In web2 we talk about “users” and “viewers” being “acquired”
In web3 we talk about “owners” and “members” who “join” and “participate.”
words matter & we’re seeing an ecosystem and language get built around purposeful action in a very cool way.
Rebecca Kaden
2,306 posts
- 1/ I'm excited to share that I'm joining the Union Square Ventures partnership @usv Why I'm excited here:
- A @usv portfolio co I work with uses google docs instead of board decks & asks for comments in advance of the meeting. My partners had seen this before but its new to me. It creates dialogue going into the board meeting that lets us get into the meaty stuff faster. Im a fan.
- Today I zoomed w a fantastic founder raising one of these big, fast, v early rounds we all know well. He had a 2 mo old on his chest. Didnt apologize, tended to her as needed. Great conversation. Lot of calls w babies (many w mine) this year+. Very few have been w men. Loved it.
- New fund, same @usv approach: small fund, thesis driven, high conviction, low velocity, true partnership model, long term believers. Endless interest in markets undergoing the most radical change and the approaches that allow outsiders to not just inch them along but completely
- My son Max has been asking to come to my office so we stopped by @usv yesterday. Lots of snacks + lots of screens are a reliable way to a 4 year olds heart but 20 minutes later and he was sold. He left asking if boys can be adventure capitalists or just Moms ❤️
- Controversial take: I love getting sent other people's Calendly links! It cuts the back and forth & lets me navigate the unexplained nuance of my own calendar (ie technically this slot is open & scheduling into it is better than not connecting but I'd prefer a different time...)
- I'm mid big board meeting few weeks & thinking about what sets Series A companies up for board meeting success: 1) A pre-read that starts w a high level green, yellow, red. In the last quarter, whats gone well, what are you mid-figuring out, whats not working. Single slide. 1/
- I joined the partnership @usv a little more than 3 years ago. The learning curve around here is steep, continuous, and a lot of fun. Here are a few of the many things I’ve learned so far from my partners and team:
- Today my 22 mo old son somehow locked himself in a room. He was totally hysterical until he saw the door come down & 4 NYC firemen smiling at him. My mom asked if he was traumatized. Meeting firemen & mom/dads office door no longer locks? He thinks he found the magical portal.
- My Uber rating has gone up 10% since moving to NYC. If that's not a sign of city-person fit, I don't know what is.
- This month, @HarvardBiz has a series on closing the gender gap starting w a great piece by @melindagates. I wrote some ideas on what our tech ecosystem can do, why were advantaged to create fast change, and how we @AllRaise are thinking about it.
- The next wave of social systems are unlikely to look like the current dominant platforms. More here on why users may come to them with different intents & why we @usv believe now is a time of renewed opportunity to build them:
