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The multi-faceted nature of A16Z

The multi-faceted nature of A16Z
May 25, 2021

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Good morning! Today we look at how one of the most recognizable names in Silicon Valley investing is not only shaping the narrative of tech through big checks, but through its growing media presence.

            

           Photo Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios. Photos: Kimberly White (Stringer), Brad Barket (Stringer)/Getty Images

Andreessen Horowitz, or a16z for those in the know, might be the closest any investment firm has gotten to being a household name. The VC investor turned Registered Investment Adviser (in order to take “riskier” bets) has often taken a heavy-handed approach toward grooming, growing, and blowing up their investment companies, as investees put it, acting as a “batphone” and “superpower” for startups. 

Is all press good press?

Since its inception, a16z has been a dependable source of opinions (preferably scathing ones) for media outlets and on Twitter. After years of maintaining open lines and even dinner-party familiarity with journalists, the firm is now recoiling after journalists have apparently bit the hand that fed them, narrating a less than flattering portrayal of tech’s trap door of innovation (e.g., Elizabeth Holmes' swindling of Theranos, Cambridge Analytica and Facebook). 

 

Media and A16Z

The company has been growing its team, specifically in content and media, bringing on such industry stalwarts as Maggie Leung, as executive editor with 20+ years in daily news. Meanwhile, their growing media presence in blogging, podcasting, and newsletters has led to accusations that they are trying to supplant the traditional media outlets who might have written unfavorably about them. Ultimately, a16z sees itself as a dedicated space to explain and track the future, which, as its tagline “software is eating the world” suggests, is a future defined by tech. 

 

“a16z is a media company that monetizes through VC” -- former a16z partner

Here are 5 recent funding rounds in which the firm participated:

  • Workrise, a workforce software for construction, raised a $300MM Round E 
  • Loom, a workplace tool for sharing screen recordings, raised a $130MM Round C 
  • Maven, a platform for cohort-based courses, raised a $20MM Round A 
  • Forte Labs, a blockchain-based gaming platform, raised a $185MM Round B 
  • Memora Health, a telehealth platform, raised a $10.5MM equity round
The battle of tech v. journalism

A deeper look into the juicy details of this growing feud.

[NY Mag]

 

 

The business of booze
The tech platform SevenFifty gets $23MM to bring booze into the 21st century.
Since last week, PrivCo has added:

503 Companies | 248 Funding Activities | 119 M&A Deals

Funding & Deal Highlights:
 

 

Figure Technology raises $200MM from Morgan Creek Digital Assets

Fintech Software & Internet Services • Round D • San Francisco, CA
 

Workrise raises $300MM from Baillie Gifford

Workplace Software & Internet Services • Round E • Austin, TX
 

Immuta raises $90MM from Greenspring Associates

AI Software & Internet Services • Round D • Boston, MA
 

Heru raises $30MM from D1 Capital Partners

AI Software & Internet Services • Round A • Miami, FL
 

Leif raises $60MM from Insita Group

Fintech Software & Internet Services • Equity • New York, NY
 

Boost Insurance raises $20MM from RRE Ventures LLC

Insurance Software & Internet Services • Round B • New York, NY
 

oneNav raises $21MM from GV

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment •Round B • Palo Alto, CA
 

WeaveGrid raises $15MM from Coatue Management

EV Software & Internet Services • Round A • San Francisco, CA
 

Super Home raises $50MM from Wells Fargo

Software & Internet Services • Round C • Sacramento, CA
 

Boston Materials raises $8MM from AccelR8 & Valo Ventures

Commercial & Industrial Engineering • Round A • Billerica, MA
 

Wasabi Technologies raises $25MM from Prosperity Ventures

Cloud Software & Internet Services • Round C • Boston, MA
 

Maven raises $20MM from Andreessen Horowitz

Education Software & Internet Services • Round A • Austin, TX
 

Produce Pay raises $43MM from G2VP, International Finance Corporation & IDB Invest

Specialty Finance • Round C • Los Angeles, CA
 

Privacy raises $43MM from Bessemer Venture Partners 

Fintech Software & Internet Services • Round B • New York, NY
 

Validant acquires Clinical Outcomes Solutions 

Health Care Services • Acquisition • Tuscon, AZ
 

Recuro Health acquires SupDoc 

Health Software & Internet Services • Acquisition • Minneapolis, MN
 

AE Industrial Partners acquires Cross-Fire & Security

Security & Alarm Services • Acquisition • Brooklyn, NY

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