Andreessen Horowitz eyes elite IDF tech talent in rescheduled Israel visit

Andreessen Horowitz, the powerhouse Silicon Valley venture capital firm managing approximately $45 billion, is rescheduling its planned visit to Israel for August 25–29 after its original late-June trip was delayed due to the war with Iran. The new visit, part of a broader effort to deepen the firm’s presence in the Israeli tech ecosystem, will include a series of closed-door events aimed at recruiting top entrepreneurial talent from Israel’s elite military units.

The rescheduled trip will be led by a16z General Partner Jon Lai and investment partner Troy Kirwin, who will host a pair of invitation-only gatherings in Tel Aviv to promote the firm’s accelerator, the a16z Speedrun program. The initiative is designed to back Seed and pre-Seed startups at their earliest stages, often before companies are formally established.

The Tel Aviv events, originally planned for June, are now set to take place during the last week of August. The first, titled “Israel’s Next Elite Founders Dinner,” (August 26) will bring together select veterans of elite IDF units, individuals a16z views as prime candidates to build generational tech companies. According to the invitation, the dinner is meant for those who have already founded a company or are “thinking about starting one.” Attendees will meet key figures from the Speedrun team and hear from Israeli founders who have participated in the program.

The second event, dubbed the “Israel Mixer,” (August 27) will be held the following day and is aimed more broadly at early-stage founders preparing to launch their next venture. Both events underscore a16z’s efforts to establish relationships before rival firms such as Sequoia, Greylock, and Index Ventures, also active in Israel, can make their own plays.

a16z’s Speedrun program provides up to $1 million in funding per startup, along with intensive mentorship and access to the firm’s expansive network of advisors, operators, and technical experts. Participating companies are also eligible for up to $5 million in perks including cloud credits and software tools, as well as the possibility of follow-on funding.

Andreessen Horowitz has rapidly expanded its activity in Israel in recent years. One of its most high-profile deals was leading the final funding round for cybersecurity unicorn Wiz in May 2024, just weeks before Wiz’s $32 billion acquisition by Google. That round brought in $1 billion at a $12 billion valuation and marked a16z’s most aggressive Israeli bet to date.