Andreessen Horowitz is the largest donor in the midterm elections

Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is shaping up to be the largest political donor in this year’s midterm elections, according to an analysis of federal contributions by The New York Times. The investment firm has donated more than $115.5 million to PACs and Super PACs representing its interests this election cycle, a sign that the company wants to have as much influence in Washington as it has in Silicon Valley.

If you haven’t heard of Andreessen Horowitz, you’ve definitely heard of the companies the venture capital firm has invested in, like Meta, Lyft, and Airbnb. The company was founded by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz in 2009 and now manages over $100 billion across its various investments, with a particular focus on technology startups. Andreessen is known for writing the 2011 essay “Why Software is Eating the World,” which explains the company’s philosophy on investing in software companies. According to the essay, “software companies are poised to take over entire swaths of the economy,” a gamble that has proven true over the years and has only more recently faced political headwinds as the government has investigated crypto companies and made broad attempts to regulate the tech industry.

As The New York Times Note, Andreessen Horowitz has made political donations in the past, but the company’s donations have increased significantly since 2024. Andreessen Horowitz invested $47.5 million in Fairshake, a crypto-focused super PAC, and helped found Leading the Future, a super PAC focused on electing public officials with a pro-AI stance. The investment firm and its co-founders also donated $12 million to MAGA Inc., President Donald Trump’s super PAC, and Andreessen separately contributed $900,000 to the Republican National Committee.

The spending pays off. Marc Andreessen was appointed to the “President’s Council of Science and Technology Advisors” in March, to advise Trump on “strengthening America’s leadership in science and technology.” The Trump administration has also been particularly supportive of Andreessen Horowitz’s investments in crypto – for example, forcing the SEC to drop its lawsuit against Coinbase – and in AI. One cannot attribute such changes to donations alone, but given the Trump administration’s love of quid pro quo deals, Andreessen Howoritz is definitely in a position to influence future policy.