Writing | Page 41 of 97 | Union Square Ventures

Software Tools Used by Our Network

We gathered over 450 software tools used across 64 companies, representing approximately 86% of our active portfolio. We began by tagging each tool based on department, the type of tool, and then explored how company size impacted usage. Read more

Distributed Computing Update

One of the applications of cryptocurrency we continue to be excited about is distributed computing. Before crypto, my laptop couldn’t pay a stranger’s idle server as a thank you for running a machine learning program. Cryptocurrencies finally give us the Read more

Jed's USV Initiatives

Over the next year I'll be porting USV's thinking around networks into code, and writing the APIs, apps, and bots that will help folks at our 70+ portfolio companies communicate and collaborate with each other. Read more

USV Intern Day

USV Intern Day brings together interns from dozens of portfolio companies and invites them to learn about all of the companies in our portfolio. Read more

Blockchain and Universal Basic Income

One of the applications of blockchain that we are very excited about is Universal Basic Income. While UBI has traditionally been imagined as a government subsidy, cryptocurrency gives us a way to implement UBI without the need for a government to implement it. We are intrigued by this possibility and are wondering about some key issues, such as the complexities around issuing new currencies and preventing fraudulent accounts. Read more

Investing in Blockchain/Crypto Sector

At USV, we have been active in the blockchain/crypto sector since 2011. At this time, we have direct investments in nine companies/projects in the crypto space and one exited investment. Companies in the blockchain/crypto sector make up about 15% of Read more