Newcomer's VC Directory: The Key Details on Sequoia, a16z, YC, Lux Capital & Other Top VC Firms
Your exclusive look inside Silicon Valley venture capital firms deals, people, and more
There’s a lot of marketing and spin when it comes to venture capital. VC firms’ websites and thought pieces often leave core questions unanswered: Who is in charge? How much money does that firm really have to invest?
Venture firms’ reputations are built on the back of old deals — but what have they invested in lately? What categories are they leaning into? Who’s coming and going?
With our VC Directory series, we answer those questions. We give you an easy-to-digest guide to some of the most important firms in the Valley.
These firms are in the VC Directory:
This directory is a fact-checked and up-to-date snapshot on what your competitors, investors — or whatever they are to you — are doing right now.
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Andreessen Horowitz
Andreessen Horowitz and its iconic founders — Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz — parachuted into venture capital in 2009 with an ambitious strategy to invest in nearly every promising startup that they could get their hands on. Somehow, the venture firm ended up investing more money than anyone could have fathomed fifteen years ago.
The firm announced $7.2 billion in new capital raised in April, with the money divided among multiple funds, each helmed by a general partner:
$3.75 billion for growth investing
$1.25 billion for infrastructure (which includes many of the firm’s AI investments)
$1 billion for “Apps” — made up of enterprise, consumer tech, and fintech
$600 million for games
$600 million for American Dynamism (mostly defense and government tech)
Commitments to certain segments are more modest than they were previously. A16z’s last growth fund was capped at $5 billion, so this is definitely a step down from that. The firm also chose not to break out a separate seed fund this time around.
Overall, the new funds closely map what’s “in” and what’s “out” in Silicon Valley, with big commitments to defense tech and AI. Since its founding in 2009, a16z has positioned itself as “a different kind of VC,” and now with its massive size and extensive set of services for founders, it may well be that. But its investment theses for these new funds fit right in line with the buzziest categories of our current moment, and with the sheer number of investments, a16z looks in some ways like an index fund for hype-y startups.
Andreessen Horowitz has come a long way since its initial $300 million fund, now boasting dozens of investors and hundreds of employees. The firm is stage agnostic, investing from seed to growth stage. Eric wrote a detailed “unauthorized history” of the firm a couple of years back that’s worth perusing for a more in-depth look at how the firm became the behemoth it is today.
Outside of his dealmaking prowess, Andreessen is known for his public prognosticating on Twitter and occasional essays, from his famed “software is eating the world” to a more recent declaration that it was “time to build.”
How Much
Andreessen Horowitz has over $42 billion in assets under management.
Active Funds
New
American Dynamism (2024): $600 million
Apps (2024): $1 billion
Games (2024): $600 million
Infrastructure (2024): $1.25 billion
Growth (2024): $3.75 billion
Older Vintages
Bio + Healthcare (2022): $1.5 billion
Crypto (2022): $4.5 billion
Who
Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz are the cofounders of Andreessen Horowitz.
Scott Kupor manages investor relations and growth initiatives.
Sriram Krishnan works on international strategy.