Ben Horowitz

Ben Horowitz is a technology entrepreneur, investor, and author known for his impact on the venture capital and technology industries. Horowitz is the co-founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, established with Marc Andreessen. He began his career as an engineer, gaining experience in software development that shaped his approach to leadership and strategy. At Netscape, Horowitz worked as a product manager and later became vice president of the Directory and Security product lines. He subsequently served as vice president of eCommerce at AOL after its acquisition of Netscape.

Horowitz co-founded Loudcloud with Andreessen and others, providing infrastructure and application hosting services to enterprise and internet clients such as Ford Motor Company, Nike, Gannett Company, News Corporation, and the United States Army. Loudcloud later became Opsware, an enterprise software company acquired by Hewlett-Packard for $1.6 billion. After the acquisition, Horowitz was appointed vice president and general manager of Business Technology Optimization for Software at HP. His experience navigating the dot-com crash, taking Loudcloud public, and leading a successful acquisition provided him with insight into building and managing technology companies through challenging environments.

At Andreessen Horowitz, Horowitz has played a significant role in investing in technology startups, with the firm’s portfolio including companies such as Airbnb, GitHub, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. He led Databricks' $250 million Series E and co-led its Series J, and serves on its board. Andreessen Horowitz has raised substantial funds and has been recognized for its influence in the venture capital sector.

Horowitz is the author of "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" and "What You Do Is Who You Are," both of which are New York Times bestsellers. "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" is available in multiple languages, while "What You Do Is Who You Are" explores business culture through historical examples. Horowitz shares insights on entrepreneurship, leadership, and company culture through his blog and has been featured in Wall Street Journal, New York Times, New Yorker, Fortune, Economist, and Bloomberg Businessweek.

Horowitz established the Andreessen Horowitz Cultural Leadership Fund to connect cultural leaders with technology companies and to increase African American participation in the technology industry. The fund focuses on supporting diversity and inclusion at the early stages of innovation. Horowitz has been recognized on the Forbes Midas List of top investors and is frequently cited for his perspectives on technology, leadership, entrepreneurship, and the evolving role of venture capital in the global economy.