a16z Scout Fund
About a16z Scout Fund
a16z Scout Fund is a venture fund managed by Andreessen Horowitz, which Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz founded in 2009. Crunchbase lists the legal entity as AH Capital Management, LLC, based in Menlo Park, California. Messari's data shows the fund's first tracked investment was a seed round in Atlas in November 2023. The fund works through a network of scouts, who are operators, founders and technical leaders. They invest on behalf of a16z, and participation is by invitation only. TechCrunch reported in January 2025 that a16z had scouts across Europe, including partners at other European firms. No public source names a partner who runs AI investing for the Scout Fund, so this page does not name one.
The fund is a deal-sourcing channel. Scouts use their own networks to find early companies that a16z's partners might not reach directly. When a16z is especially keen on a scout's deal, it can add larger follow-on capital from its main funds. The Scout Fund has no public AI-specific thesis. Its AI activity on the Lounge deals desk covers a wide range, from foundation-model and research-lab companies to developer tools and commerce. Examples are Physical Superintelligence ($58M seed, September 2026), Talp ($20M pre-seed, July 2026) and Command Code ($5M seed, February 2026). Most of these are rounds where the fund took part alongside other investors. GRAI's $9M seed in October 2026 is the one round the desk lists as led.
The fund targets pre-seed and seed companies. Reports say individual scouts typically write checks of $10,000 to $25,000 and make up to about eight deals a year. Some scouts reportedly manage six-figure budgets. These figures describe the scout program, not the size of the companies' rounds. Round sizes in the portfolio below are the totals each company raised, not the fund's own check. The fund's size, and whether a16z has disclosed it, were not found in public sources, so none is given here.
- Physical Superintelligence: $58M seed, September 2026
- Talp: $20M pre-seed, July 2026
- GRAI: $9M seed, October 2026, with the fund leading
- Pensieve: $6.9M seed, February 2026
- Strix: $6.7M seed, June 2026
- Prolo: $5.6M (GBP 4.2M) seed, July 2026
- Command Code: $5M seed, February 2026
- VideoGen: $3.2M seed, September 2026
- Concord: $3M seed, June 2026
- Principle: $2M pre-seed, August 2026
- The New Era of Shopping: $1.4M pre-seed, February 2026
Investing activity
a16z Scout Fund appears in 11 AI deals tracked by the Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $78M, and led 1 of them. The rounds are mostly Seed and Pre-seed, with a median round size of $6M and the largest at $58M. The most recent are GRAI (Seed, $9M, Oct 2026), VideoGen (Seed, $3.2M, Sep 2026) and Physical Superintelligence (Seed, $58M, Sep 2026).
a16z Scout Fund most often invests alongside Mento VC, Unpopular Ventures, Preston-Werner Ventures and Greg Tkachenko, and the companies it backs on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about a16z Scout Fund
Does a16z Scout Fund invest in AI startups?
Yes. The Lounge deals desk lists 11 AI rounds, from a $1.4M pre-seed to a $58M seed in Physical Superintelligence. The fund also invests outside AI.
What check size does a16z Scout Fund write?
Reports on the scout program say individual scouts typically write $10,000 to $25,000 checks. The fund's checks in specific AI rounds are not public.
What stage does a16z Scout Fund invest at?
It focuses on pre-seed and seed. Rounds on the Lounge desk range from $1.4M to $58M in total size.
How do I pitch a16z Scout Fund?
There is no public application form. Scouts are invited by a16z and invest through their own networks, so a warm introduction to a scout or an a16z partner is the usual route.
Who founded a16z Scout Fund?
It is managed by Andreessen Horowitz, which Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz founded in 2009. Messari's data shows the fund's first tracked deal in November 2023.
What AI companies has a16z Scout Fund invested in?
a16z Scout Fund's AI investments include GRAI, VideoGen, Physical Superintelligence, Principle, Prolo, Talp, Concord and Strix. The 11 rounds on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Who does a16z Scout Fund co-invest with?
a16z Scout Fund's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Mento VC (2 deals), Unpopular Ventures (2 deals), Preston-Werner Ventures (2 deals), Greg Tkachenko (1 deal) and Rob Reid (1 deal).
How can founders reach a16z Scout Fund?
Founders on Lounge can see a16z Scout Fund's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with the firm under Warm Paths, and add a16z Scout Fund to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.