What Andreessen Horowitz is
Andreessen Horowitz, known as a16z, is a Silicon Valley venture capital firm founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen (co-creator of Netscape) and Ben Horowitz, headquartered in Menlo Park, California. It invests in startups at every stage, from seed to late stage, across software, fintech, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and defence. For the crypto sector what matters is the arm created in 2018 as a16z crypto and led by Chris Dixon, with historic stakes in Coinbase, Uniswap, OpenSea, Solana and hundreds of other projects: across five funds it has raised almost 10 billion dollars. On 22 October 2026 the division was renamed a16z Frontier: the fifth fund now also invests in artificial intelligence, autonomous machines, biotechnology and new networks between people and AI agents, and the firm has stated that it will continue to invest in the crypto sector (Verified: October 2026).
Regulation and licences
- a16z is not an exchange: the MiCA regulation does not apply to its venture capital activity. It operates as a US venture capital fund manager.
- In January 2025 a16z closed its London office, opened in 2023 as its first location outside the US, bringing the crypto team back to the United States because of the changed American regulatory climate (Verified: September 2026).
- In May 2026 a16z crypto announced its fifth fund at 2.2 billion dollars, originally dedicated entirely to the crypto sector, and promoted CTO Eddy Lazzarin to general partner. On 22 October 2026 the fund's mandate was extended to "frontier startups" and the division took the name a16z Frontier. The fund is led by Chris Dixon together with founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz and general partners Eddy Lazzarin and Guy Wuollet (Verified: October 2026).
Security
Not applicable in the exchange sense: a16z does not hold retail user funds. There are no significant incidents on record against the firm; exposure for end users is indirect, through the portfolio projects.
Alternatives
Pantera Capital · Blockchain Capital · Ark Invest
FAQ
What is a16z crypto? It is the Andreessen Horowitz arm created in 2018 to invest in cryptocurrencies and Web3, led by Chris Dixon. Since 22 October 2026 it has been called a16z Frontier: it continues to invest in crypto, but the new fund also covers artificial intelligence, robotics and other emerging technologies (Verified: October 2026).
Is a16z still investing in crypto in 2026? Yes, but no longer exclusively: in May 2026 it closed its fifth fund at 2.2 billion dollars, smaller than the 4.5 billion of the fourth (2022), and on 22 October 2026 it opened it to artificial intelligence and other technologies as well, stating that it will continue to invest in the crypto sector (Verified: October 2026).
Can I invest through a16z? No, it is not a retail product: a16z funds are reserved for institutional and qualified investors (limited partners).
Verified sources
- https://a16zfrontier.com/
- https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/22/as-blockchain-investing-falls-out-of-vogue-a16z-crypto-r
- https://fortune.com/2026/05/05/a16z-crypto-andreessen-horowitz-fifth-fund-2-2-billion/
- https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/03/05/andreessen-horowitz-crypto-arm-said-to-seek-u
- https://www.theblock.co/post/337019/the-daily-us-house-asks-crypto-execs-about-alleged-deb
- https://a16z.com/author/chris-dixon/
Leadership
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Marc Andreessen
Co-Founder & General Partner
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Ben Horowitz
Co-Founder & General Partner
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Chris Dixon
Managing Partner, a16z Frontier (formerly a16z crypto)
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