Andreessen Horowitz (aka a16z) has expanded its team and media footprint by acquiring tech podcaster Erik Torenberg’s Turpentine podcast network and bringing him onboard as a general partner. The acquisition, announced on April 21, 2025, represents a strategic alignment of Torenberg’s network-building expertise with a16z’s media-centric approach to venture capital.
Torenber’s Turpentin, founded in 2023, is a network of podcasts, newsletters, and other content covering technology, business culture, and future trends. At its core, the podcast focuses on interviewing VCs from different firms about their attitude and approach towards investing, as well as their strategies, with recent guests like Accel’s Andrew Braccia, Seven Seven Six’s Alexis Ohanian, and Benchmark’s Sarah Tavel and Eric Vishria.
Describing its mission, Turpentine’s aim is to be “the best place for experts to talk shop and to help our audience acquire the edge they need to excel in their industry and craft.”
As such, a16z’s acquisition of Turpentine comes across as a good deal, as it aligns with a16z’s longstanding approach to venture capital, in which there’s a blend of traditional investing with media creation and network building. By acquiring Turpentine, a16z gains Torenberg’s investment acumen, and a ready-made media platform with an established audience.
Torenberg in an X post says, “I’ve long admired the firm’s endless ambition and startup mentality. When I was thinking about starting a firm and asked Ben [Horowitz] for advice on how to build the next a16z, he told me “the next a16z is…a16z.” When I told Marc [Andreessen] my plans to marry investing, media, and networks, he said “do it all here, but bigger” and crafted the right role to make it all work.”
In addition, and as part of the acquisition, Torenberg also joins a16z as a general partner, where he will both make investments as well as lead media and network initiatives. The integration of Turpentine into a16z’s ecosystem will come as a natural fit given that the two entities share philosophies regarding the incorporation of media and investing.
“Erik is a well known and much loved figure in the technology world in Silicon Valley and beyond, having built some of the most valuable networks and communities in the tech ecosystem over the past decade: Product Hunt, On Deck, Village Global, and Turpentine,” the VC firm said.
They are confident that his “skills and experiences – from investing to media to networks – make him an excellent addition to a16z as a general partner, where he’ll be making investments as well as helping spearhead our media and network initiatives.”
As for the continuity of Turpentine podcast shows, Torenberg is assured that it will continue, as he’s “excited to have more resources for supporting our hosts and growing the network.”
