VC Perspectives on the Facebook Platform: Andrew Chen, MDV EIR
Our Sand Hill interview series continues this week with Andrew Chen, Entrepreneur in Residence at Mohr Davidow Ventures. (Last week I spoke with Jeremy Liew, partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, to get his perspective.)
Context & Ripple Effects
Inside Facebook's Sand Hill series is building a running record of how venture firms read the Facebook Platform, following last week's confirmed interview with Lightspeed partner Jeremy Liew. This week's installment turns to Andrew Chen, confirmed Entrepreneur in Residence at Mohr Davidow Ventures, making the series a two-firm snapshot of early institutional money's thinking.
First-order effects
- Chen's public position gives app developers a second named VC reference point alongside Lightspeed's Jeremy Liew for gauging which platform bets have institutional backing.
- Mohr Davidov Ventures gains visibility in the emerging Facebook app market without yet committing capital on the record.
Second-order effects
- Rival firms face pressure to stake their own public positions on the platform, turning VC commentary itself into competitive positioning for deal flow from app developers.
- Early Facebook app teams can now shop pitches against at least two firms' stated views, sharpening valuation conversations around platform distribution rather than standalone web metrics.
Third-order effects
- If more firms follow MDV and Lightspeed into commentary and investment, the Facebook Platform solidifies into a recognized investment category with its own playbook, separate from traditional web startups.
The trend: Venture capitalists are moving from watching the Facebook Platform to publicly competing over it, treating platform apps as a distinct early-stage deal category.