Ben Horowitz

Ben Horowitz is a co-founder and listed general partner of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (also known as a16z). Prior to joining a16z, he co-founded and later worked as the CEO of software company Opsware, originally named LoudCloud, before it was acquired by Hewlett Packard (HP) for $1.6 billion in 2007. 1

Read More

At-A-Glance

Born:

1966

Occupation:

Venture capitalist

Primary Philanthropy:

Horowitz Family Foundation

Contents

    Prior to 2024, Ben Horowitz and his wife Felicia Wiley Horowitz had primarily made political donations to Democratic Party-linked campaigns, having donated roughly $300,000 between 2008 and 2023. In June 2024, Horowitz announced he would donate to the reelection campaign for then-former President Donald Trump prior to the November 2024 presidential election. 2

    In 2024, Ben Horowitz was listed as the tenth-largest individual contributor to political campaigns, contributing over $41 million to campaigns in that election cycle. 3 Additionally, that same year individual employees from a16z were listed by Open Secrets as being the sixth-largest contributors to political campaigns in 2024, having donated over $89 million that cycle. 4

    Career

    In 1999, Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen co-founded software company LoudCloud, which became one of the first cloud computing companies and would later provide services to major corporations including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Alibaba. 5 In 2002, LoudCloud sold its cloud hosting services to Electronic Data Systems (EDS) for $63.5 million. After the sale, LoudCloud changed its name to Opsware and Horowitz continued to serve as its CEO. 6 7

    In 2007, Hewlett Packard (HP) acquired Opsware for $1.6 billion. 8 Following the acquisition, Horowitz became vice president and general manager of business technology optimization of software for HP. 1

    In 2009, Horowitz and Andreessen co-founded venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (also known as a16z) that would invest in technology companies using proceeds from the sale of Opsware. 1

    Philanthropy

    In 2013, Ben Horowitz and his wife Felicia founded the Horowitz Family Foundation, contributing $9.8 million in 2013 and another $7.1 million in 2018. 9 The Foundation has previously donated to community and social advocacy organizations including those associated with the GLIDE Foundation and the American Jewish World Service. 2

    In February 2026, a report by the Nevada Independent alleged that the Flock security camera network used by the city of Las Vegas had been funded through an October 2025 donation from the Horowitz Family Foundation. The donation to Flock had been criticized due to privacy concerns regarding the network’s Nova system being able to capture personal data from tracking vehicle license plates. This allegedly included social security numbers, immigration status, credit scores, occupancy information, contact information, and social media information. 10

    Political Activity

    Between 2012 and 2016, the top political donations made by Ben Horowitz included $33,400 to the Democratic Hope Fund in 2014, $32,400 to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in 2014, $30,900 to the DNC in 2014, $2,600 to Lofren for Congress in 2014, $2,500 to Obama for America in 2015, and $610 to International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Political Action Together in 2012. 11

    Between 2008 and 2023, Horowitz and his wife Felicia had donated $300,000 to several Democratic Party-linked campaign including those for then-President Barack Obama, Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). Both Horowitz and his wife had reportedly close ties to former President Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harris. In June 2024, Horowitz announced he would be donating to the reelection campaign for then-former President Donald Trump prior to the November 2024 presidential election. 2

    During the 2024 election cycle, Horowitz made $41.1 million in campaign contributions, with the largest donation of $33.5 million going to Fairshake PAC. Additional donations included $2.5 million to Black PAC, $2.5 million to Right for America, $750,000 to Defend American Jobs, and $750,000 to Protect Progress. 12

    According to Open Secrets, individual employees from Horowitz’s venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz collectively donated $89 million in contributions during the 2024 election cycle, making it the sixth largest campaign contributor among organizations that election cycle. The top recipients included Fairshake PAC, Right for America, Black PAC, Senate Majority PAC, and Defend American Jobs. 13

    As of June 2026, Horowitz and Andreesen had made $91.3 million in political campaign contributions during the 2026 election cycle. This included $50 million to pro-AI Super PAC Leading the Future, $23.8 million to pro-cryptocurrency super PAC Fairshake, and $12 million to MAGA Inc. 14

    Contact InfluenceWatch to report errors, suggest edits, or provide tips for additional profiles.

    Contact Us

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “Ben Horowitz.” Andreessen Horowitz. Accessed August 3, 2026. https://a16z.com/author/ben-horowitz/.
    2. Shugerman, Emily. “How ex-liberal billionaires Ben and Felicia Horowitz made a MAGA U-turn.” The San Francisco Standard. August 16, 2024. https://sfstandard.com/2024/08/16/felicia-ben-horowitz-party-switch/.
    3. “2024 Top Donors to Outside Spending Groups.” Open Secrets. Accessed August 3, 2026. https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/top_donors/2024?disp=D&type=V&superonly=N.
    4. “Organization Profiles.” Open Secrets. Accessed August 3, 2026. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/all-profiles.
    5. Jordan, Jeff. “Investing in Neighbor.” Andreessen Horowitz. January 30, 2020. https://a16z.com/announcement/investing-in-neighbor/.
    6. “COMPANY NEWS; LoudCloud Changes its Name and Sells an Online Unit.” New York Times. August 17, 2002. https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/17/business/company-news-loudcloud-changes-its-name-and-sells-an-online-unit.html.
    7. “EDS to Acquire Loudcloud Hosting Business.” The Channel Co. June 17, 2002. https://www.crn.com/news/channel-programs/18828518/eds-to-acquire-loudcloud-hosting-business.
    8. “HP to acquire software maker Opsware for $1.6 bln.” July 24, 2007. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/business/media-telecom/hp-to-acquire-software-maker-opsware-for-16-bln-idUSN23325808/.
    9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990PF). Horowitz Family Foundation. 2014, 2019. Schedule B, Part I, Lines 1-2.
    10. Milliken, Oona and Aldrete, Isabella. “Vegas police are big users of license plate readers. Public has little input because it’s a gift.” The Nevada Independent. February 22, 2026. https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/vegas-police-are-big-users-of-license-plate-readers-public-has-little-input-because-its-a-gift.
    11. FEC Individual Contributor Lookup for “Ben Horowitz.” Federal Elections Committee. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=ben+horowitz&min_date=01%2F01%2F2012&max_date=12%2F31%2F2016.
    12. “HOROWITZ, BEN: Donor Detail.” Open Secrets. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/donor_detail/2024?id=U0000005030&name=HOROWITZ%2C+BEN&super_only=N&type=I.
    13. “Andreessen Horowitz.” Open Secrets. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/andreessen-horowitz/summary?id=D000047147.
    14. Morse, Clara Ence, Leslie Shapiro, Praveena Somasundaram, and Eric Lau. “These Are the Biggest Individual Donors in the 2026 Election Cycle.” Washington Post. June 25, 2026. https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/interactive/2026/06/25/these-are-biggest-individual-donors-2026-election-cycle/.