Marc Andreessen

Full Name: Marc Lowell Andreessen

Date of Birth: July 9, 1971

Place of Birth: Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA

Nationality: American

Profession: Entrepreneur, Investor, Software Engineer

Early Life and Education

Marc Andreessen was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and raised in New Lisbon, Wisconsin. He developed an early interest in computing and programming, learning BASIC on a home computer as a child. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in 1993. During his time at the university, he worked at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), where he played a key role in developing Mosaic, one of the first widely used web browsers.

Career

Andreessen co-authored Mosaic in 1993, which revolutionized web browsing by introducing a graphical user interface. He later co-founded Netscape Communications Corporation, launching Netscape Navigator, which became the dominant web browser of the early internet era. In 1998, Netscape was acquired by AOL for $4.2 billion.

Following the Netscape acquisition, Andreessen co-founded Loudcloud in 1999, a pioneering cloud computing company that later became Opsware. Opsware was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2007 for $1.6 billion.

In 2009, Andreessen co-founded Andreessen Horowitz, one of Silicon Valley’s most influential venture capital firms. The firm has invested in major tech companies, including Facebook, Twitter, Airbnb, GitHub, and Coinbase, playing a pivotal role in shaping the modern digital economy.

Influence and Legacy

Andreessen is known for his thought leadership in technology and venture capital. His 2011 essay "Why Software Is Eating the World" predicted the dominance of software-driven business models, influencing industry trends. He serves on the boards of several major tech companies and continues to be a leading voice in the startup ecosystem.

Personal Life

Marc Andreessen is married to entrepreneur and philanthropist Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen. He resides in California and remains actively involved in the tech industry through his investments, writings, and mentorship of startup founders.