Brad Burnham co-founded Union Square Ventures after gaining both large telecom experience at AT&T Business Network Systems and entrepreneurial operating experience, giving him an unusual background for a venture investor. He's known for articulating the concept of skinny platforms—lean infrastructure that enables many independent providers rather than heavily intermediating marketplaces—and for consistently advocating that individuals should control their own data and identity online through open, permissionless networks rather than closed platforms. Brad Burnham co-founded Union Square Ventures after gaining both large telecom experience at AT&T Business Network Systems and entrepreneurial operating experience, giving him an unusual background for a venture investor. He's known for articulating the concept of skinny platforms—lean infrastructure that enables many independent providers rather than heavily intermediating marketplaces—and for consistently advocating that individuals should control their own data and identity online through open, permissionless networks rather than closed platforms.