# Andreessen Horowitz

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is a major American venture capital firm founded in 2009, known for large-scale investments in technology, including artificial intelligence, with $90 billion in assets under management as of 2026.

Andreessen Horowitz, commonly known as a16z, is an American privately-held venture capital firm headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, the firm has grown into one of the most influential investors in technology, with a particular focus on [artificial-intelligence](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/artificial-intelligence) and other transformative sectors. The name "a16z" derives from the 16 letters between the first letter of Andreessen and the last letter of Horowitz. As of January 2026, the company manages $90 billion in assets under management.

The firm invests across a wide range of industries, including healthcare, consumer products, cryptocurrency, gaming, fintech, education, and enterprise software, with an emphasis on cloud computing, security, and software-as-a-service. Its portfolio includes both early-stage startups and established growth companies, and it has become a dominant player in venture capital, often cited as the largest and most powerful venture fund globally.

## Founding and Growth

Before founding the firm, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz were active "super angel" investors between 2006 and 2010, collectively investing $4 million in 45 startups, including Twitter. On July 6, 2009, they launched their venture capital fund with an initial capitalization of $300 million. In November 2010, despite a contracting venture capital field, they raised an additional $650 million for a second fund, bringing total assets under management to $1.2 billion in less than two years.

The firm continued to expand rapidly. By March 27, 2014, it managed $4 billion following the closing of its fourth fund at $1.5 billion. In January 2022, a16z raised $9 billion across venture, growth, and biotech funds. In January 2026, it raised an additional $15 billion across five new funds, pushing total assets to at least $90 billion as of March 2026.

General partners include Jeff Jordan, Chris Dixon, Martin Casado, and Andrew Chen. In October 2025, ex-VMware CEO Raghu Raghuram joined as general partner. Margit Wennmachers served as operating partner from 2010 until July 2025, when she became partner emeritus. In March 2019, the firm opened an office in San Francisco.

## Investment Strategy and Influence

Andreessen Horowitz is known for its aggressive investment strategy and its ability to shape the technology landscape. By 2012, Business Insider described it as "the most powerful and respected venture capital firm in Silicon Valley right now." The firm often invests beyond traditional early-stage private companies, including public equities, crypto tokens, and non-traditional assets, as noted by Leslie Feinzaig in Fast Company. This approach has led to a tendency to compete for obvious winners rather than purely contrarian bets.

As of October 2025, a16z has backed 32 unicorns since 2020, more than any other venture firm. By November 2025, its website listed 1,076 portfolio companies, with a disclaimer that these are not representative of all investments and that exits include acquisitions and IPOs. The firm's political agenda focuses on defending "Little Tech" (startups) against Big Tech incumbents. In April 2025, it co-launched the American Innovators Network with Y Combinator and AI companies like Anyscale, Exowatt, and Sourcegraph, representing "America's Little Tech ecosystem."

## American Dynamism Fund

In 2023, Andreessen Horowitz launched a $600 million American Dynamism fund with the broad aim of supporting companies building in the nation's interest. The fund has raised two funds totaling $1.8 billion, focusing on hard tech sectors such as space, defense, manufacturing, and robotics. In 2024, the firm introduced the 12-month American Dynamism Engineering Fellows Program to recruit and train technologists. The annual American Dynamism summit gathers startup founders, investors, Members of Congress, and Defense Department officials, and is officially non-partisan, having partnered with Democratic defense officials like former Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.

The fund is managed by general partners Katherine Boyle, David Ulevitch, and Erin Price-Wright, with Ulevitch as leader. Connor Love joined the team in July 2026. Boyle, who previously interned at Founders Fund and was influenced by Peter Thiel, joined a16z after helping fund Anduril at General Catalyst. Her portfolio includes Hadrian, Apex Space, and Castelion. Notable portfolio companies include Applied Intuition, which after its 2025 Series F reached a $15 billion valuation, applying AI software originally for automotive clients like Toyota and Porsche to defense applications for the US military.

## AI Investments and Focus

Andreessen Horowitz has made significant investments in [artificial-intelligence](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/artificial-intelligence) companies, positioning itself as a key player in the AI boom. The firm has backed major AI startups and has a dedicated podcast, the a16z AI podcast, which discusses trends in [machine-learning](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/machine-learning), [large-language-model](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/large-language-model)s, and [generative-ai](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/generative-ai). Its portfolio includes companies like [openai](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/openai), [anthropic](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/anthropic), and [google-deepmind](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/google-deepmind), though specific investment details are often undisclosed. The firm's focus on AI reflects its broader thesis that software, and particularly AI, will transform every industry.

The firm's investments in AI span infrastructure, applications, and research, with a particular interest in [neural-network](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/neural-network) and [deep-learning](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/deep-learning) technologies. As of 2026, a16z continues to be a major force in funding AI innovation, alongside other venture firms and corporate investors.

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Source: https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/andreessen-horowitz
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
Last updated: 2026-09-05T13:23:24.384788+00:00