REBECCA KADEN
Managing partner of Union Square Ventures who leads the firm’s investments in crypto, fintech, and health
Rebecca Kaden became managing partner of Union Square Ventures — one of the most iconic VC firms in New York — after investing in companies like Coinbase, Stash, and Nurx. She’s leading USV into its next era with bets on crypto infrastructure, health tech, and financial inclusion. In a venture world dominated by San Francisco bros, she’s running one of the most respected firms in New York without losing the contrarian DNA that Fred Wilson built.
Net Worth
$200 million
Nationality
American
Time Horizon
Long-Term
Risk Appetite
6 / 10
Net Worth Context
- · 200x the average American's lifetime earnings, stacked and waiting.
CAREER & BACKGROUND
Kaden studied at Harvard and Stanford GSB before working at Maveron (the VC firm co-founded by Starbucks’ Howard Schultz). She joined Union Square Ventures in 2016 and quickly established herself as one of the firm’s sharpest investors.
At USV, she’s invested in companies across fintech, health, and crypto. Notable investments include Stash (investing app for beginners), Nurx (telemedicine), Coinbase (crypto exchange), and several other companies in the USV portfolio.
In 2022, she became USV’s managing partner, succeeding Fred Wilson and Brad Burnham.
COMPANIES & ROLES
Union Square Ventures — managing partner since 2022. USV’s portfolio includes Coinbase, Twitter, Etsy, and dozens of other iconic companies.
Previously at Maveron, Howard Schultz’s venture firm.
INVESTING STYLE & PHILOSOPHY
Kaden follows USV’s thesis-driven approach — identifying broad technological and societal shifts and investing at the application layer. She’s particularly focused on financial services for underserved populations and healthcare access.
Her investments in Stash (making investing accessible to beginners) and Nurx (making birth control and healthcare accessible remotely) share a common thread: using technology to democratize access.
THE PLAYBOOK
Risk Approach
Moderate to high. USV takes concentrated, thesis-driven bets that can look contrarian at the time.
The firm was famously early in crypto, which was extremely volatile. Kaden continues this tradition of conviction-based investing.
Money Habits
Kaden is based in New York and is active in the NYC tech and venture community. She’s visible on panels and at conferences focused on fintech and health tech.
BIGGEST WIN
Coinbase’s IPO was a massive win for USV. Stash has grown to serve millions of users and become a major fintech platform.
Nurx expanded healthcare access in ways that became especially critical during COVID.
BIGGEST MISTAKE
USV’s heavy crypto exposure meant the 2022 crypto crash impacted portfolio valuations significantly. While long-term crypto believers like USV view this as cyclical, the short-term mark-to-market losses were real.
FINANCIAL PHILOSOPHY
Kaden believes technology should broaden access — to financial services, healthcare, information, and opportunity. Companies that serve previously excluded populations have both moral purpose and massive TAM.
The underserved are also the underserved market.
FAMILY & PERSONAL LIFE
Based in New York. Keeps personal life private.
Known primarily through her professional role at USV.
EDUCATION
Harvard for undergrad, Stanford Graduate School of Business for MBA. Maveron before USV.
BOOKS & RESOURCES
The Upside of Inequality by Edward Conard challenges conventional thinking about economic access
The kind of contrarian perspective USV appreciates
A cautionary tale for health tech investing
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QUOTES (5)
The best fintech companies don’t just move money faster. They give people access to financial tools they never had before.
USV’s DNA is contrarian conviction. Fred and Brad built that. My job is to carry it forward into new categories.
Crypto is volatile, but the underlying technology of decentralized networks is the most important innovation since the internet.
Health tech during COVID went from nice-to-have to essential. Nurx and telehealth proved that access to care shouldn’t require a waiting room.
Being a woman managing partner at a top VC firm in 2022 shouldn’t be news. The fact that it is tells you everything about the industry.
NETFIGO SCORE
Proprietary 5-dimension investor rating
Risk Appetite
Contrarian Index
Track Record
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