Lobbying records submitted to Congress show Andreesen Horowitz's plan to promote the agenda in Washington shows no signs of slowing down. A16Z is spending narrowly on its own industry trade group, the National Venture Capital Association.
According to a TechCrunch review of lobbying disclosures, the pace of lobbying appears to have been accelerating since last year. A16z spent $1.8 million on lobbying for all of 2024 and $950,000 in 2023.
A16Z's lobbying strategy stands out among major VC companies, most of which report little or no federal lobbying. Sequoia Capital reports just $120,000 a year, while General Catalyst costs $500,000 for the same time. In comparison, A16Z spending is just ahead of NVCA's $1.4 million.
In response to a question, the A16Z person introduced TechCrunch in an article written by the company's co-founders about their policy and opinions on the “Little Tech” agenda. In a December 2023 article, co-founder Ben Horowitz said the company is nonpartisan and is a voter for No. 1.
The company's internal lobbying team is tasked with influencing lawmakers on a wide range of issues, including digital asset regulations, stubcoin and AI. The move by the A16Z to shape laws around the code is well documented, but the lobbying disclosures show how the company has set a more ambitious sight in shaping the country's defense priorities.
The Defense made its first explicit appearance in its 2023 A16Z's third quarter report, adding the National Defense Authorization Act as a specific lobbying issue. The company continues to lobby for the annual Defense Policy Bill in subsequent quarters.
The National Security Council first appeared in filings covering the second quarter of 2024 and remains on the list this year. This suggests that the company is framing financial and technology questions along national security boundaries.
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The company's co-founders Marc Andreessen and Horowitz stake their support on President Donald Trump in the last election, but the company's policy team is particularly bipartisan, with leaders in government issues being adopted from both sides of the aisle.
Increased spending is that A16Z is more aggressively pushing regulated industries like defense and industrial bases, both of which are the focus of American dynamism practices, hot button technologies like AI. The company combines this push with bringing talent for internal policy. Last week, former national security adviser Anne Neuberger joined us as a senior advisor with a focus on “American dynamism, AI and cyber.”
However, lobbying is not neatly correlated with influence.
For example, the Founders Fund reports little or no federal lobbying, but its network has distinctive access to the Pentagon and White House. Partner Trae Stephens led the 2016 DOD transition and floated for Deputy Secretary of Defense in 2024, but longtime Tiel Capital aide Michael Kratzios acted under the Secretary of Defense for research and engineering in 2020, and is now the president's scientific advisor.
Venture funds can influence politics in other ways. Alongside the registered lobbying, the company makes money through the Political Action Committee (PAC). Most recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that A16Z is supporting a new Pro-AI network for new PACS, known to lead Future.