Brad Burnham, co-founder of Union Square Ventures, discusses how consolidation around tech incumbents limits growth potential for new consumer startup unicorns.
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“We're now in a world where, you know, we're seeing really dominant market power, Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, you know, creating a new set of unicorns in the face of that market power is going to be very difficult, certainly in the consumer-facing web services space, and so I think the ability to continue to finance these in the private capital markets based on the assumption that they will get to those valuations that we saw in the sort of 2006, seven, eight time frame is going to be difficult.”
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More from Brad Burnham
PredictionNot checkable as stated
Late-Stage Private Valuations Are Unsustainable and Face a Market Correction
“I'd argue it's probably not that healthy, and that you're actually seeing some very weird dislocations when, you know, the scarcity of equity in the private capital markets for the real dominant market players, you know, you end up bidding up the, in the price…”
Brad BurnhamJul 13, 2016▶ 12:5720VC: USV's Brad Burnham on Co-Founding USV with Fred Wilson, What They Look For In Potential Partners & Whether We Are Entering a Period of Consolidation or Expansion
AssertionPartly supported
USV's 2004 Fund Had Four Investments Each Return the Full Fund
“We made investments in Zynga, Twitter, Indeed, and Etsy within about a six month period. In our 2004 fund, each of those returned the fund.”
Brad BurnhamJul 13, 2016▶ 17:4620VC: USV's Brad Burnham on Co-Founding USV with Fred Wilson, What They Look For In Potential Partners & Whether We Are Entering a Period of Consolidation or Expansion
Disclosure
USV Created Venture Partner Role for Albert Wenger for Sourcing Etsy
“Been very actively involved in Etsy early on and brought Etsy to the partnership. And we created a venture partner role for Albert to, you know, to sort of compensate him for having brought Etsy to the partnership.”
Brad BurnhamJul 13, 2016▶ 7:1720VC: USV's Brad Burnham on Co-Founding USV with Fred Wilson, What They Look For In Potential Partners & Whether We Are Entering a Period of Consolidation or Expansion
PredictionHeld up
USV Will Add Partners Slowly and Remain in a Single Office
“It'll always be a slow process for us. We think these partnerships are, you know, the dynamics of the partnerships are very, very important, and we'll continue to, you know, as we Add people. We'll do it very slowly, and we'll do it in a single office, and we'…”
Brad BurnhamJul 13, 2016▶ 8:0420VC: USV's Brad Burnham on Co-Founding USV with Fred Wilson, What They Look For In Potential Partners & Whether We Are Entering a Period of Consolidation or Expansion
Insight
VCs Spend More Time on Struggling Startups Than Winners
“It turns out that this is probably a truism in the business that you end up investing more time in your losers than your winners.”
Brad BurnhamJul 13, 2016▶ 9:1220VC: USV's Brad Burnham on Co-Founding USV with Fred Wilson, What They Look For In Potential Partners & Whether We Are Entering a Period of Consolidation or Expansion
Insight
Supporting Failing Startups Earns VCs Entry Into Future Winners
“And the willingness to do that is what gets you invited into the next winner.”
Brad BurnhamJul 13, 2016▶ 9:2520VC: USV's Brad Burnham on Co-Founding USV with Fred Wilson, What They Look For In Potential Partners & Whether We Are Entering a Period of Consolidation or Expansion
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