Access to Capital Archives | Union Square Ventures

Feb 15, 2022
Co-authored by John Buttrick. Each year, Mexico exports over $325 billion of goods to the US alone. However, SMEs represent only a tiny fraction – just 10% – of this massive business opportunity. This is largely structural, as SMEs have

Feb 3, 2022
In 2015, we invested in Carta (FKA eShares) and wrote, “Anyone who owns shares or options in a private company instinctively knows that cap table management remains frustratingly analog…The collection and management of this information is a thankless task but

Jul 1, 2021
Co-authored by Hannah Murdoch Ten years ago, USV wrote about how technology was changing the way people funded their ideas and earned a living. Investing in Kickstarter, we noted: “Creative people will continue to produce amazing works. We do not

May 26, 2021
Co-authored by Hanel Baveja While we are not the first to point this out, access to capital in Latin America remains a massive challenge. Financial infrastructure and tools are concentrated on the top earners, excluding the majority of the population

May 4, 2021
For most of USV’s history, we focused on investments in North America and Europe. We are a small firm and there was more than enough opportunity in these regions. We also gravitated towards companies where it would be relatively easy

Feb 10, 2021
The trucking industry is one of the oldest and most interesting in the US. It is also one I’ve always been fascinated by--partly because, for a couple of generations, it was where my family made their living. My paternal great

Oct 20, 2020
Co-authored by Hanel Baveja 91 million Americans struggle to access money when they need it, often resulting in excess cost and low credit scores. Sadly, this is big business.  This consumer group pays $106 billion in fees each year for short-term

Sep 12, 2019
In 2006 my friends Mia and Andre (pseudonyms) bought their dream garden apartment in Harlem for $500K. They had rented in New York for a decade and bought the apartment expecting to make it their home indefinitely. They initially financed

Jun 18, 2019
A new blockchain & cryptocurrency project, Libra, was announced today. Libra has been incubated by Facebook.  USV will be one of the founding members of the governing body, the Libra Association.  Libra is a stable, fiat-backed cryptocurrency that will launch inside