Hi readers,
Big update: I’m joining Andreessen Horowitz as a general partner!
Starting in April, I’m returning to my roots to invest in and help grow the next generation of startups. I’ll be focused on consumer startups, bottoms up SaaS, marketplaces, and more – utilizing my expertise in growth to launch and scale new companies. Incredibly excited.
How this came together tells you a lot about Marc and Ben, and how Silicon Valley works. I moved to the Bay Area in 2007, as a first time founder with a lot of energy and a lot of questions. I spent the first year meeting everyone I could, reading everything about tech, and writing down all that I was learning. A few months in, I was shocked to get a cold email from Marc introducing himself. Who knew that sort of thing happened? My blog was pretty much anonymous and I could be anyone – but he reached out to talk ideas, which made a big impression. I learned a lot about Silicon Valley that day.
Marc soon introduced me to Ben, and together, they provided a regular stream of advice/ideas/frameworks over breakfasts at the Creamery, Hobee’s, Stacks, and other assorted Palo Alto diners. I was a first-time founder, and the real-life entrepreneurial experiences they relayed – on fundraising, finding product/market fit, hiring, and much more – proved to be insanely helpful. My startup ultimately didn’t work out and the team soft-landed at Uber, but I always remembered the incredible support from Ben and Marc.
Andreessen Horowitz is a firm built on the same core values I saw first-hand. The investing team has a deep empathy for entrepreneurs that reflects their extensive operating experience. The partners on the operating team are incredible and enable the firm’s unmatched support of founders and their companies. For all of these reasons and more, I’m thrilled to join the a16z team.
A decade ago, I learned how impactful it can be when a couple experienced entrepreneurs reach out to a new founder. I can’t wait to close the loop by doing the same – working with new founders and their startups, and helping build the next generation of tech companies.
As excited as I am about the next step, I’m also sad to leave an extraordinary team and experience behind at Uber. I have nothing but admiration for the talented, passionate people who are working hard to ship all the amazing innovations that are coming down the queue. To all my friends and colleagues at Uber, thank you for the amazing two and a half years.
Finally, to the readers of this blog: I’ll be writing much more! The new job will let me put down a lot of what I’ve learned over the past few years. I’m excited to share ideas and stories from across companies and industries with all of you! Looking forward to it.
Onwards!
Andrew
San Francisco, CA
