burnham· per SEC Form D · $15M raise · filed Aug 2022
Abridge builds AI software that converts clinical conversations into structured insights for healthcare providers.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtech
Shiv Rao(Founder & CEO)Julia Chapin(Executive Officer)Sagar Sanghvi(Executive Officer)Andy Weissman(Director)Sebastian Duesterhoeft(Director)Will Reed(Director)
Addi is a buy-now-pay-later platform that provides installment credit to consumers in Colombia, enabling purchases at physical stores and online merchants without traditional credit requirements.
Fintech
Santiago Suárez(Founder & CEO)
Suno is a music creation platform that uses AI to enable users of any skill level to generate songs.
AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyMedia & Entertainment
New York City, US
Anon builds agentic AI solutions that deploy AI agents from prototypes to production systems for SMBs and Fortune 500 companies.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise Software
Anthro Energy develops advanced electrolytes and high-performance battery cells to improve energy density, safety, and form factor in battery technology.
Deep TechEnergyHardwareNew MaterialsSan Jose, US
David Mackanic(Co-Founder & CEO)Joe Papp(Co-Founder & CTO)
Arweave is a decentralized ecosystem that offers grants and investment opportunities through various organizations including non-profits, DAOs, and venture studios to support projects and developers building on its network.
Cloud ComputingCrypto & Web3Data & InfrastructureFintechLondon, GB
Sam Williams(Founder & CEO)
Blackbird Laboratories is a nonprofit life sciences incubator that translates university research breakthroughs into venture-ready biotech companies focused on developing new medicines and enabling technologies.
BiotechDeep TechBaltimore, US
Matt Tremblay, PhD(Chief Executive Officer)Eddie Cherok, PhD(Chief Business Officer)Fred Wilson(Director)Mo Koyfman(Director)Ben Leventhal(Executive Officer, Director)Marguerite Mariscal(Director)
Cactos develops energy storage solutions for industrial and sustainable energy infrastructure applications.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechEnergyHardwareIoTPropTechFinland, FI
CarbonChain provides software for companies and financial institutions to measure and account for greenhouse gas emissions across supply chains, from production to shipping to use of commodities and products.
Advanced ManufacturingClimate TechData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareSaaSLondon, GB
Carta is a cloud-based ERP platform for private capital markets that manages cap tables, equity administration, fund management, and valuations for startups, private companies, and venture funds globally.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS<UNKNOWN>
Henry Ward(Co-founder)Manu Kumar(Co-founder)Charly Kevers(Chief Financial Officer)Jeff Perry(Chief Revenue Officer)Nick Avery(Chief People Officer)Nicole Baer(Chief Marketing Officer)
Browse all 229 investments with full details →
▶29 more tracked companies
TacodaTapestryTargetspotTasty LabsThe Fundable FoundeTop HatTransmutexTucowsTumblrTurntableTutor IntelligenceUnigridUnnamed social learning platformUpgradeVeniamVHXViaViamVolterasWalletConnectWesabeWork MarketWrenXFuelYieldmoZanskarZeitviewZemantaZynga
Rows marked “SEC filing” are inferred from directors named on the company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.
Fund performance · per public LP disclosures · 17
as of Sep 2025| Fund | Vintage | Committed | Net IRR | TVPI | DPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USV 2024LPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System | 2024 | — | — | 1.04x | 0.00x |
| USV 2022LPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System | 2022 | — | 6.0% | 1.12x | 0.00x |
| USV Climate 2022LPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System | 2022 | — | — | 0.81x | 0.00x |
| USV Opportunity 2022LPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System | 2022 | — | 22.5% | 1.53x | 0.00x |
| USV 2021LPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System | 2021 | — | -7.4% | 0.78x | 0.00x |
| USV Climate 2021LPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System | 2020 | — | 5.7% | 1.18x | 0.00x |
| USV 2019LPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association | 2018 | — | 33.7% | 2.97x | 1.36x |
| USV Opportunity 2019LPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association | 2018 | — | -2.8% | 0.88x | 0.05x |
| USV 2016, L.P.LPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association | 2016 | — | 48.9% | 7.79x | 4.53x |
| UNION SQUARE VENTURES 2014 LPLPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, University of Texas Investment Management Company | 2014 | — | 22.7% | 4.12x | 2.29x |
| UNION SQUARE VENTURES OPPORTUNITY 2014 LPLPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, University of Texas Investment Management Company | 2014 | — | 39.2% | 6.11x | 5.77x |
| USV 2014, LPLPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association | 2014 | — | 22.8% | 4.14x | 2.28x |
| USV Opportunity 2014, LPLPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association | 2014 | — | 39.4% | 6.23x | 5.78x |
| Union Square Ventures 2012LPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association, University of Texas Investment Management Company | 2011 | — | 53.5% | 23.78x | 23.02x |
| Union Square Ventures Opportunity Fund, L.P.LPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association, University of Texas Investment Management Company | 2010 | — | 58.4% | 3.58x | 3.45x |
| Union Square Ventures 2008, L.P.LPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association, University of Texas Investment Management Company | 2008 | — | 20.8% | 4.35x | 4.08x |
| Union Square Ventures 2004LPs: Oregon Public Employees Retirement System | 2004 | — | 66.9% | 13.82x | 13.78x |
Source: public limited-partner disclosures (CalPERS, CalSTRS). Net IRR / TVPI / DPI as reported by the limited partner; a fund's early-year IRR is an interim estimate (J-curve).
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Union Square Ventures (USV) invest at?
- Union Square Ventures (USV) invests at the Seed, Series A, Growth, Late Stage stages.
- What is Union Square Ventures (USV)'s typical check size?
- Union Square Ventures (USV) typically writes checks of $1M – $20M.
- What sectors does Union Square Ventures (USV) focus on?
- Union Square Ventures (USV) focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Climate Tech, Crypto & Web3, Digital Health, Fintech, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Union Square Ventures (USV) located?
- Union Square Ventures (USV) is headquartered in New York, US.
- Does Union Square Ventures (USV) lead rounds?
- Yes, Union Square Ventures (USV) leads investment rounds.
From the blog
visit blog ↗USV recently invested in prediction markets infrastructure with Pascal, while exploring opportunities across physical-world AI applications including materials discovery, robotics, and sensor-driven infrastructure and environmental understanding. AI summary
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamFred Wilson: Are We In An AI Bubble? #ai - YouTube
Internet History Podcast · Fred Wilson
Internet History Podcast | Fred Wilson Of Union Square Ventures - YouTube
Internet History Podcast · Fred Wilson
Signal Conversation Part 1: Fred Wilson, co-founder Union Square Ventures - YouTube
Signal360 · Fred Wilson
Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures on Getting into VC | Upfront Summit 2016 - YouTube
Upfront Ventures · Fred Wilson
The Slow Hunch: The Internet's Next Business Model — A Conversation with Cloudflare's Matthew Prince
Nick Grossman
Talk / interview
Nick Grossman
Co-investors · 253
Andreessen Horowitz's Strategic Partnerships page describes collaborations that connect its portfolio companies with established institutions to help scale and deploy their technology.
Sequoia Capital is a venture capital firm that partners with founders to build technology companies, with a strong current focus on artificial intelligence.
General Catalyst is a venture capital and investment firm that backs founders across industries, with a strong focus on AI-driven transformation, fintech, healthcare, and other sectors.
Google Ventures is a venture capital investor that backs innovative founders across multiple industries, focusing on long-term partnerships and providing value across multiple funding stages and company milestones.
Founders Fund is a venture capital firm that invests in technology companies across sectors, backing companies such as Anduril and Palantir.
Lightspeed Venture Partners is a global venture capital firm known for backing AI and technology founders, emphasizing deep, hands-on partnerships with the companies it funds.
Craft Ventures is a venture capital firm founded and run by former founders, operators, and investors who provide startups with hands-on support, senior talent access, and proven scaling playbooks.
Bessemer Venture Partners is a venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs from early stages through every stage of growth, publishing investment roadmaps across multiple technology sectors.
Accel is a venture capital firm that partners with exceptional founding teams, positioning itself as a first partner to startups globally.
Greylock Partners is a venture capital firm that backs founders at the earliest stages, often as their first investor before a product exists.
Techstars is a startup accelerator and early-stage investor that funds ambitious founders and provides capital, mentorship, and access to a global network of investors, operators, and corporate partners.
New Enterprise Associates (NEA) is a venture capital firm that invests in and provides long-term support to founders building new companies.
▶241 more co-investors
Index VenturesAlumni VenturesRedpoint VenturesLong Journey VenturesFounder CollectiveUncork CapitalInsight PartnersNotable CapitalBenchmarkFelicis VenturesSV AngelBain Capital VenturesFirst Round CapitalUberKleiner PerkinsMenlo VenturesBoxGroupEverywhere VenturesDCVC (Data Collective)Coatue ManagementSpark CapitalKrakenTrue VenturesSound VenturesIVP (Institutional Venture Partners)Norwest Venture PartnersCRV (Charles River Ventures)DST GlobalAtomicoGreat Oaks Venture CapitalSapphire VenturesBattery VenturesEniac VenturesQuiet CapitalSOSVSusa VenturesGoat CapitalFirstMarkOffline VenturesPartech VenturesRRE VenturesSlow VenturesNextView VenturesC2 InvestmentsSciFi VCLux CapitalForerunner VenturesPrecursor VenturesSignalFireAccel-KKRCaffeinated CapitalLookout VenturesKapor CapitalCanvas VenturesFlybridge Capital PartnersCota CapitalBond Capital ManagementResolute VenturesStride VCBowery CapitalSouth Park CommonsPractical Venture CapitalElectric CapitalIA VenturesQED InvestorsRevolutionAbstractMaveronVenrockLowercase CapitalHack VCLerer HippeauNot Boring CapitalRidge Ventures01 AdvisorsParadigmSocial LeverageGoodwater Capital2048 VenturesHanabi CapitalQueensBridge Venture PartnersWEEKENDFifth WallM13AccompliceBlockchain CapitalTq Ventures LlcLightbankVillage Global75 & SunnyEQT VenturesHomebrewTribe Capital FirstlookGeneral PartnershipChemistryNorthzoneCostanoa VenturesThe Chernin Group (TCG Crypto)Awesome People VenturesEclipse VenturesEntree CapitalBetaworks Ventures Management, LlcOutlander VCHaun VenturesSaga VenturesNotion CapitalTenaya CapitalBrainchild HoldingsDraper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ)Dreamers VCDigital Currency GroupComcast Ventures468 CapitalBaseline VenturesWebb Investment NetworkWildcat Venture PartnersTeamworthy VenturesLakestarHigh AlphaQualcomm VenturesCoinFundDecibel PartnersOMERS VenturesFreigeist CapitalValar VenturesAmerican Express Ventures (Amex)DragonflyEarlybird Venture CapitalKohlberg Kravis Robertsfoobar.vcShrug CapitalGiant Ventures Global LlpMONASHEESMosaic VenturesAmadeus Capital PartnersOyster VenturesLocalGlobeK9 VenturesOwl VenturesSarona VenturesCollaborative Fund (Collab Fund)Altimeter CapitalFuture Perfect VenturesYes VCAlvenMarcy Venture PartnersHelium-3 VenturesJetstreamMulticoin CapitalGolden Ventures305 VenturesBasementGraph VenturesSeed Club VenturesAmasiaPhoenix CourtGutter CapitalNotation CapitalSmash CapitalSpero VenturesBoost VCMorado Venture PartnersPresight CapitalEnsemble VC35VenturesSolana VenturesTenOneTen VenturesDivergenceLCXFifty YearsTen ElevenVersion One VenturesAmbush CapitalFrontier Venture CapitalGreatPoint VenturesLAUNCHub VenturesAdjacent Ventures LlcSutter Hill VenturesThe Alchemy FundArchetypeSquare Peg CapitalMolten VenturesDimension CapitalActon CapitalRivet VenturesAlchemy VenturesLearn CapitalValor Equity PartnersBreegaMaven VenturesNeu Venture CapitalNIVPillar VCAlpine VenturesCongruent VenturesStellation CapitalVariant FundEqual VenturesRebel FundTwelve BelowBlackhorn VenturesFuture AfricaOriginsOCA VenturesCompoundRed Sea VenturesGPO FundEarth and beyond venturesEnergy Capital VenturesIndie.vcBaukunstPowerhouseTunitas VenturesExpaLaunchCapitalAltos VenturesMaverick CapitalFounderPartnersFuture Planet CapitalFOV VenturesSozo VenturesUntapped Capital1k(x)J12 VenturesUltratech Capital PartnersBerkeley Blockchain XceleratorAlchemy PartnersAvaana CapitalFriends & Family CapitalGrit Capital PartnersMUFG Innovation PartnersAlgebra Venturesbp venturesBrand New MatterInflection.xyzMystic VenturesZag CapitalOmidyar Technology VenturesRealist VenturesCE Innovation CapitalStandard Investments
Firms observed investing alongside Union Square Ventures (USV), from public investor directories.
Similar investors
Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm known for backing bold, contrarian bets in world-class teams that can reshape entire industries.
Alumni Ventures (AV) is a venture firm that gives accredited individual investors access to professionally managed, diversified venture portfolios by co-investing alongside leading lead VC firms. It offers annual funds, syndicate deal-by-deal investing, and various investor clubs.
B Capital Group is a multi-stage venture capital firm that backs founders across the company-building lifecycle, investing in technology, healthcare, and energy & resilience sectors.
DCVC (Data Collective) is a venture capital firm that backs founders building companies which apply technology to major challenges across areas such as energy, biotech, agriculture, and machine learning.
Chiratae Ventures is an India-focused venture capital firm managing seven funds, with a portfolio of 136 companies and a track record of 56 exits and 5 IPOs.