TIME Tech 40: The Most Influential Minds in Tech

Marc Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz

Over the last decade, technology executives, startup founders, and venture capital investors have become America’s new rock stars. Tech titans like Apple and Google have become some of the most profitable and respected companies in the country, and their leaders have been celebrated as icons of American innovation. Millions of people use their products every day. Internet-based startups like Facebook and Twitter have grown to become central players in American life. In cities across the country, thousands of young people are launching their own companies, perhaps hoping to become the next Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg.

In a series called the TIME Tech 40, we’re highlighting some of the most influential figures in technology. From the top CEOs and startup entrepreneurs to the most respected venture capitalists and tech “big thinkers,” we’ll call out the individuals changing the landscape of American business.

Billionaire co-founder Marc Andreessen, best known as a co-founder of Netscape, the pioneering Web browser, is fast becoming one of the most influential venture capitalists in Silicon Valley. His firm, Andreessen Horowitz has quickly become a powerhouse in Silicon Valley, which for years was dominated by (relatively) old-guard VC firms such as Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers.

(MORE: Lyft-Off: Car-Sharing Start-Up Raises $60 Million Led by Andreessen Horowitz)

Andreessen Horowitz, which now has $2.7 billion under management, has invested in Facebook, Twitter, Groupon, and Instagram, among dozens of other start-ups. The firm recently led a $60 million investment round in fast-growing, San Francisco-based car sharing startup Lyft. In 2012, Andreessen, 41, was named to the TIME 100 list of the most influential people in the world.

Next Ron Conway, SV Angel

NEXT: http://business.time.com/2013/05/01/time-tech-40-the-ten-most-influential-tech-ceos/#ixzz2VT7pIcnP