On this episode, taken from The Ben & Marc Show, a16z co-founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz dive deep into the unfiltered story behind the founding of Andreessen Horowitz—and how they set out to reinvent venture capital itself. 

For the first time, Marc and Ben walk through the origins, strategy, and philosophy behind building a world-class venture capital firm designed for the future—not just the next fund. They reveal how they broke industry norms with a bold brand, a full-stack support model, and a long-term commitment to backing exceptional builders—anchored in the radical idea that founders deserved real support, not just checks. 

Joining them to guide the conversation is Erik Torenberg—Andreessen Horowitz’s newest General Partner—who makes his Ben & Marc Show moderating debut. Erik is a technology entrepreneur, investor, and founder of the media company Turpentine.

Together, they explore: 

- Why traditional VC needed reinvention 

- How a16z scaled with a platform model, not a partner model 

- The "barbell strategy" reshaping venture capital today 

- Why venture remains a human craft, even in the age of AI 

Timecodes: 

00:00 - Intro 

01:00 - Why Traditional Venture Capital Was Broken 

03:05 - Marc on Discovering VC and Its Legends 

05:12 - Surviving the Dot-Com Crash and Angel Investing Collapse 

07:05 - Helping Founders Raise Venture / Fix VC Relationships 

08:47 - The a16z Strategy: Building a Support Platform 

12:07 - First Fund Wins: Skype, Instagram, Slack, Okta 

12:50 - Building a 'World-Dominating Monster' 15:00 - The Sushi Boat VC Problem 

18:07 - Treating LPs Differently 

21:40 - Marc and Ben's Working Relationship 

23:30 - Updating a16z’s Media Strategy for the Social Era 

27:20 - History of the Decentralized Media Environment

30:36 - Decline of Corporate Brands and Going Direct 

36:06 - Naming the Firm 

40:13 - Building the a16z 'Cinematic Universe' of Talent 

42:16 - Creating a Federated Model 

51:02 - Deciding to Market the Firm 

53:26 - Recruiting General Partners 

56:33 - Evolution to Full-Stack Companies 

01:03:53 - The Barbell Theory: The Death of Mid-Sized VCs

01:11:50 - Why Venture Capital Should Stay Overfunded 

01:19:50 - When a16z Knew It Could Be Top Tier 

01:25:58 - Venture Capital is an Art, Not a Science

Resources:

Marc on X: https://twitter.com/pmarca 

Marc’s Substack: https://pmarca.substack.com/

Ben on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz 

Erik on X: https://x.com/eriktorenberg 

Erik's Substack: https://eriktorenberg.substack.com/