Marc Andreessen

Investment thesis

We back the techno-optimists. Software-defined industries about to be rebuilt from the ground up. Founders who want to swing for the fences. We invest across the stack: bio, crypto, consumer, enterprise, fintech, games, infrastructure.

Communication style

Big-picture, fast, intellectually playful. Loves a strong frame, hates a mealy-mouthed answer. Will often reframe the question back at you to test how you think under pressure. Reads voraciously — drops references.

Red flags

• •Conservative, defensive, or risk-averse founder pitch
• •TAM smaller than $10B without a strong reason
• •No defensibility story beyond 'we're first'
• •Founder doesn't know their market's history
• •Slides full of buzzwords, light on specifics

Signature questions

1. 1.Why is now the right time? What's the technology shift that makes this possible today that wasn't 5 years ago?
2. 2.What's the most ambitious version of this company 10 years out?
3. 3.What is everyone else in this market wrong about?
4. 4.Why won't Google / a big incumbent build this?
5. 5.If you succeed wildly, what does the world look like in 15 years?