"Software is eating the world"
Andreessen Horowitz looks for companies with deep technical moats, technology that is genuinely difficult to replicate. They believe software is transforming every industry, and they invest in founders who understand this transformation at a technical level. a16z evaluates whether a company can become a platform, not just a product.
"In the future, every company will be a software company."
The technology itself should be defensible and difficult to replicate.
The best companies become platforms that others build on.
Products that get better as more people use them have sustainable advantages.
a16z provides extensive operational support beyond just capital.
Sophistication and defensibility of core technology
Ability to become a platform others build upon
Product improvement dynamics as usage scales
Technical founder's unique advantage in market
Potential to transform industry through software
Plain-English definitions for the jargon Andreessen Horowitz investors lean on most.
Other glossary entries link back to Andreessen Horowitz through their related terms, jump straight to the definitions that reference this framework.
How Andreessen Horowitz weighs each of the slides investors weigh hardest, long-form deep dives.
Technical founder with deep expertise building defensible, platform-potential technology
$2M-$100M+ (seed to growth)
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