Andreessen Horowitz just raised over $15 billion.
I’ll let you consider that number for a moment, because while it’s far from unprecedented (or even surprising), it is quite a chunk of change. It’s also a reminder: The firm that first made its name as a VC upstart upon its 2009 founding has become venture capital’s most-talked-about and controversial brand. And I use the term brand intentionally: a16z made its name not only by investing in companies like Skype, Facebook, and Twitter but by intentionally brand-building in a way that was new to venture in the 2010s—and now is de rigueur.
The $15 billion is being parceled out among various a16z funds. Here’s how it breaks down: The firm’s fifth growth fund gets $6.75 billion, the fifth biotech and healthcare fund will see $700 million, while the second apps fund and second infrastructure fund each get $1.7 billion. American Dynamism, a key player in the defense tech boom, gets $1.176 billion (less than I maybe would have guessed, given how hot defense tech is right now).
Finally, another $3 billion funnels to a cryptic category, “other venture strategies.” An a16z spokesperson said this “refers to a combination of things, fund strategies that have not yet launched as well as additional opportunities like institutional SMAs.” (SMAs are “separately managed accounts,” and buzzy with the family office-wealthy individual set looking for their piece of tech.)
