Marc Andreessen at Startup School SV 2016

TL;DR

Marc Andreessen explains why he and Ben Horowitz founded a16z with a focus on founder‑CEO retention, a network‑based “superpowers” operating model, and all GPs who have built companies. He details the institutional fundraising process (warm referrals, junior partner engagement, formal partnership presentation) as a series of tests that mirror later customer and hiring pitches.

Key insights

• The tilt toward professional CEOs in venture capital during the 1990s motivated a16z to back founder‑CEOs, but they are not dogmatic—founders who don’t perform will see their company collapse regardle
• a16z’s operating model gives founders instantaneous access to 85 professionals running networks for customers, later‑stage investors, media, recruits, and regulators—described by a founder as “plug in
• A warm referral to a top VC is a deliberate test: if a founder cannot network to the investor, they likely cannot network to hires or customers.