Union Square Ventures
Union Square Ventures is a New York City-based venture capital firm that invests in early and later-stage opportunities across various sectors, focusing on technological and societal transformations.
Services
Union Square Ventures (USV) operates as a venture capital firm based in New York City. The firm mainly acts as a lead or co-lead investor, taking an active role in the development of the companies it invests in. It manages three distinct types of funds: Core, Climate, and Opportunity, each designed to invest in different stages and types of business ventures. The firm's investment approach focuses on rapid experimentation and avoiding market gatekeepers, enabling innovation at the edges. USV seeks to identify and support early-stage opportunities capable of leveraging technology to broaden access to crucial resources such as knowledge, capital, wellbeing, and energy.
History
Union Square Ventures was founded in 2004. Since its inception, the firm has raised and invested in 14 funds across its three primary strategies: Core, Climate, and Opportunity. Its guiding investment thesis has been refined over 20 years, focusing on investing in and supporting companies and protocols that create new forms of opportunity and solve critical problems innovatively. USV has a strong track record of partnership, having invested in more than 230 companies and maintaining a long-term relationship with founders through various market conditions.
Investment Strategies
Union Square Ventures employs three primary investment strategies through its Core, Climate, and Opportunity funds. The Core fund is dedicated to early-stage investment opportunities across various sectors of internet-enabled businesses. The Climate fund targets early-stage startups aimed at addressing the climate crisis through mitigation and adaptation solutions. Finally, the Opportunity fund focuses on later-stage opportunities and special situations in a broad range of sectors. These strategies reflect the firm's commitment to supporting transformative opportunities that leverage technology to broaden access to essential resources.
Fund Information
Union Square Ventures has managed a total of 14 funds since 2004. The firm keeps its fund sizes relatively small; its most recent Core fund is valued at $275 million. USV's funds are categorized into three types: Core, Climate, and Opportunity. The Core fund invests primarily in early-stage internet-enabled businesses. The Climate fund backs startups addressing climate change. The Opportunity fund targets later-stage opportunities. This diversified fund strategy allows USV to support startups at various stages of their development, maintaining a long-term partnership with its portfolio companies.
Sector Focus
Union Square Ventures is a generalist investor with a focus on multiple sectors and technologies. The firm has invested in areas including social media, marketplaces, developer tools, learning, health, fintech, web3, decentralized systems, energy, and climate. With a consistent approach to transformative opportunities, USV seeks investments that utilize technology to create expansive access to resources such as knowledge, capital, and energy. This broad sector focus aligns with USV’s thesis of enabling innovation and solving significant societal problems through technological advancements.