a16z drops crypto branding, expands $2.2B fund into AI and frontier tech

Andreessen Horowitz announced on Oct. 22 that it is renaming a16z Crypto to a16z Frontier and expanding the scope of its $2.2 billion fifth fund beyond crypto startups to companies developing emerging technologies and creating new markets.The announcement from managing partner Chris Dixon followed a report from The Information earlier that day about plans to drop “crypto” from the investment brand.Dixon confirmed that the expansion would encompass technologies beyond blockchain, with particular attention to artificial intelligence, autonomous machines and emerging networks connecting people and software agents.“This is an expansion,” Dixon wrote, adding that the firm would continue investing in crypto ventures and advocating for sensible crypto regulation.The announcement clarifies the direction of a fund that was presented as exclusively crypto-focused when it launched five months earlier.From crypto-only to frontier investingOn May 5, a16z crypto announced its $2.2 billion Crypto Fund 5, focused on stablecoins, on-chain finance, decentralized infrastructure and applications involving autonomous software agents.At the time, a spokesperson told Fortune that Fund 5 was “100% dedicat...