with Fred Wilson (@fredwilson) and Chris Dixon (@cdixon) There's all sorts of interesting tech trends happening right now, including AI, VR/AR, self-driving cars and drones (as well as interesting stuff happening in verticals like healthcare and finance) -- and there's a lot also happening in seemingly more "mature" tech revolutions, such as mobile and cloud. But where are we now, really, with these shifts... and how does that inform how we think about the next couple decades? And does a framework like Carlota Perez's -- as outlined in Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital: The Dynamics of Bubbles and Golden Ages and summarized by venture capitalist and longtime internet investor Fred Wilson (of Union Square Ventures) -- fully apply when it comes to software? Because, argues Chris Dixon (general partner on a16z crypto), software "has so much more plasticity, ability to adapt, ability to evolve" that unlike hardware, "the core itself will also dramatically change... not just the apps around it". The total economic value that will be unlocked with the software revolution, observes Wilson, should be orders of magnitude bigger than what we saw with manufacturing for sure. But just how much internet innovation is actually powering true disruption (i.e., is more than just a sustaining innovation, to use Clayton Christensen's terminology)? How do new business models change everything? Dixon and Wilson consider all this and more in this hallway-style episode of the a16z Podcast, where we recorded the two having a think-aloud conversation about everything from the history of the internet and startups, the evolution of capital and infrastructure, to the advent of crypto. How do they they both define "decentralized", what do they think of dApps, and where do NFTs and "crypto goods" come in?? One thing's for sure: It's the most interesting time they've both ever seen in over 30 years of internet work, life, and play. Please note that the a16z crypto fund is a separate legal entity managed by CNK Capital Management, L.L.C. (“CNK”), a registered investor advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission. a16z crypto is legally independent and operationally separate from the Andreessen Horowitz family of fund and AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“AHCM”). In any case, the content provided here is for informational purposes only, and does NOT constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase any investment solution or a recommendation to buy or sell a security; nor it is to be taken as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. In fact, none of the information in this or other content on a16zcrypto.com should be relied on in any manner as advice. You should consult your own advisers as to legal, business, tax and other related matters concerning any investment.
A lively Q&A between Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures and Mashable's Christina Warren. The conversation touches on publisher growth, paywalls, content marketing, advertising and data management and privacy.
Fred Wilson and Andy Weissman of Union Square Ventures join Lindel Eakman of Foundry Group Next to discuss managing generational change at a venture capital firm.
Fred Wilson and Andy Weissman of Union Square Ventures join Lindel Eakman of Foundry Group Next to discuss managing generational change at a venture capital firm.
Investor Fred Wilson talks about opportunities for education startups as part of the EdStartup MOOC.
Onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt with Michael Arrington and Fred Wilson. Today during Fred Wilson's interview with Michael Arrington, the two discussed how, and how not to, pitch a VC. Hearing the two speak frankly about what works and what doesn't is absolutely helpful to entrepreneurs. Keep reading here: http://goo.gl/AwzTf Subscribe to TechCrunch Today: http://goo.gl/eg167 TechCrunch Disrupt is one of the most anticipated technology conferences of the year. From April 29th -- May 1st, TechCrunch TV will be airing exclusive coverage from Manhattan Center in NYC. Disrupt NY has an all new slate of outstanding startups, influential speakers, and celebrity guests. Click here to watch event highlights: http://goo.gl/lJnwu
Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures sits down with Dan Primack of Fortune Magazine in front of a live audience at Upfront Summit 2016.
Today's episode kicks off our 2015 LAUNCH Festival series in style! Jason sits down with Fred Wilson, Cofounder & Managing Partner of Union Square Ventures and one of the most renowned venture capitalists and bloggers in the country. A VC since 1986, Fred and Union Square Ventures have invested in countless stellar startups, such as Zynga, Etsy, Tumblr, Twitter, and Kickstarter. During his candid fireside chat with Jason, Fred reveals the common characteristics of good founders and good VCs (hint: care more about the company than the investment), why he still owns stock in Zynga, what makes Kickstarter special, why Tumblr sold to Yahoo!, USV’s current investment focus, startup ecosystems, the best entrepreneur on the planet, his own strengths & weaknesses, what he's learned from his kids, and so much more. Never miss an episode! Subscribe in iTunes: Audio (http://bit.ly/TwiStA) || Video (http://bit.ly/TwiStV) Full show notes: http://goo.gl/QR0yy5 ============== Thanks to our sponsors. Click here to tweet your support (can edit before sending): http://ctt.ec/HUM7b LeadGenius. Higher quality leads and customized customer data at scale. Schedule a free demo at leadgenius.com/twist. With Citrix GoToMeeting, "Meeting is Believing." Sign up for a free 30 day trial. Visit GoToMeeting.com and click the "TRY IT FREE" button. ============== Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/fredwilson http://twitter.com/usv http://twitter.com/avc http://twitter.com/jason http://twitter.com/twiStartups Launch Ticker: http://launch.co Launch Festival: http://festival.launch.co Special thanks to the members of the TWiST Backchannel Program! Show notes powered by CastScoop. Subscribe here: www.CastScoop.com Top Show Links On Twitter On Kickstarter On Zynga On Tumblr On What Makes a Great VC On New York On Startup Ecosystems and Valuations On Founder Characteristics He Looks For On How Active USV is Now On Mesh Networking On Economic Bubbles On Fred's Strength's and Weaknesses On Who the Best Entrepreneur is Today On Apple On Google On Fred's Future On Blogging On What Fred Has Learned From His Kids
A fireside chat with Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures, interviewed by Matt Turck of FirstMark Capital. Talk about the business of data, how startups can use data for differentiation and competitive advantage, and the importance of data-driven businesses to the NYC startup ecosystem. Find out more about Data Driven NYC at http://datadrivennyc.com and FirstMark Capital at http://firstmarkcap.com.
A fireside chat with Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures, interviewed by Matt Turck of FirstMark Capital. Talk about the business of data, how startups can use data for differentiation and competitive advantage, and the importance of data-driven businesses to the NYC startup ecosystem. Find out more about Data Driven NYC at http://datadrivennyc.com and FirstMark Capital at http://firstmarkcap.com.
A fireside chat with Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures, interviewed by Matt Turck of FirstMark Capital. Talk about the business of data, how startups can use data for differentiation and competitive advantage, and the importance of data-driven businesses to the NYC startup ecosystem. Find out more about Data Driven NYC at http://datadrivennyc.com and FirstMark Capital at http://firstmarkcap.com.
Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures and Jordan Crook discuss New York City’s tech scene, women’s tenacity in business; the impact on human society of AR, VR, AI, robotics and other new tech.
A conversation with Google's Craig Nevill-Manning about where the NYC tech ecosystem is heading. Fred discusses his views on what makes NYC a unique and fertile ground for tech innovation. He also talks about what he's done to bootstrap several major initiatives that expand access to Computer Science education in NYC public schools. On Sept 16, 2015, a week after the taping, Fred's foundation CSNYC and the NYC Mayor's Office announced Computer Science For All, a 10-year, $80 million plan to bring computer science education to every single student in New York City public schools. Learn more: http://www.csnyc.org/computer-science-all Fred Wilson is a managing partner at Union Square Ventures and chairman of CSNYC (NYC Foundation for Computer Science Education)
Hear why Fred Wilson thinks all companies should invest in new technologies and architectures — even if profits are not on the short-term horizon.
The Big Shift fireside chat was recorded at FarCon nyc on May 2, 2025 with Farcaster co-founder Dan Romero interviewing Fred Wilson, legendary investor and co-founder of Union Square Ventures. FarCon is Farcaster’s annual event organized by the community for innovators, builders and network contributors. Thank you to all the sponsors who made this conversation possible including media partner GM Farcaster, media sponsor Nouns DAO and the FarCon team of volunteers. Learn more at FarCon.nyc. Farcaster: https://www.farcaster.xyz/ Fred Wilson’s blog: https://avc.xyz/ Mint this episode on pods.media: https://pods.media/gm-farcaster Learn more about partnering with GM Farcaster: https://mediakit.gmfarcaster.com/ Copyright 2025 cc-by GM Farcaster - reuse/remix allowed with attribution and link back to GMFarcaster.com. NOTE: Cryptocurrencies are often volatile assets. Nothing in this episode should be considered financial advice and is for educational and entertainment purposes. Nothing should be considered investment advice, nor solicitation to buy or sell any assets. NFA, DYOR. Chapters: 0:00:00 Intro 0:00:46 mini app s/o 0:02:27 summer 2007 0:06:22 mobile shift 0:07:40 Foursquare/app constellations 0:10:25 Soundcloud 0:12:12 crown jewels 0:12:27 Twitter/protocol 0:14:06 Farcaster 0:14:25 Coinbase/crypto 0:20:18 defi is all fi 0:21:21 Free is good/freemium 0:23:02 Brian Armstrong 0:25:11 AI and crypto
The Big Shift fireside chat was recorded at FarCon nyc on May 2, 2025 with Farcaster co-founder Dan Romero interviewing Fred Wilson, legendary investor and co-founder of Union Square Ventures. FarCon is Farcaster’s annual event organized by the community for innovators, builders and network contributors. Thank you to all the sponsors who made this conversation possible including media partner GM Farcaster, media sponsor Nouns DAO and the FarCon team of volunteers. Learn more at FarCon.nyc. Farcaster: https://www.farcaster.xyz/ Fred Wilson’s blog: https://avc.xyz/ Mint this episode on pods.media: https://pods.media/gm-farcaster Learn more about partnering with GM Farcaster: https://mediakit.gmfarcaster.com/ Copyright 2025 cc-by GM Farcaster - reuse/remix allowed with attribution and link back to GMFarcaster.com. NOTE: Cryptocurrencies are often volatile assets. Nothing in this episode should be considered financial advice and is for educational and entertainment purposes. Nothing should be considered investment advice, nor solicitation to buy or sell any assets. NFA, DYOR. Chapters: 0:00:00 Intro 0:00:46 mini app s/o 0:02:27 summer 2007 0:06:22 mobile shift 0:07:40 Foursquare/app constellations 0:10:25 Soundcloud 0:12:12 crown jewels 0:12:27 Twitter/protocol 0:14:06 Farcaster 0:14:25 Coinbase/crypto 0:20:18 defi is all fi 0:21:21 Free is good/freemium 0:23:02 Brian Armstrong 0:25:11 AI and crypto
TOA18 tickets are now available, book here https://goo.gl/CsbpeM for a 5% discount. How's the blockchain changing the landscape? Why hasn't Europe been able to create real technological juggernauts? When do you know that is over for your company? The founders of USV join Tech Open Air for an evening with Berlin's entrepreneurial community. ------ Tech Open Air is a three-day Technology Festival. Our mission is to connect, grow and inspire the human spirit through interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and collaboration. Connect with us and stay up to date about our next events: http://www.toaberlin.com http://www.fb.com/techopenair http://www.twitter.com/toaberlin