At the age of 22, Arianna Simpson made a pivotal choice to invest her savings in Bitcoin, ignited by her experiences in Zimbabwe, where she witnessed the dire effects of hyperinflation. Upon returning, this revelation spurred her interest in cryptocurrency as a potential remedy for financial instability.
Simpson didn’t limit herself to merely investing; she initiated a blockchain lunch meetup at Facebook, where she was employed shortly after her journey. Her enthusiasm and knowledge culminated in a blog post about multisignature wallets, a piece that eventually led to her role at BitGo, a startup in the crypto infrastructure space, where she became one of the first three employees. BitGo has gained significant acclaim over the years and is preparing for an initial public offering, although Simpson left before her shares could vest.
Choosing to pivot from the early-stage startup environment, Simpson transitioned into venture capital. She began by working at a friend’s generalist firm before establishing her own crypto-focused fund, Autonomous Partners, which garnered backing from prominent figures like Brian Armstrong, David Sacks of Craft Ventures, and the family office of Steve Cohen. This move came in 2017, a year that marked the onset of significant mainstream interest in cryptocurrency. During this time, she made strategic investments in companies such as Talos and Mythical Games. Through her network, she also connected with Katie Haun, a former Department of Justice prosecutor who transitioned into an investor at a16z. Haun played a crucial role in recruiting Simpson to join a16z crypto.
In 2020, Simpson became a deal partner at a16z crypto, drawn to the firm’s commitment to blockchain during less glamorous market periods—a characteristic not shared by many larger venture capital firms, especially as prominent names like Accel and Bessemer withdrew after the market’s downturn in 2022. “I had a lot of respect and appreciation for the fact that the firm, despite being like an institution, had taken this category seriously,” Simpson stated, highlighting her admiration for the firm.
Her timing was fortuitous, coinciding with the surge in crypto investment that led a16z to establish a landmark $2.2 billion third fund in 2021 and a staggering $4.5 billion fourth fund in 2022. Amid powerful figures such as Chris Dixon and Katie Haun, Simpson carved out her identity as an investor by supporting companies like Blackbird, a dining rewards startup co-founded by Ben Leventhal, and Phantom, a crypto wallet currently valued at $3 billion.
Now a general partner at a16z crypto, Simpson’s investment philosophy prioritizes identifying talented founders rather than strictly adhering to specific themes. She believes that the best entrepreneurs will naturally gravitate towards promising technologies, whether in stablecoins or the convergence of cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. “It’s more about following the trends of entrepreneurs than it is unilaterally trying to decide what’s interesting,” she explained. “As an investor, your job is to shift your attention to find it.”
