A16z ushers in new fund strategy with $2.75B

Andreessen Horowitz, the storied venture capital firm with investments in Airbnb, BuzzFeed and Coinbase, has closed on $2.75 billion for two new funds, the firm confirmed in a blog post this morning.

The firm has raised $2 billion for its debut late-stage fund led by their most recent hire and 15th general partner, David George. Additionally, a16z has lassoed $750 million for its sixth flagship early-stage fund.

“Why not call it a growth fund? We believe that “growth” is a loaded, one-size-fits-all term that not only means very different things to different people, but encompasses very different types of investors and a huge range of financings (everything from a $30 million Series C financing to a $1 billion Series G and beyond),” a16z managing director Scott Kupor wrote in the fund announcement.

This comes about a month after Forbes explained a16z’s new status as a financial advisor rather than a traditional venture capital fund.

The a16z model, one that couples capital with agency-like services, has for years been replicated by other big venture firms. Now, a16z expects to lead the charge again by turning itself into a registered investment advisor.

The move will allow a16z to experiment in new areas, including the public markets, other VC funds and cryptocurrencies.

George is investing across industries, offering up his knowledge of late-stage economics, valuations and underwriting to a16z’s large and growing team of deal-makers. George is at least the fourth high-level addition to the team in the last year, including Katie Haun, who joined in June to lead a16z’s cryptocurrency investment effort. Angela Strange and Connie Chan, additionally, were promoted to GP last summer.

A16z’s fifth flagship venture fund closed on $1.5 billion in 2016. The firm also deploys capital out of a $300 million crypto fund, a bio fund and a cultural fund, which boasts limited partners that include Sean “Diddy” Combs, Shonda Rhimes and Jada Pinkett Smith.