Our Investment in Anon
Union Square Ventures invests in Anon, a startup enhancing user agency online. Anon's user agent infrastructure aids AI apps in accessing sites without open APIs, simplifying developers' tasks. The investment supports user-controlled digital experiences and innovative app development.
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The article discusses Union Square Ventures' investment in Anon, a startup aiming to restore user agency on the internet. Anon provides a user agent infrastructure enabling AI applications to access sites on behalf of users, even without open APIs. The platform manages authentication, security, and account integration for sites lacking APIs, simplifying developers' tasks. Anon's initial product focuses on messaging APIs for developers to create apps that send and receive messages across various platforms. The investment reflects a belief in the necessity of an "identity layer" for AI user agents in the evolving digital landscape. The initiative aligns with the vision of re-decentralizing the internet and empowering users and their AI agents. Union Square Ventures expresses excitement in supporting Anon's mission and highlights the importance of user-controlled digital experiences facilitated by platforms like Anon. The investment signifies a step towards enhancing user control and enabling innovative app experiences in the AI era.
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2 commentsIt does look like a cool product though, and I support the philosophy behind it (“client side first,” or “block me if you can”). Companies don’t get to dictate which user agent I use to access their sites. So it follows that they can’t dictate how I call my user agent, like if I choose to delegate its operation to an LLM.
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