open source

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)

Check: $1M-$100M+ (leads a16z's $1.25B+ infrastructure fund)

Leads a16z's infrastructure practice and is one of Silicon Valley's most technically credible VCs, having built VMware NSX and pioneered software-defined networking. Invests 'from markets in' rather than 'from companies out' — he maps massive market opportunities first, then finds founders who can serve them. Believes AI is analogous to 1996 of the internet boom with years of growth still ahead. Sees the AI coding market alone as a potential $3 trillion opportunity. Vocal advocate for open source in AI — co-authored a piece in The Economist with Ion Stoica arguing open source is critical to AI's future. Deeply concerned about Chinese dominance in open-source AI models (claims ~80% of his portfolio companies use Chinese open-source models). Thinks AI value will ultimately accrue at the application layer more than the model layer, drawing parallels to how SaaS-era startups captured more value at the application layer than infrastructure. Believes AI is fundamentally changing SaaS pricing from per-seat to outcome-based models. Champions spatial intelligence as AI's next frontier (deeply involved with World Labs / Fei-Fei Li).

Greylock Partners

Check: $500K-$200M (sweet spot ~$25M)

Coined the 'Systems of Intelligence' framework in his landmark 2017 blog post 'The New Moats' — the idea that AI and data create competitive advantages by sitting between systems of record (databases) and systems of engagement (apps). The intelligence layer crosses multiple data sets and multiple systems of record to predict behavior, churn, LTV, or serve timely content. This layer is where value accrues and where startups build defensible moats through data network effects. Updated the thesis in 2023 with 'The New New Moats,' addressing how foundation models and LLMs change the equation: open-source LLMs shift value to apps and infrastructure around the models, but startups risk 'thin IP' if they're just wrappers around ChatGPT. Also developed the 'Unit of Value' framework — the smallest measurable unit at which your product delivers value — which determines how you price, scale, and sell. Believes good investors must be optimists, and VCs get in trouble when they move outside their 'strike zone.'

Greylock Partners

Menlo Park, CA

AUM: $5B+

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)