Amazon Narratives: Memos, Working Backwards from Release, More

Biology startups have been around for a long time. But the world has changed since that first wave of bio startups, and especially more recently, due to the "peace dividends of the smartphone wars". So what happens when you combine those cheap sensors and compute power -- and apply it to bio? Cheaper costs and Moore's Law-like effects may mean lower barriers to entry, the ability to experiment more often and more easily, and other AWS-like effects for a new wave of bio company founders. But is all this just about cost … or about something more? And how do we know if this time is really different when it comes to bio startups? On this episode of the a16z Podcast, a16z partners Marc Andreessen, Chris Dixon, and Vijay Pande discuss how everything changes when software eats biology -- that is, when computer science is at the heart of bio companies. Pande also shares three trends we think are particularly interesting: "digital therapeutics", "cloud bio", and "computational biomedicine".

26 Jul 201541min

Big Data is evolving. It’s moving from the sole domain of the high priests of data science, to something that practically every organization -- big and small -- and every group within that organization can get its hands on. So what happens now? The implications of the democratization of Big Data are bigger than just big, says Prat Moghe, CEO and Founder of Cazena. And it’s not just the corporate world that will benefit, he adds, having access to Big Data tools will change how all kinds of organizations, including government agencies and other social services, operate and solve their particular problems Joining Prat on the pod to describe this changing world of Big Data in the Cloud is a16z’s Peter Levine. If every company, and every organization is becoming a data-driven company, it makes sense to start to put that data to work, Levine says.

24 Jul 201526min

Regulation always lags behind technology, but by 80-plus years?! U.S. Representatives Fred Upton and Greg Walden -- of the Energy and Commerce Committee including the subcommittee on Communications and Technology that oversees almost every technology -- join this segment of the a16z podcast to discuss what government can do to help (or hurt) innovation. We discuss the Telecommunications Act, originally passed in 1934 and revised in 1996 (before the internet, computing, and especially mobile became ubiquitous!); the conversion from analog to digital; what constitutes medical devices (is an iPad a medical device?) -- as well as healthcare and the 21st Century Cures Act, with its implications for patients, healthcare professionals, and researchers looking for the next breakthrough in medicine.

22 Jul 201517min

When most people think of big data they think of numbers, but it turns out that a lot of big data -- a lot of the output of our work and activity as humans in fact -- is in the form of words. So what can we learn when we apply machine learning and natural language processing techniques to text? The findings may surprise you. For example, did you know that you can predict whether a Kickstarter project will be funded or not based on textual elements alone ... before it's even published? Other findings are not so surprising; e.g., hopefully we all know by now that a word like "synergy" can sink a job description! But what words DO appeal in tech job descriptions when you're trying to draw the most qualified, diverse candidates? And speaking of diversity: What's up with those findings about differences in how men and women describe themselves on their resumes -- or are described by others in their performance reviews? On this episode of the a16z Podcast, Textio co-founder and CEO Kieran Snyder (who has a PhD in linguistics and formerly led product and design in roles at Microsoft and Amazon) shares her findings, answers to some of these questions, and other insights based on several studies they've conducted on language, technology, and document bias.

16 Jul 201534min

Bitcoin has had more than its share of drama. There is, of course, the mystery surrounding its anonymous founder (or perhaps, founders) Satoshi Nakamoto. More recently, there's been a battle over whether the size of blocks need to grow to account for more capacity -- especially since there isn’t much time left to make changes before blockchain capacity runs out, says core bitcoin developer Mike Hearn. Hearn joins a16z’s Chris Dixon on this segment of the a16z Podcast to discuss the current state of bitcoin development; Hearn’s own Lighthouse creation, which is a bitcoin-based crowdfunding app; and what it will take to move the bitcoin protocol into the mainstream. The views expressed here are those of the individual AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“a16z”) personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources, including from portfolio companies of funds managed by a16z. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, a16z has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors, and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any fund managed by a16z. (An offering to invest in an a16z fund will be made only by the private placement memorandum, subscription agreement, and other relevant documentation of any such fund and should be read in their entirety.) Any investments or portfolio companies mentioned, referred to, or described are not representative of all investments in vehicles managed by a16z, and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results. A list of investments made by funds managed by Andreessen Horowitz (excluding investments and certain publicly traded cryptocurrencies/ digital assets for which the issuer has not provided permission for a16z to disclose publicly) is available at https://a16z.com/investments/. Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others. Please see https://a16z.com/disclosures for additional important information.

10 Jul 201521min

Just a few years ago if you were mayor of Washington D.C. –- or any other city -- you didn’t have to wrap your head around the likes of Airbnb, Lyft, and other companies in the fast-growing 'sharing economy'. They didn’t exist. Now, you have no choice says Washington D.C.’s current Mayor Muriel Bowser ... because the citizens in your city certainly already have. Bowser joins the a16z Podcast, along with former D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty (who is currently a special advisor to a16z), to discuss how technologies and tech companies are changing cities and government, and how moving forward government may play a bigger role. That, and the case for more transparency in government, on this segment of the pod.

10 Jul 201517min

There is a gap between the technology industry and the fastest growing portion of today’s workforce and the workforce of the future: Latinos -- argue U.S. Representatives Loretta Sanchez (California) and Ruben Gallego (Arizona), both members of Congress. How can we bring more Latinos -- and other underrepresented populations -- into the tech industry, and what roles do both government and fast-moving tech companies have to play? Especially if tech entrepreneurs and government have a hard time working together? “We have the innovators...[but] how do you move that Latino innovator into the mainstream?” asks Sanchez in this episode of the a16z Podcast.

9 Jul 201524min

In this special international edition of the a16z Podcast, Mohsen Malayeri, co-founder of Avatech -- one of the more prominent startup accelerators in Iran among many (much like Y Combinator in the U.S.) -- talks to guest interviewer Christopher Schroeder (former entrepreneur, D.C. investor, and author of Startup Rising) about startups in Iran. What happens when you have a "mobile-first" startup ecosystem? Is this about trying to be yet another Silicon Valley (and if so, are we just substituting a form of technocracy for theocracy)? Silicon Valley isn't a religion, observes Malayeri, but entrepreneurship IS "a common language which has no border". This is the third installment in a special series on tech startups in Iran, part of a larger theme around global tech and how software -- including mobile -- is eating the world … and creating new opportunities within it.

1 Jul 201542min