Andreessen Horowitz has responded to rumors that it plans to set up an office in India, refuting the speculation as “entirely inaccurate.”
General partner Anish Acharya pushed back on X stories as “entirely fake news,” and a firm spokesperson aligned with his comment. The note to founders and the venture community: There’s no India office happening at this point in time.
What sparked the speculation about an India office
Local media reports indicated the firm was establishing in Bengaluru and lining up a senior local hire. That is a story that frequently comes before an official market entry, by contrast one of the most high-profile forms of new business bullying firms into mounting teams in VCs well ahead even of the arrival of funds or scouting programs. In this one, Andreessen Horowitz says none of that is occurring.
The pace of denial is impressive. In an industry where “no comment” is often the norm, the firm’s public pushback can effectively slam the door shut on any near-term office plans and minimize founders’ risk of using their fundraising bandwidth in response to hearsay.
Reading the strategy signals behind the firm’s denial
The clarification comes after the company shut down a recent global study.
Andreessen Horowitz had opened a London office and then closed it after about a year and a half, blaming a strategy shake-up and more amenable regulatory changes at home. Sifted already reported that, courted for years by the UK government before that launch, the retreat was a big one.
Even so, the firm said it would continue to support founders from outside the United States through distributed teams, scouts, and network partners. Industry scuttlebutt also has it that a16z-backed scouts are continuing to hunt in packs across Europe, with the theory being this is an extension of the firm’s remote-first investment thesis rather than more traditional expansion by way of bricks and mortar.
India’s Venture Market and a16z’s Footprint
India still counts itself among the world’s largest startup ecosystems, and venture funding rose past $40 billion at the peak of the cycle, according to IVCA–EY — before settling around figures closer to the low teens. PitchBook and Tracxn data indicate software, fintech, and consumer internet have been perennial capital attractants; SaaS exports and AI tooling have further buttressed the pipeline.
Many U.S. firms have developed deep local franchises in India. Accel has locked in early-stage dominance, Lightspeed Venture Partners has been active across stages, and General Catalyst has made some larger commitments, while Peak XV Partners (the new brand for Sequoia’s India and Southeast Asia business) has worked off large locally managed vehicles. These are on-the-ground partners that partner with SEBI-registered funds, which leads to quicker decision cycles and better founder coverage.
Andreessen Horowitz has relatively little exposure to India. Its biggest bet is CoinSwitch, a crypto exchange that it invested in as part of a controlled $260 million tender offer. The firm was subsequently reported to be looking at as much as $500 million for India-focused investments, but there haven’t been any high-profile fresh placements that have been publicly made since then.
Why the denial matters for founders and investors
Hollywood is a fickle echo chamber, but market-entry rumors can change founder behavior — pitch strategies and valuation expectations, whether high or low. A resounding “no” from a marquee investor can spare the whipsaw effects of already fussy funding. It also hints that the firm is leaning toward a flexible, cross-border model of investing rather than taking on the maze of building up a local legal and operational stack in this case — at least for now.
There are practical considerations. To build presence, senior partner hiring, SEBI registrations for AIF structures, compliance set-up, and pipeline strategy are a must. Many foreign funds also weigh mechanisms and tax domiciles of GIFT City before relocating. You can see those steps when they occur — and none have emerged around a16z.
What to watch next as a16z clarifies India plans
Real signals of an inflection would be:
- Announce a named India partner (or add more partners and promote to partnership from within)
- File for AIF registration
- Announce India-dedicated vehicles
- Anchor local programs like those seeded by Accel and Lightspeed, among others
Without that, expect a16z to continue to selectively source in India via remote partners and its global networks.
The takeaway for founders is simple. Andreessen Horowitz is willing to write checks for India-based companies, but the firm isn’t opening an office. Until the above markers materialize, a16z’s decision-agency center is still outside India.
