Ben Horowitz
Ben Horowitz is one of the most well-known and highly-regarded people in the business and technology world. As the co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, he is well-known for his investments in tech startups, as well as for his writing and commentary on entrepreneurship and technology. In addition to his involvement in the world of venture capital, Horowitz has also written two books, The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers and What You Do is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture.
Ben Horowitz was born in 1966 in London, England. He then moved to the United States when he was seven, and grew up in Berkeley, California. He graduated from Berkeley in 1988 with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. After college, he began working in a software company, where he eventually became the Director of Business Development. In addition to his software experience, Horowitz also co-founded several startups during the 1990s, such as Opsware (formerly Loudcloud) and CollabNet.
On May 28, 2009, Horowitz and his business partner Marc Andreessen announced the formation of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, based in Menlo Park, California. The firm made investments in several now-famous startups, such as Facebook, Skype, Groupon, Airbnb, Twitter, and Tumblr. It also invested in many others, with a total of over 600 investments, including around 100 investments in the bitcoin industry.
In 2014, Horowitz released his first book, The Hard Thing About Hard Things. It was an instant bestseller, and was named one of the best business books of the year by Amazon. The book discusses the realities of starting and running a business, and focuses on the skills needed to make it successful. The key points of the book are about learning to lead and manage yourself and your team in times of crisis, as well as making tough decisions, developing a successful strategy, and understanding the nature of failure. He followed up with his second book, What You Do is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture, in 2018. This book focuses on how to create a set of core values for your business, and how to use those values to shape your culture and decisions.
In addition to his books, Horowitz has also been an avid contributor to the technology and business world. He is recognized for his blog posts on the Andreessen Horowitz website, and is regularly featured in publications such as Vanity Fair and Fortune. He was also featured in the 2019 film The Social Network, in which he provided his thoughts on tech entrepreneurship and the startup world.
Overall, Ben Horowitz is one of the most influential figures in the business and technology world. His investment in numerous tech startups has helped shape the industry, and his books and blog posts have offered invaluable advice on the art of creating and managing a successful business. His voice is held in high regard in the business community, and his writings provide invaluable advice and insight into today’s tech world.