will bitsky

partner @a16z investing in american dynamism

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

Excited to share that I’ve joined @a16z as an investment partner!

As part of the American Dynamism practice, I’ll be working alongside @davidu , @KTmBoyle, @espricewright and team to invest in visionary companies supporting our national interest.

More below, but TLDR we have an extraordinary opportunity to invest in the technology that will (and must) enhance our national security, industrial productivity, and public health. And although American Dynamism has evolved into a full-blown movement, we’ve just barely scratched the surface.

If you are an entrepreneur who shares our mission, please reach out!

Thank you to everyone (including @amishjani, the @FirstMarkCap team, and their incredible portfolio founders) who have supported me thus far.

More below and more to come 🇺🇸

~

In recent months, I’ve had dozens of conversations about my jump to a16z. Here’s some context for those I’ve yet to get to.

My journey began with a simple observation about VC: much of the “low-hanging fruit” has been picked.

The power of software is well-understood, and our asset class has grown around it, increasing competition. The best investors (like @FirstMarkCap!) will successfully back the best startups building AI-native solutions and deliver attractive returns. But many others will either 1) overpay just to win, or 2) rationalize investment in underwhelming companies (what I call “SaaS incrementalism”). Both will result in tepid returns.

To find transformative opportunities, VCs need to forge ahead and go where digital innovation previously hasn’t.

But where to go?

I stand by the cliché, “necessity is the mother of invention,” i.e., we should look where innovation urgently needs to happen. Interestingly, the sectors most critical to our national interest are also most underserved by software.

So I found my answers: aerospace, defense, energy, public safety, education, housing, supply chain, and manufacturing.

The problem with these domains – far from the safety and familiarity of white-collar enterprise SaaS – is that they present new challenges, most notably regulation, labor complexity, and capex intensity (the absence of which made SaaS so attractive since the advent of cloud).

But they also present enormous opportunity. Our largest economic sectors have yet to realize the benefits of major technology transformation. AI (from computer vision, to robotics, to agentic automation) dramatically increases the surface area for potential disruption.

I determined that success here will require a team of investors to share a mission and risk appetite, and build specialized networks for talent, GTM, and policy. I wanted to work for such a team, and feel lucky to have found one.

What began as a pragmatic observation about investing, morphed into a profound desire to invest in the technologies that will define the next century for Americans.

The AD team wants to empower the most daring entrepreneurs building in our most critical and overlooked sectors, so if you fit that profile, I’ll hope to connect soon.

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

reminder this company was founded in 2022

[Katherine Boyle @KTmBoyle]

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[Marc Andreessen 🇺🇸 @pmarca]

I’ve listened to thousands of hours of great music since. What an awesome streaming service.

[David Hansen 🇺🇸 🇳🇿 @boxcardavid]

The motors and actuators that move American drones and robots haven’t been made in America. @jordansanders0 and I started @westmagco to change that.

We’re grateful for the support of mission-aligned investors, including @espricewright and @oyhsu at @a16z, @zebulgar at @foundersfund, @joshwolfe at @luxcapital, @NatFriedman at NFDG, Matt Kraning at @MenloVentures, @Liquid2V, @osakkers at @reddotblue, @perplexity_ai,  @mantisVC, @PathbreakerVC, @Antifund, @Abhijoy at CIV, @zalzally, UP.Abundance @UPPartnersVC, @SchramIAm, @jonthnchoi, @alexroy144, @packyM, @noahpinion, and @jimbelosic, to name a few.

Come build with us: https://t.co/KRq4lOlOJy

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

special team 🇺🇸

[Nate Cavanaugh @natecavanaugh]

Today we're announcing @Special and a new financing led by @a16z.

Our DOGE teammates also invested: Human Capital, Steve Davis, Antonio Gracias, Anthony Armstrong, plus @brian_armstrong from Coinbase and @ssankar from Palantir.

DOGE for the private sector is here.

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

@natecavanaugh @Special @a16z @brian_armstrong @ssankar 🫡🇺🇸

[Nate Cavanaugh @natecavanaugh]

Today we're announcing @Special and a new financing led by @a16z.

Our DOGE teammates also invested: Human Capital, Steve Davis, Antonio Gracias, Anthony Armstrong, plus @brian_armstrong from Coinbase and @ssankar from Palantir.

DOGE for the private sector is here.

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

@KTmBoyle @Special 😤🇺🇸🗽

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

this chart gonna look silly by end of year

[Anthropic @AnthropicAI]

Anthropic has confidentially submitted a draft S-1 registration statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Pending completion of SEC review, this gives us the option to pursue an initial public offering.

Read more: https://t.co/onGZAhRLvD

[Ryan McEntush @rmcentush]

https://t.co/r7F3oy8TS1

[Marc Andreessen 🇺🇸 @pmarca]

I have found it, the Platonic form of every New York Times op-ed.

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

the pregame fits are now making extremely good sense

@kylekuzma gets it

[TBPN @tbpn]

"If you're an investor, why are you not focused on investing in things that have America's interests at heart?"

@kylekuzma discusses why he’s a major proponent of American Dynamism:

"You think about space and defense and where we're at in the world, and our counterparts are focused on space, getting to the moon, and satellites. Whoever rules space is probably going to rule the world."

"There's a lot of things that can really go wrong if we're not focused on preserving America."

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

@espricewright 💯

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

revenue is a good way to subsidize
https://t.co/0evI8edBKX

[signüll @signulll]

the web 2 era subsidy was: “we’ll lose money to acquire users.”

the ai era subsidy is likely: “we’ll lose money to acquire data.”

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

@KTmBoyle @anduriltech 💯💯

[David Haber @dhaber]

Marc Rowan has quietly built Apollo from a distressed-focused private equity firm into one of the most important financial institutions in the world, now managing over $1T in assets and becoming the largest provider of retirement income globally.

In this fantastic conversation we covered lessons at Drexel from Michael Milken, Apollo’s origin story from a cold call from France, why AI could outgrow venture equity, and Apollo’s “play to win” culture.

We also connected over our shared belief that “Opportunities live between fields of expertise.”

This was really fun, hope you enjoy! cc @apolloglobal

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

@_chandlerl @pronounced_kyle no one wants thinking. they only want memes @_chandlerl

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

https://t.co/JQUA0Y6XT3

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

@zabie_e @rmcentush u guys touring me around SF for first time

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

@oyhsu was hoping someone would fight me on that

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

@jesslionness then i should have been way more provocative

[will bitsky @willbitsky]

@zabie_e this really encapsulates my experience thus far