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About Marc Andreessen
Marc Andreessen is the co-founder and general partner of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), one of the most influential venture capital firms in Silicon Valley, and the creator of Mosaic, the first widely used graphical web browser that made the internet accessible to ordinary people. Born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Andreessen grew up in New Lisbon, Wisconsin and studied computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where, as an undergraduate, he co-created the Mosaic browser at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) in 1993.
At just 22 years old, Andreessen co-founded Netscape Communications with Jim Clark, turning the web browser into a commercial product. Netscape's 1995 IPO — in which the stock soared from $28 to $75 on its first day of trading — is widely credited with launching the dot-com era and establishing the template for technology IPOs. The browser wars that followed, as Microsoft bundled Internet Explorer with Windows to crush Netscape, led to one of the most significant antitrust cases in technology history. AOL acquired Netscape in 1998 for $4.2 billion.
Andreessen then co-founded Loudcloud (later Opsware), an early cloud computing company that he sold to Hewlett-Packard for $1.6 billion in 2007. But his most lasting impact has been through a16z, which he founded with Ben Horowitz in 2009. The firm has invested in many of the defining companies of the modern era, including Facebook, Twitter, GitHub, Airbnb, Coinbase, Stripe, Lyft, Instacart, and Roblox. Andreessen's 2011 essay "Why Software Is Eating the World" in The Wall Street Journal became the defining thesis of the technology era, predicting that software companies would disrupt every industry — a forecast that has proven remarkably prescient. He is also known for his prolific writing on technology optimism, most notably his 2023 "Techno-Optimist Manifesto."
Key Achievements
Created the First Popular Web Browser
Co-authored Mosaic at age 22, the first graphical web browser widely adopted by the public, which made the internet accessible to non-technical users and catalyzed the entire World Wide Web revolution.
Launched the Dot-Com Era with Netscape
Co-founded Netscape and executed the legendary 1995 IPO that launched the commercial internet age, establishing the template for technology company public offerings and inspiring a generation of entrepreneurs.
Built a16z into a Venture Capital Powerhouse
Co-founded Andreessen Horowitz in 2009, growing it to over $35 billion in assets under management with investments in Facebook, GitHub, Airbnb, Coinbase, Stripe, and dozens of other category-defining companies.
Wrote 'Software Is Eating the World'
Published the 2011 Wall Street Journal essay that became the defining thesis of the technology era, correctly predicting that software companies would disrupt and transform every major industry.
Pioneered the Modern VC Operating Model
Reinvented venture capital at a16z by building an in-house services platform with marketing, recruiting, and operations teams that actively help portfolio companies scale — a model now imitated industry-wide.
Notable Quotes
“Software is eating the world.”
— Marc Andreessen
“In the future, there will be two kinds of companies: those that are software companies and those that are out of business.”
— Marc Andreessen
“The spread of computers and the internet will put jobs in two categories. People who tell computers what to do, and people who are told by computers what to do.”
— Marc Andreessen
“The best time to build a company is when nobody else believes it will work. That's when the talent is available and the opportunity is wide open.”
— Marc Andreessen
“We are not in a tech bubble. We are in a tech revolution.”
— Marc Andreessen
Key Decisions
Co-created the Mosaic web browser at NCSA while still an undergraduate at the University of Illinois, building the tool that would make the World Wide Web accessible to the general public.
Co-founded Netscape Communications with Jim Clark at age 22, turning the web browser into a commercial product and setting the stage for the internet revolution.
Co-founded Loudcloud (later Opsware) after Netscape's acquisition, pioneering early cloud computing concepts that were ahead of their time.
Co-founded Andreessen Horowitz with Ben Horowitz, reimagining venture capital with an operator-centric model that provides portfolio companies with comprehensive services beyond just capital.
Published 'Why Software Is Eating the World' in The Wall Street Journal, articulating the thesis that would define a16z's investment strategy and the entire technology industry's trajectory.
Deep Dives
Go deeper into what makes Marc Andreessen exceptional.
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