company building

Welcome back to "The Ben & Marc Show," featuring a16z co-founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. In this new episode – the second in a 2 part series – Marc and Ben address a new round of questions regarding the "State of AI" in relation to company building. 

In light of recent developments at Boeing, Marc and Ben commence the episode with a discussion on the real criteria boards utilize to select a CEO. Returning to the topic of AI, they explore the potential for emerging chip startups, the incorporation of AI in robotics, and what America will need to do in order to regain its position as world's leading manufacturer.

Watch on Youtube:

*Part 1: https://youtu.be/XyrBJ0gk-is

*Part 2: https://youtu.be/QyyWsr1NMt8

Article mentioned: 

- "Ones and Twos" by Ben Horowitz https://a16z.com/ones-and-twos/ 

Book mentioned: 

- "Elon Musk" by Walter Isaacson https://amzn.to/3wyGOmo 

Resources: 

Marc on X: https://twitter.com/pmarca 

Marc’s Substack: https://pmarca.substack.com/ 

Ben on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz 

Stay Updated: 

Find us on X: https://twitter.com/a16z 

Find us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z 

The views expressed here are those of the individual personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any a16z funds. PLEASE SEE MORE HERE: https://a16z.com/disclosures/

Over 3,700 companies applied to a16z’s SPEEDRUN. In this episode, we meet the founders pushing the boundaries of what games can be.

From the fusion of traditional gaming elements with modern tech-twists, a16z General Partner Andrew Chen and Partner Josh Lu discuss the challenges and wins of creating games that are not only fun but also integrate seamlessly into the digital age, from AI-twins to games that “move at the speed of culture”. 

Whether you’re a developer, an enthusiast, or just curious about the future of interactive entertainment, this episode provides a glimpse into how today's creators use creativity and technology to captivate.

If you're passionate about shaping the future of gaming, consider applying for SPEEDRUN 3.0 at a16z.com/speedrun3.

Resources: 

Submit your SPEEDRUN 3.0 application: https://a16z.com/speedrun-la-2024

Find Andrew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewchen

Find Josh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoshLu

Learn more about Avi and Magic Circle: https://twitter.com/aviromanoff

Learn more about Lil Snack: https://www.lilsnack.co

Learn more about Neon Wild: https://www.neonwild.com

Learn more about Open Souls: https://www.opensouls.studio

Learn more about Altera: https://altera.al

Stay Updated: 

Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z

Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/

Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio

Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

with @davidmarcus @smc90

This wide-ranging conversation covers company building, big to small -- including what cadence and when is the right "time" to ship; the relationship between centralization, decentralization, platforms, and financial freedom; moving from web2 to web3 in both crypto AND payments... as well as why bitcoin, views on remote work, and much much more. 

Our guest is David Marcus, CEO and co-founder of Lightspark; Marcus was also a co-creator of Diem (aka Libra and Novi, the cryptocurrency project initiated by Facebook). Before that, he was vice president of messaging products there, where he ran the Facebook Messenger unit; and prior to joining Facebook, Marcus was the former president of PayPal (which had acquired his previous startup).  

This episode begins with an interview just to help kick things off and then features a rich set of questions from the audience -- as this originally took place live on stage at our Crypto Startup School 2023. 

As a reminder: none of this should be taken as investment, legal, business, or tax advice; please see a16z.com/disclosures for more important information -- including a link to a list of our investments.

related readings:

• Regulate apps, not protocols series (2022-2023) - Miles Jennings et al, a16z crypto)
• What it will take to create the next great Silicon Valleys (2014) - Marc Andreessen (Politico, a16z)
• Why bitcoin matters (2014) - Marc Andreeessen (NYT, a16z)
• When one app rules them all: The case of WeChat and Mobile in China (2015) - Connie Chan (a16z)

Subscribe to web3 with a16z: https://link.chtbl.com/web3witha16z

Stay Updated: 

Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z

Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/

Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio

Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

Software crosses borders effortlessly. The globalization of money, however, is considerably more challenging. This is especially true for multinational businesses, which grapple with managing multiple accounts in diverse currencies, navigating costly foreign exchange rates, and unpredictable money transfers.

As businesses increasingly embrace a global default, top fintech entrepreneurs are rising to the challenge, addressing cross-border infrastructure issues and offering comprehensive solutions.

In this episode, a16z partners Angela Strange, Joe Schmidt, and Gabriel Vasquez discuss the challenges of cross-border payment infrastructures and what fintech entrepreneurs are doing to create a more integrated, financially inclusive world.

Topics Covered:

00:00 - Software crosses borders easily; money does not. 

03:02 - Why has global payments been a challenge for so long? 

05:44 - How global payments and money currently moves

07:25 - The metrics used to measure a country's financial health

12:13 - The impact of regulation on financial services

16:23 - Can the same regulations be applied to any country? 

21:29 - Why each country has its own fintech system

24:54 - Opportunities in global payments infrastructure

34:47 - Advice for founders navigating global fintech systems

36:58 - What does a truly global system enable? 

Read the Fintech Fuels Global Payments package: https://a16z.com/global-payments

Watch ​​’Foreign Exchange 101: What Happens When You Send Money Abroad?’: https://youtu.be/eoXdyO9oGJc?feature=shared

Find Angela on Twitter: https://twitter.com/astrange

Find Joe Schmidt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/joeschmidtiv

FInd Gabriel Vasquez on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GEVS94

Stay Updated: 

Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z

Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/

Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio

Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

Once known as “growth hacking”, the concept of Growth has now evolved into an entire discipline that spans marketing, product management, user experience, and more. Why? After achieving product-market fit, startups need to capitalize quickly on that initial traction to capture and retain more users and market share before the competition does, and building an efficient and resilient growth strategy is a critical component.

This episode -- one of two in a series -- focuses on the user acquisition aspect of growth. Featuring a16z general partners Andrew Chen (formerly of Uber and author of the book, The Cold Start Problem) and Jeff Jordan (formerly of OpenTable, eBay, Disney, and more), in conversation with Sonal Chokshi, the discussion also covers the nuances of paid vs. organic marketing (and the perils of blended CAC); the role of network effects; where does customer lifetime value (LTV) come in; and much more. Because at the end of the day, businesses don't grow themselves.