Fred Wilson

Fred Wilson co-founded Union Square Ventures (USV) in 2003 and built it into one of the most successful and intellectually distinctive venture capital firms of its era. USV developed a clear investment thesis around "networks, platforms, and marketplaces" — businesses that benefit from network effects and become more valuable as more users join. This thesis guided investments in Twitter, Tumblr, Etsy, Foursquare, Kickstarter, and Coinbase. Wilson has maintained an unusually transparent public presence through his blog "AVC" (A Venture Capitalist), where he discusses investment philosophy, portfolio companies, and market observations openly. His willingness to share thinking publicly has made him one of the most accessible and followed venture capitalists for founders and investors outside traditional VC networks.