How to Build a Successful Company in an Era of Disruption

Venture capital has powered companies like Facebook and TikTok—but what if that same urgency fueled America’s defense and industrial base? Katherine Boyle, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz and cofounder of the firm’s American Dynamism practice, argues this is the biggest business opportunity of our time. In this conversation from The Shawn Ryan Show, Boyle discusses the rise of defense tech startups, why optimism drives her work, and how a new generation of engineers and founders is rethinking innovation and patriotism in America.

In this interview from the 20VC podcast, Martin Casado (a16z General Partner) joins Harry Stebbings to unpack the state of AI, the rise of coding models, the future of open vs. closed source, and how value is shifting across the stack. Martin offers a candid view of the opportunities and dangers shaping AI and venture capital today.

What are real consumers actually doing with AI today? In this episode, a16z consumer investors Olivia Moore and Justine Moore break down the fifth edition of our Consumer AI 100, a biannual ranking of the most used AI-native web and mobile products across the globe.

What exactly is an AI agent, and how will agents change the way we work? In this episode, a16z general partners Erik Torenberg and Martin Casado sit down with Aaron Levie (CEO, Box) and Steven Sinofsky (a16z board partner; former Microsoft exec) to unpack one of the hottest debates in AI right now. They cover: -Competing definitions of an “agent,” from background tasks to autonomous interns -Why today’s agents look less like a single AGI and more like networks of specialized sub-agents -The technical challenges of long-running, self-improving systems -How agent-driven workflows could reshape coding, productivity, and enterprise software -What history — from the early PC era to the rise of the internet — tells us about platform shifts like this one The conversation moves from deep technical questions to big-picture implications for founders, enterprises, and the future of work.

Erik Torenberg sits down with Ben Horowitz, Cofounder of a16z, for a candid conversation on venture capital, leadership, and the future of innovation. Recorded live at a16z’s Menlo Park offices in 2023, Ben shares practical wisdom and hard-earned lessons on navigating market cycles, building resilient companies, and why culture is a lasting competitive edge. Highlights: Venture Cycles: How today’s market compares to past downturns. Leadership in Uncertainty: Strategies for guiding teams through volatility. Founder Resilience: The traits that separate enduring founders. Culture as Strategy: Why culture determines long-term success. Investment Lens: How a16z identifies standout startups. Future Trends: Ben’s predictions on AI, crypto, and beyond.