Timeline
- 7.5
Morning Minute: a16z Drops 'Crypto' From Its Fund
Andreessen Horowitz is renaming its crypto fund "a16z Frontier" and broadening its mandate to cover AI, autonomous machines and biology, while saying it will continue investing in crypto. Chris Dixon, who has led the crypto team since 2018, runs the new fund alongside Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Eddy Lazzarin and Guy Wuollet. The firm describes the change as "an expansion" rather than a retreat from crypto, but a fund that was crypto-only will now weigh crypto deals against AI, autonomous machines and biology in the same partner meeting. Dixon's stated rationale is that blockchains have faded into the background of products shipped by Wall Street and fintech firms, so companies should be judged by what they build rather than the underlying plumbing. The most recent fund size on record is $2.2 billion, announced in May. Dixon has said crypto retains a role in the new mandate — enabling AI agents to pay each other — and points to Oculus, Skydio and Zipline as models for long-horizon bets.
- 7.0
a16z Drops Crypto From Its Name, Widens Bets to AI and Frontier Tech
Andreessen Horowitz is renaming its crypto fund "a16z Crypto" to "a16z Frontier," widening its mandate to AI, biology, hardware and other long-horizon technologies while saying it will keep investing in crypto and advocating for crypto regulation. The change was disclosed in an email to the firm's newsletter subscribers on Thursday, with Chris Dixon leading the fund alongside Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Eddy Lazzarin and Guy Wuollet. a16z is among the largest backers of the crypto industry, and as the report frames it, a firm of that size dropping "crypto" from its name shows where it may expect the next wave of capital to go. The firm calls the move "an expansion" and says crypto stays: "we will continue to invest in crypto and related ventures and advocate for sensible crypto regulation." The post gave no size for the renamed fund; the latest figure on record is the $2.2 billion announced in May.