Andreessen Horowitz plans to remove the word “crypto” from the name of its main blockchain fund.
What a16z is changing, and what it says it isn’t
The naming plan arrives shortly after a16z closed its fifth dedicated fund, called Crypto Fund 5, at $2.2 billion on May 5, 2026. That fund still carries the word in question, at least for now.
Amid speculation about the branding shift, a16z has said the fund remains 100% dedicated to crypto entrepreneurs.
A smaller fund with a narrower brief
At $2.2 billion, Crypto Fund 5 is less than half the size of its predecessor. Crypto Fund 4 raised $4.5 billion in December 2022. The new fund pushes a16z’s total committed crypto capital across five funds to approximately $9.8 billion.
The investment thesis has also tightened. Fund 5 is focused on stablecoins, tokenized assets and on-chain lending, which refers to borrowing and lending that happens directly on blockchain networks rather than through a bank. The fund also folds in a focus on AI agents, the software programs that can act autonomously on a user’s behalf, to strengthen financial infrastructure.
Who is running the money
Alongside the fund close, a16z promoted Eddy Lazzarin from chief technology officer to general partner. He joins existing general partners Chris Dixon, Ali Yahya and Guy Wuollet.
Fund 5 is expected to invest across all stages, from seed rounds through growth-stage deals, with a planned investment horizon spanning a decade.
The firm participated in Digital Asset’s $355 million funding round in June 2026, a deal that fits within the tokenized-asset and financial infrastructure themes the new fund is chasing.
Background: a crowded pivot to AI
Many venture firms have redirected attention and capital toward AI-driven startups. Against that backdrop, a16z has reiterated its focus on blockchain and its integration with the traditional financial system, while the fund’s AI agent angle lets it address the dominant trend without abandoning its core thesis.
What this means for founders and investors
Stablecoins, tokenized assets and on-chain lending are the parts of the ecosystem most likely to interest banks, asset managers and payment companies. Those buyers often prefer terms like “blockchain” or “digital assets” to a word still associated with volatile trading and memecoins.
For limited partners, the smaller fund size is the figure worth watching. A drop from $4.5 billion to $2.2 billion can be read as caution, as discipline, or as a sign that fundraising for the category remains harder than it was in 2022.
Key things to watch include what name the fund ultimately adopts, whether the plan extends to the broader a16z crypto brand, and how Fund 5’s first deals line up with its stated focus on stablecoins, tokenization and lending.
Disclosure: This article was edited by John Chen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.