Announcing our investment in Arweave
We’re excited to announce our investment in Arweave, a decentralized platform that enables anyone to store documents and applications forever. While there are other decentralized storage platforms out there, Arweave is offering something completely unique…permanent storage. The protocol does this by using a novel consensus mechanism called proof of access where “miners compete to provide […]
Announcing our investment in Cap Hill Brands, a next-gen CPG company
We’re excited to announce our investment in Cap Hill Brands, a Seattle startup with the mission to build a next-generation CPG company by acquiring and operating digitally-native consumer brands. Combining the investment capital of a private equity firm and the deep operational experience of a startup accelerator, Cap Hill can lead brands to new levels […]
The Version One year in review and looking ahead
2020…the year of the pandemic. We’ve seen a tremendous amount of human loss and hardship, but it’s also been a year full of hope and innovation. Technology’s role in the human response to Covid-19 cannot be understated. Hundreds of millions of people suddenly started working from home and attending school/university from home. We shifted a […]
The pros and cons of “digital by default”
As we all know, the pandemic has forced companies to become remote organizations virtually overnight. While some CEOs and companies cannot wait until the conditions are safe for everyone to return to the office (e.g. Reid Hastings from Netflix), others have chosen to become “digital by default.” (e.g. Shopify). Several companies in our portfolio have […]
Classifying marketplaces in a 2×2 matrix
In a recent Invest Like The Best podcast, the guest, who goes by the pseudonym Modest Proposal, described a 2×2 matrix for segmenting marketplace types. It’s a simple, yet very effective way to think about the differences in online marketplaces, from the original product marketplaces like eBay to the emerging services marketplaces. One axis represents […]