I recently had the privilege of sitting down with my partners Fred Wilson and Brad Burnham for an episode of The Slow Hunch podcast, and I'm excited to share our conversation.
This one was special for me. Having worked alongside Fred and Brad for over a dozen years at USV, I've experienced firsthand what makes them such remarkable investors and partners. Our conversation takes us back to the beginning of USV and traces the winding path that led to the firm we know today.
What strikes me most about Fred and Brad is their endless curiosity. As Rebecca perfectly put it: "There are many reasons why @fredwilson & @BradUSV are all time greats but one of the biggest is they are forever curiosity driven. Investing starts with what you can learn, not what you know. Over and over." And it doesn't ever get old.
In the episode, we explore:
The early days of their partnership and how their complementary perspectives shaped USV
How they developed an investment thesis that evolved with technology but remained grounded in core principles
The moments of doubt, the unexpected turns, and the slow hunches that unfolded along the way
Their approach to learning new technologies and markets, always running "quickly toward the new idea, the weirder the better"
This conversation captures some of the spirit and the wisdom they've shared with all of us at USV over the years, and I hope you enjoy!
As always, you can listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you consume podcasts. You can also watch the full video on YouTube.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Cold open
00:10:40 How USV was formed
00:17:16 Fred and Brad on their investment philosophy
00:24:01 Overcoming early challenges
00:27:43 The emergence of web2
00:30:59 The initial promise of social media
00:34:04 Investing in Twitter
00:39:11 The early days of Bitcoin
00:45:55 The risk of market consolidation in AI
00:49:39 Fred and Brad reflect on their mistakes
00:57:18 The Impact of AI
01:07:23 The future of technology
01:09:50 What keeps them going after 30+ years
Collect this post as an NFT.
We have quite the round-up of great writing this week — check them out below! And as always, please let us know what we missed!
@naomiii writes about the disorienting yet oddly human experience of visiting a shopping mall, weaving together personal memories, critiques of consumer culture, and the quiet beauty of fleeting interactions in a world increasingly shaped by isolation and digital life. "Somewhere, I read that even such small interactions with strangers go a long way in making us feel less alone in the world — a part of something else." https://paragraph.xyz/@cryptonao/mall
@nickgrossman.eth shares his conversation with @fredwilson.eth and Brad Burnham, highlighting their curiosity-driven approach to investing and the evolution of Union Square Ventures through shared values, slow hunches, and a willingness to embrace the new and unexpected. "What strikes me most about Fred and Brad is their endless curiosity." https://nickgrossman.xyz/the-slow-hunch-podcast-episode-8-with-fred-wilson-and-brad-burnham
@blockchainbrett explains how the crypto media ecosystem is shifting from scarce, exclusive tokens to more accessible, low-friction models like open editions and coins to grow collector bases and deepen creator-audience relationships. "The relationships that are forming onchain are already more substantive than anything we have in today’s platforms, and they will continue to be surfaced and extended upon." https://paragraph.xyz/@consumercrypto/the-collector-funnel
Nice Would be great to round out with non techie s techie pieces
I’ll make sure to give it a read