On this episode, taken from The Ben & Marc Show, a16z co-founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz dive deep into the unfiltered story behind the founding of Andreessen Horowitz—and how they set out to reinvent venture capital itself.
For the first time, Marc and Ben walk through the origins, strategy, and philosophy behind building a world-class venture capital firm designed for the future—not just the next fund. They reveal how they broke industry norms with a bold brand, a full-stack support model, and a long-term commitment to backing exceptional builders—anchored in the radical idea that founders deserved real support, not just checks.
Joining them to guide the conversation is Erik Torenberg—Andreessen Horowitz’s newest General Partner—who makes his Ben & Marc Show moderating debut. Erik is a technology entrepreneur, investor, and founder of the media company Turpentine.
Together, they explore:
- Why traditional VC needed reinvention
- How a16z scaled with a platform model, not a partner model
- The "barbell strategy" reshaping venture capital today
- Why venture remains a human craft, even in the age of AI
Timecodes:
00:00 - Intro
01:00 - Why Traditional Venture Capital Was Broken
03:05 - Marc on Discovering VC and Its Legends
05:12 - Surviving the Dot-Com Crash and Angel Investing Collapse
07:05 - Helping Founders Raise Venture / Fix VC Relationships
08:47 - The a16z Strategy: Building a Support Platform
12:07 - First Fund Wins: Skype, Instagram, Slack, Okta
12:50 - Building a 'World-Dominating Monster' 15:00 - The Sushi Boat VC Problem
18:07 - Treating LPs Differently
21:40 - Marc and Ben's Working Relationship
23:30 - Updating a16z’s Media Strategy for the Social Era
27:20 - History of the Decentralized Media Environment
30:36 - Decline of Corporate Brands and Going Direct
36:06 - Naming the Firm
40:13 - Building the a16z 'Cinematic Universe' of Talent
42:16 - Creating a Federated Model
51:02 - Deciding to Market the Firm
53:26 - Recruiting General Partners
56:33 - Evolution to Full-Stack Companies
01:03:53 - The Barbell Theory: The Death of Mid-Sized VCs
01:11:50 - Why Venture Capital Should Stay Overfunded
01:19:50 - When a16z Knew It Could Be Top Tier
01:25:58 - Venture Capital is an Art, Not a Science
Resources:
Marc on X: https://twitter.com/pmarca
Marc’s Substack: https://pmarca.substack.com/
Ben on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz
Erik on X: https://x.com/eriktorenberg
Erik's Substack: https://eriktorenberg.substack.com/
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