Evan Williams
Co-Founder at Obvious Ventures
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Evan Williams is Twitter/Odeo co-founder, Blogger creator (Google), Medium founder/Chairman, and co-founder of Obvious Ventures. His firm ($1B+ AUM across 4 funds) invests in 'world-positive' companies across Planetary Health, Human Health, Economic Health. Not social impact investing but a filter: profitable companies solving real problems with positive impact at scale. Recently co-founded Mozi, a private social network. Portfolio focuses on climate-tech, healthcare, fintech, food/agriculture, and consumer.
Background
Evan Clark Williams (born March 31, 1972) is an American internet entrepreneur and co-founder of Obvious Ventures 12. He grew up on a farm in Clarks, Nebraska 3.
Williams has founded or co-founded several of the internet’s most influential platforms. In 1999, he co-founded Pyra Labs, which created Blogger and coined the term “blogger”; Google acquired Pyra Labs in 2003 13. In 2006, he co-founded Odeo and Obvious Corp, which launched Twitter; he served as Twitter’s CEO from 2008 to 2010 and sat on its board from 2007 to 2019 1. He also founded Medium, the long-form publishing platform, and served as its CEO until July 2022, when he stepped down to become Chairman 12.
In 2014, Williams co-founded Obvious Ventures with James Joaquin and Vishal Vasishth 23. The firm focuses on “world positive” venture investing across three pillars: Planetary Health, Human Health, and Economic Health 34.
In 2024, Williams announced Mozi, a private social network he co-founded with Molly DeWolf Swenson 1. As of May 2025, his net worth is estimated at $2 billion according to Forbes 1.
Obvious Ventures has raised approximately $1 billion in total assets under management across multiple funds: Fund I ($123 million), Fund II ($191 million), Fund III ($271.8 million), and two 2022 funds totaling $461 million 56. As of early 2025, the firm was raising a $400 million fund 5.
Stated Thesis
(Self-reported: These represent what Williams says publicly about his investing approach. See Inferred Thesis for analysis of actual investment behavior.)
Williams has described Obvious Ventures’ philosophy as investing in “companies we wish existed in the world” 4. This became the firm’s rally cry for pursuing unconventional categories like plant-based meat and lab-grown diamonds 4.
On the meaning of “world positive” investing, Williams has clarified an important distinction: “What’s a little bit misunderstood about Obvious Ventures is ‘world positive investing,’ our catchphrase. It’s not social impact investing… our perspective is slightly different, which is, it’s more of a filter. We say, ‘There’s lots of investments that might make money, let’s narrow down the ones that we invest in to those that we legitimately and honestly think will have positive impact at scale’” 7.
Williams has also argued that this approach produces superior returns: “I think it’s a longer term, and ultimately, a more sustainable approach, because if you chose companies that are addressing real problems, ones that will have the most impact, then if they get that right, that’s a huge deal, and they should be a profitable company” 7.
Inferred Thesis
The analysis below is based on 35 verified portfolio companies from Obvious Ventures’ portfolio page and press coverage 348.
Sector concentration (based on 35 verified investments): - Planetary Health / climate / energy: 12 of 35 (34%) — Beyond Meat, Diamond Foundry, Proterra, Aurora (Amply Energy), Arbor, Canvas, Enbala Power Networks, Enervee, Forum Mobility, Halcyon, Pyka, Aifleet - Human Health / healthcare: 10 of 35 (29%) — Devoted Health, Galileo, Virta Health, ConcertoCare, CareZone, Ataraxis AI, Dyno Therapeutics, Gandeeva Therapeutics, Beam, Recursion - Economic Health / fintech / SMB: 10 of 35 (29%) — Gusto, Cal.com, Corvus Insurance, Dexterity, Block Renovation, Brightside Health, DarwinAI, Grid, Baton, Bakpax - Food / consumer: 3 of 35 (9%) — Good Eggs, All In Food, Planet
Stage distribution: Obvious invests primarily at Series Seed and Series A, though the firm has done some Series B and C rounds 8. Signal by NFX lists Williams’ personal check range at $250K–$4M 8.
Key patterns:
- Three-pillar framework is real: The portfolio genuinely splits across Planetary Health (34%), Human Health (29%), and Economic Health (29%), showing disciplined adherence to the stated thesis. This is an unusual case where stated and inferred theses align closely.
- Frontier-to-flywheel strategy: Obvious enters emerging categories early (plant-based meat pre-2010, lab-grown diamonds in 2012, construction robotics in 2017) and builds conviction as the category develops 4. Beyond Meat (founded 2009, IPO 2019) and Diamond Foundry (founded 2012) exemplify this.
- Mixed exit track record: Beyond Meat IPO was initially a massive success (Obvious held a 9% stake at IPO, stock peaked at $14B+ market cap) but the stock subsequently declined to below $300M market cap 5. Proterra went public via SPAC but went bankrupt in 2023 5. These outcomes illustrate the risk profile of “world positive” deep-tech bets.
- Successful exits: Corvus Insurance (acquired), DarwinAI (acquired by Apple), Canvas (acquired), CareZone (acquired), Bakpax (acquired), Good Eggs (acquired), Amply Energy (acquired) 3.
- Healthcare deepening: Later funds show increasing concentration in healthcare — Devoted Health, Galileo, Virta Health, Ataraxis AI, Gandeeva Therapeutics — suggesting the firm’s Human Health pillar has become a stronger conviction area over time 3.
- Ownership evolution: The firm learned early that ownership matters. In Fund I, Obvious had limited ownership stakes; by later funds, the firm leads Series Seed/A rounds for meaningful ownership 4.
- Co-founder heritage as signal: Williams’ track record as a serial founder (Blogger, Twitter, Medium) likely influences the type of founders who seek him out — mission-driven builders working on hard problems.
Portfolio
| Company | Stage | Year | Sector | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beyond Meat | Series D | ~2014 | Planetary Health / food | IPO (2019) | 35 |
| Proterra | Venture | ~2015 | Planetary Health / EV buses | Bankrupt (2023) | 5 |
| Diamond Foundry | Series A | ~2015 | Planetary Health / diamonds | Active | 3 |
| Devoted Health | Series A | 2017 | Human Health / insurance | Active | 3 |
| Gusto | Series C | 2016 | Economic Health / payroll | Active | 3 |
| Recursion | Series A | 2016 | Human Health / biotech | IPO | 3 |
| Planet | Venture | ~2015 | Planetary Health / satellite | IPO | 3 |
| Pyka | Series B | 2024 | Planetary Health / aviation | Active | 3 |
| Galileo | Seed | ~2018 | Human Health / mobile care | Active | 3 |
| Virta Health | Series C | ~2020 | Human Health / diabetes | Active | 4 |
| Cal.com | Seed | ~2021 | Economic Health / scheduling | Active | 3 |
| Corvus Insurance | Seed | ~2017 | Economic Health / insurtech | Acquired | 3 |
| DarwinAI | Seed | ~2017 | Economic Health / AI | Acquired (Apple) | 3 |
| Dexterity | Seed | ~2017 | Economic Health / robotics | Active | 3 |
| Canvas | Seed | ~2017 | Planetary Health / construction | Acquired | 3 |
| Block Renovation | Seed | ~2017 | Economic Health / home reno | Active | 3 |
| CareZone | Seed | ~2012 | Human Health / health app | Acquired | 3 |
| ConcertoCare | Seed | ~2015 | Human Health / geriatric care | Active | 3 |
| Dyno Therapeutics | Seed | ~2018 | Human Health / gene therapy | Active | 3 |
| Arbor | Seed | ~2020 | Planetary Health / energy | Active | 3 |
| Forum Mobility | Seed | ~2021 | Planetary Health / EV trucks | Active | 3 |
| Halcyon | Seed | ~2023 | Planetary Health / energy AI | Active | 3 |
| Baton | Seed | ~2021 | Economic Health / SMB M&A | Active | 3 |
| Aifleet | Seed | ~2020 | Planetary Health / trucking | Active | 3 |
| Beam | Seed | ~2018 | Human Health / wellness | Active | 3 |
| Brightside Health | Seed | ~2017 | Economic Health / financial wellness | Active | 3 |
| Good Eggs | Seed | ~2011 | Human Health / grocery | Acquired | 3 |
| Enervee | Seed | ~2010 | Planetary Health / energy | Active | 3 |
| Gandeeva Therapeutics | Seed | ~2020 | Human Health / drug discovery | Active | 3 |
| Grid | Seed | ~2016 | Economic Health / tax | Active | 3 |
| Ataraxis AI | Seed | ~2022 | Human Health / oncology | Active | 3 |
| All In Food | Seed | ~2025 | Human Health / snacks | Active | 3 |
| Bakpax | Seed | ~2017 | Economic Health / edtech | Acquired | 3 |
| Coda | Series C | 2020 | Economic Health / productivity | Active | 8 |
| Sanity | Series A | 2020 | Economic Health / CMS | Active | 8 |
Note: Most investment years are approximate, based on company founding dates from the Obvious portfolio page. Obvious Ventures’ full portfolio likely includes additional companies not listed here.
In Their Own Words
“We should invest in companies we wish existed in the world.” — Evan Williams, Obvious Ventures founding statement, 2014 4
“What’s a little bit misunderstood about Obvious Ventures is ‘world positive investing,’ our catchphrase. It’s not social impact investing… our perspective is slightly different, which is, it’s more of a filter. We say, ‘There’s lots of investments that might make money, let’s narrow down the ones that we invest in to those that we legitimately and honestly think will have positive impact at scale.’” — Evan Williams, interview 7
“I think it’s a longer term, and ultimately, a more sustainable approach, because if you chose companies that are addressing real problems, ones that will have the most impact, then if they get that right, that’s a huge deal, and they should be a profitable company.” — Evan Williams, interview 7
What Founders Say
No independently sourced founder testimonials found. Williams is widely respected as a serial founder (Blogger, Twitter, Medium), which likely influences how founders perceive him as an investor, but specific public testimonials from Obvious Ventures portfolio company founders were not found in available sources.
Sources
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Wikipedia, “Evan Williams (Internet entrepreneur),” accessed March 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Williams_(Internet_entrepreneur) ↩↩↩↩↩↩
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Obvious Ventures website, Ev Williams team page, accessed March 2026. https://obvious.com/team/ev-williams/↩↩↩
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Obvious Ventures website, portfolio page, accessed March 2026. https://obvious.com/portfolio/↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩
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Obvious Ventures, “Obvious, in Hindsight,” accessed March 2026. https://obvious.com/ideas/obvious-in-hindsight/↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩
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CNBC, “Obvious Ventures, co-founded by Twitter’s Evan Williams, plans to raise $400 million fund,” February 2025, accessed March 2026. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/26/obvious-ventures-started-by-twitters-williams-raising-400-million.html↩↩↩↩↩↩
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CNBC, “Twitter co-founder Ev Williams’ Obvious Ventures raises third fund,” January 2020, accessed March 2026. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/14/twitter-co-founder-ev-williams-obvious-ventures-announces-new-fund.html↩
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TechCrunch, “Ev Williams’ Obvious Ventures Is A Fund For Investing In ‘World-Positive’ Startups,” December 2014, accessed March 2026. https://techcrunch.com/2014/12/08/obvious-ventures/↩↩↩↩
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Signal by NFX, Ev Williams investor profile, accessed March 2026. https://signal.nfx.com/investors/ev-williams↩↩↩↩↩