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a16z expands crypto fund under a16z Frontier name

Andreessen Horowitz has renamed a16z Crypto as a16z Frontier, widening its latest fund beyond crypto while retaining blockchain investments and policy work.

The Today Crypto Editors

a16z expands crypto fund under a16z Frontier name

As blockchains spread into mainstream finance, Andreessen Horowitz has renamed a16z Crypto to a16z Frontier and widened its latest fund’s brief. In an announcement by managing partner Chris Dixon on Oct. 22, the firm said the fund will back companies building new technologies and markets that may take years to develop.

The expanded mandate gives the firm room to fund startups beyond crypto while keeping blockchain ventures in scope.

What can a16z Frontier invest in now?

The team can invest beyond crypto in areas including AI, robotics, new devices and networks connecting people with intelligent agents. Dixon said the move reflects the firm’s focus on technologies whose uses and markets are still emerging.

Blockchain remains part of that thesis. Dixon said crypto could give new networks built-in economic functions and enable transactions between machines. The firm also plans to continue investing in crypto and related ventures, and to advocate for crypto regulation, according to its announcement.

Does the change affect the latest fund’s size?

The rebrand broadens the scope of the latest fund, but a16z did not announce a new fund size or say how much it might allocate outside crypto. Fortune reported that the fund raised $2.2 billion in May and that a16z had raised $9.8 billion across five crypto funds.

For founders, the practical change is that companies working in AI, robotics and other emerging areas can now fit the fund’s stated remit. Crypto founders remain eligible, but the announcement provides no breakdown of how investment will be split across sectors. It also does not specify changes to investment terms or the process for seeking funding.

Who will lead the expanded fund?

Dixon will lead a16z Frontier alongside the firm’s founders, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, and general partners Eddy Lazzarin and Guy Wuollet. The firm said its operating teams will continue supporting existing and future portfolio companies with regulatory, go-to-market, talent, marketing and technical research work.

The name change follows years in which blockchains became more common in products from financial institutions and fintech companies, making the “crypto” label less definitive, Dixon argued. For investors and founders, the mandate now covers a broader set of technologies; the announcement does not signal that a16z is exiting crypto.

Sources