Build it before you need it

Why is one of the world’s biggest venture capital firms spending millions on podcasts, newsletters, videos, events, and creator talent?

Because Andreessen Horowitz (aka a16z) realized something early:
Attention and community are now strategic advantages.

Since I studied it a few months ago, I’ve been wanting to dive deeper to share it with you. The video is finally ready.

The venture capital firm thinking like a media company

This intense diagram shows how a16z has been thinking about its business. It shows something that many companies say they want to do, but almost none commit to:

They turned their company into an ecosystem powered by media and networks.

For anyone building a business, advising companies, or thinking about content strategically, this is an example of what happens when an organization truly commits to media.

Let’s break down how ‪a16z‬ evolved from a traditional VC firm into what’s essentially a media-powered ecosystem — blending venture capital, content strategy, founder communities, distribution, and talent networks into one machine.

Here’s that video — and you can read the rest below:

By the way, I’d love your thoughts and feedback as I put out some longer-format videos like this on YouTube. Feel free to comment on the video itself, or just reply to this email.

When content isn’t marketing, it’s strategy

Most companies treat content as a function.
A blog, a podcast, some LinkedIn posts. Maybe a newsletter.

It’s typically positioned as marketing support, but a16z flipped that model.

They built New Media as a core pillar of the firm itself — investing millions per year into podcasts, essays, newsletters, video, and distribution channels.

Instead of relying on traditional media coverage, they built their own.

Instead of waiting for journalists to interpret the industry, they publish the ideas themselves. And instead of hoping their portfolio companies get attention, they help them create it.

They became a media company that also happens to be a venture capital firm.

It started with one essay

I think this traces back to a single moment. In 2011, co-founder Marc Andreessen wrote the now-famous essay, “Software Is Eating the World”

It ran in The Wall Street Journal and laid out a simple but powerful thesis: software companies were going to reshape every industry. It positioned a16z at the center of the conversation about the future of technology.

In hindsight, it was an early signal of what the firm would eventually become:
a place where ideas, distribution, and capital all reinforce each other.

The real play: building an ecosystem

When you zoom out, what I love about a16z’s strategy is not just the content, but the ecosystem around it. That’s why I’m featuring it.

Instead of offering only capital, they built a network of support around founders that includes:

• Owned media — Podcasts, essays, newsletters, social channels, and video that help founders build visibility and shape the narrative around their work.

• Founder communities — Private chats, curated groups, and events where founders can share experiences and get support through the very real ups and downs of building a company.

• Talent networks — Communities of operators, engineers, and executives who can join portfolio companies as they scale.

• Expert networks — Specialists who help with product, strategy, growth, and due diligence.

• Investor networks — Trusted co-investors who help companies raise future rounds and strengthen their cap tables.

At the center of all of it are two forces:
Media and networks. (Not money).

Because at the top of the market, money isn’t the scarce resource anymore.
Attention and community are more rare.

Winning the narrative

The firm has been explicit about this shift.

They built an internal New Media team designed to help founders win what they call the narrative battle online. That includes:

• a full in-house media team

• creators embedded inside portfolio companies (“forward deployed media”)

• a network of storytellers and creators ready to support emerging companies

• fellowships and programs to develop new media talent

The goal is momentum (on top of visibility, of course).

They’ve even described one of their internal ambitions as helping companies “win the internet for a day.” It’s a serious strategic insight, because moments of attention compound.

One essay becomes a podcast.
The podcast becomes a clip.
The clip becomes a tweet.
The tweet becomes a conversation.

And suddenly, a company, a person, or an idea, feels like it’s everywhere.

By the way, you don’t literally have to be everywhere… I’ve never told my clients to buy both billboards and Snapchat ads — you can feel like you’re “everywhere” to the right audience.

Why is this worth your time?

Visibility today translates directly into opportunity.
Customers. Talent. Partnerships. Investment.

Yet many firms still treat content like a side project.

Meanwhile, a16z built an entire engine around it, and it worked.

Today, the firm manages more than $50B in assets, and its influence in the technology world extends far beyond capital. I’m not at all saying that’s your goal or this is the scale to build for. The point is that they built a network effect business, not just a fund.

The lesson for the rest of us

Most of us aren’t firms managing billions of dollars, but the underlying principle travels.

The opportunity isn’t just to “do content.”
It’s to think about how content connects people.

I’ve seen how content can attract talent, connect peers, build community, educate markets, shape narratives, and create trust at scale.

In other words, it can become the front door to an ecosystem. That’s something I think about when working with founders and leaders.

My goal is never to just publish more posts — it’s about building more entry points for people to discover you, learn from you, and eventually work with you.

The companies that understand this are starting to look less like traditional businesses and more like media networks around ideas.

a16z happens to be one of the most ambitious examples of that approach.

Own your distribution.

This is an important final thought.

This is becoming table stakes, but it was never this way in advertising (always rented real estate).

If you have an audience that hears from you regularly, trusts your perspective, and shares your ideas, you’re not just marketing anymore.

You’re building “infrastructure”. And since attention drives opportunity, that might become the most valuable asset a company can create.

A big part of this strategy comes down to a simple idea: own your distribution.

You need an audience that hears from you often, wants to hear from you, and trusts that you’ll consistently deliver something useful.

Distribution is no longer something you rent only when you need attention — it’s something you build before you need it.

It’s not the first time we’ve heard this.
Here’s a few other references to help tie this together:

• Good old Gary Vaynerchuk has been preaching a version of this for years: create content around what you want to be known for, then distribute it across the platforms where people already spend time. His “pillar content” model (turning one larger idea into many smaller pieces across different channels) is really a distribution strategy disguised as a content workflow.

• In Content Inc. Joe Pulizzi made a similar argument from another angle: build the audience first, then create opportunities from that audience. In his model, content is not just a way to promote the business. It can become the foundation the business grows from.

• Kevin Kelly’s famous “1,000 True Fans” is another useful reference here too. The idea is that you don’t need everyone. You need a direct relationship with the right people — the people who care enough to follow, share, buy, attend, refer, and come back.

That’s what makes a16z a strong example. They are not just publishing because “content marketing works.” They’re building a system where ideas, attention, relationships, talent, and opportunity all flow through channels they influence directly.

Your LinkedIn presence, newsletter, podcast, YouTube channel, event series, community, and founder content are not separate marketing activities.

Together, they can become your distribution system. And once you build that system, you’re less dependent on waiting to be discovered.

You have a way to show up consistently, teach your market, share your point of view, build trust, and create demand over time.

That’s the real advantage. And if you want help doing it, you know where to find me 🙂 

Thanks for reading this week’s edition!
A couple more quick things.

Next week is Toronto Tech Week.

Pumped about Monday’s event, The Founder Signal that I’m hosting through Clarity Content! ​Grateful to have Cyberimpact for sponsoring this event along with many others.