a16z Podcast The Founder to Investor Journey
May 4, 2022
David Ulevitch, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and former founder of OpenDNS, shares his transformative journey from tech intern to investor. He emphasizes the importance of product marketing and resilient leadership, particularly during challenging times. Ulevitch discusses OpenDNS's evolution into a cloud security powerhouse and the shift from founder to venture capitalist, focusing on nurturing relationships with startups. He unveils strategies for investing in technical entrepreneurs and discusses the dynamics of market challenges and pricing strategies in enterprise environments.
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First Tech Job
- David Ulevitch landed his first tech job at an ISP during high school by proactively emailing the owner.
- This early experience exposed him to Unix and taught him the importance of understanding systems from all angles.
mp3.com Experience
- While in high school, Ulevitch turned a journalism interview with mp3.com's CEO into an internship and job.
- He witnessed the company's rapid growth during the dot-com boom, observing both the exciting potential and excesses of the tech industry.
College and Move to SF
- Despite the dot-com boom, Ulevitch pursued a liberal arts education, studying anthropology.
- He moved to San Francisco after graduation, driven by his desire to connect with the tech community he'd found online.
