Andreessen rumored to be looking for $1.5 billion in new funding
Rumor has it that well-known investor Marc Andreessen is looking to amp up funding for his Andreessen Horowitz investment firm with an extra $1.5 billion.
One of Silicon Valley's most successful venture capital firms could become quite a bit richer if rumors that its founder is trying raise $1.5 billion are true.
The New York Times reported today that one of tech's most influential investors, Marc Andreessen, is looking to raise $1.5 billion for his Andreessen Horowitz investment firm. According to the Times, if Andreessen comes up with the funds, it could more than double the firm's assets. Right now, Andreessen Horowitz has $1.2 billion distributed between three funds.
Since launching in 2009, Andreessen Horowitz has been one of the most successful firms to raise money and invest in tech companies. Besides having investments in many of the big players, such as Twitter, Facebook, Groupon, Zynga, Instagram, Skype, and Foursquare, the venture firm also invests in smaller up-and-coming companies, like Flotype, MinoMonsters, and Clipboard.
According to The Times, the number of venture capital firms getting financing is shrinking, but heavyweights like Andreessen Horowitz aren't suffering. On the whole, the venture capital industry is growing. In the fourth quarter of 2011, $5.6 billion was raised for all venture capital--a 162 percent increase over 2010, reports The Times.
"While the biggest firms are getting bigger, the number of firms getting financed is dropping," reporter Evelyn M. Rusli wrote.
With several companies going public over the last year, including Groupon, LinkedIn, and Pandora, and some big acquisitions--such as Microsoft's $8.5 billion purchase of Skype and Google's $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility--2011 proved to be the biggest year in venture capital deals in a decade.
Andreessen declined to comment for this report.