Union Square Ventures earned its reputation as a top venture fund by making early bets on Twitter, Zynga and Tumblr. And in recent years, the firm has maintained its performance, remaining one of the top performing venture firms in the industry, internal data show.
Three USV funds raised in 2012, 2014 and 2016 showed net internal rates of return of 32%, 21% and 32% through June 30 of last year, respectively, according to a report prepared by one of the firm’s limited partners and seen by The Information. USV’s first fund—a $125 million pot of money raised in 2004—performed even better with a 67% Net IRR, a measure of an investment fund’s average annual return, after firm fees are deducted.