Evan Williams is a serial founder-turned-investor who created new consumer internet categories like Blogger, Twitter, and Medium, bringing a distinctive product-builder perspective to venture capital at Obvious Ventures. He brings his personal values directly into investment decisions—such as his vegan background influencing Obvious's backing of Beyond Meat—and uses his own behavior changes as a lens for predicting mainstream consumer trends.

• Deep commitment to environmental activism and climate preservation. He utilizes his platform to urgently rally support for large-scale ecological causes, such as a significant campaign he advocated for to stop legislation threatening the Amazon rainforest and indigenous populations in Brazil.
• A focus on the nuance of product design and user experience. He frequently comments on the mechanics of software, offering feedback on how computers should handle utility tasks like time zone translation automatically or critiquing algorithms that repeatedly suggest irrelevant profiles.
• Active interest in the next generation of social networking tools. He distinguishes between platforms for media consumption versus those for genuine connection, evidenced by his support for new apps that prioritize social interaction over broadcasting content.
• Maintains a hands-on builder mentality. Unlike many investors who are removed from the code, he still actively tinkers with side projects and has sought out developers to help him build distinct applications using specific tech stacks like Python and Next.js.
• Investment thesis centered on world-positive progress and ESG frameworks. He promotes the idea of responsible venture capital, sharing resources on how firms can open-source their approach to environmental, social, and governance investing to better evaluate a startup's impact.