Ben Horowitz

Ben Horowitz began his distinguished career in technology as an engineer at Silicon Graphics in 1990. In 1995, he joined Marc Andreessen at Netscape as a product manager, where he swiftly ascended to Vice President for the Directory and Security Product Line, playing a pivotal role in the company’s foundational internet infrastructure. Following Netscape’s acquisition by AOL in 1998, Horowitz continued to drive innovation as Vice President of AOL’s E-commerce Division, where he notably oversaw the development and growth of their flagship Shop@AOL service. This extensive experience culminated in September 1999, when Horowitz co-founded Loudcloud with Marc Andreessen, Tim Howes, and In Sik Rhee.

Beyond his investment leadership, Horowitz is a New York Times bestselling author, sharing his incisive insights on leadership and culture in ‘The Hard Thing About Hard Things,’ published in 2014, and ‘What You Do Is Who You Are,’ released in 2019, both acclaimed for their practical wisdom for founders and executives alike. Demonstrating a commitment to diversity and inclusion, Horowitz established the a16z Cultural Leadership Fund, an innovative initiative designed to forge connections between cultural leaders and technology companies, while actively working to increase African American representation within the tech industry. He continues to shape the future of technology through his active involvement, currently serving on the boards of leading companies such as Anyscale, Databricks, Mayvenn, NationBuilder, Navan, and UnitedMasters, contributing his strategic guidance to their ongoing growth and innovation.