Frederick Wilson

Fred Wilson (born August 20, 1961) is one of the most influential venture capitalists of the internet era and has been investing in technology companies since 1987. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He began his career at Euclid Partners (1987–1996), where he rose from associate to General Partner over nine years.

In 1996, Wilson co-founded Flatiron Partners with Jerry Colonna, a New York–based firm backed by SOFTBANK Technology Ventures and Chase Capital Partners that became one of the most active early internet investors of the dot-com era (portfolio included GeoCities, Kozmo.com, comScore, and The New York Times Digital). Flatiron was wound down in 2001 after the dot-com crash.

In 2003–2004, Wilson co-founded Union Square Ventures with Brad Burnham. USV has become one of the highest-performing venture firms in the world while deliberately keeping its funds small (its 2022 and 2024 vintage funds each targeted roughly $275M). Wilson is known for his thesis-driven, network-effects approach and for being one of the earliest VCs to embrace crypto. He is also widely read for his daily blog, AVC ("musings of a VC in NYC"), which he has published for nearly two decades.

Beyond investing, Wilson is deeply involved in New York's tech and civic ecosystem. He serves as co-Chairman of Tech:NYC, was Chairman of NYC's CS4All Capital Campaign (computer science education in public schools), and has supported organizations including DonorsChoose.org. TheFunded.com named him its favorite venture capitalist in 2007.

• Thesis-driven, network-effects investing: USV backs "trusted brands that broaden access to knowledge, capital, and well-being by leveraging networks, platforms, and protocols." Wilson looks for companies whose value compounds with each additional user.
• Edge-of-large-markets bet: The firm targets "companies at the edge of large markets undergoing technological and societal transformation" — opportunities where new tech enables behaviors and business models incumbents structurally cannot pursue.
• Early stage, lead investor: Concentrates on Seed and Series A rounds, typically writing $1M–$10M checks and leading the round.
• Small funds, high concentration: Deliberately raises modest funds (~$275M) to maintain discipline and focus on a small number of high-conviction bets.
• Current focus areas: AI infrastructure, climate tech, blockchain/crypto scaling, fintech, marketplaces, and developer tools.
• Crypto conviction early: Wilson led USV's 2013 Series A in Coinbase and has been a long-standing, vocal believer in crypto networks and open protocols.