# Chris Lyons

> Chris Lyons is a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), the legendary Silicon Valley venture capital firm, where he spent over a decade reshaping how culture and capital intersect. Starting as Chief of Staff to co-founder Ben Horowitz in 2013, he rose to General Partner by 2021 and founded the Cultural Leadership Fund (CLF) in 2018 - Silicon Valley's first VC fund composed entirely of Black Limited Partners, uniting athletes, musicians, and entertainers as investors in frontier technology. A former sound engineer trained under Grammy-winning producer Jermaine Dupri, Lyons brings a rare cross-industry fluency to tech investing, bridging entertainment, sports, Web3, and enterprise software. As of early 2026, he announced his departure from a16z to launch his own fund, citing the AI revolution as the defining moment to build independently.

- **Role:** General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (transitioning to founding own fund)
- **Organizations:** Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), a16z Cultural Leadership Fund, Yuga Labs (Board), The James Beard Foundation (Board), The Black Economic Alliance (Board), New Story Charity (Board), Kauffman Fellows (Class 19), Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Verizon Media Global Advisory Board
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Entertainment Business, Full Sail University, Associate of Science in Recording Arts, Full Sail University, Associate's Degree in Business Management, Georgia State University, Wealth Management Certification, Financial Peace University
- **Known for:** Founded Silicon Valley's first venture capital fund composed entirely of Black Limited Partners (CLF Fund I, 2018), Promoted to General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz in 2021, Co-launched a16z's first $400M Seed Fund in 2021

## Career timeline

- **~2007** — Initiated into Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity (Spring '07)
- **~2008-2012** — Worked as sound engineer / mixing & mastering engineer under Grammy-winning producer Jermaine Dupri at So So Def Recordings
- **~2011-2012** — Founded PictureMenu, a mobile app and digital menu platform; participated in NewME Accelerator (Silicon Valley accelerator for minority-led startups)
- **2013** — Joined Andreessen Horowitz as Chief of Staff to co-founder Ben Horowitz
- **2016** — Founded Silicon Valley's first influencer network recognizing cultural leaders' role in the tech ecosystem
- **2018** — Founded the Cultural Leadership Fund (CLF) at a16z - Silicon Valley's first VC fund with 100% Black Limited Partners
- **2019** — Graduated as a Kauffman Fellow (Class 19)
- **2021** — Promoted to General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz; co-launched a16z's inaugural $400M Seed Fund
- **2022** — Led/participated in investments in Yuga Labs ($450M), VeeFriends ($50M), Propel ($50M), Wonderschool ($25M)
- **2022-2024** — Served as President of Web3 Media at a16z Crypto
- **2026-02** — Announced departure from a16z to launch independent fund, citing AI revolution opportunity

## Achievements

- Founded Silicon Valley's first venture capital fund composed entirely of Black Limited Partners (CLF Fund I, 2018)
- Promoted to General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz in 2021
- Co-launched a16z's first $400M Seed Fund in 2021
- Donated over $1.5M in CLF management fees and carry to nonprofits advancing Black talent in tech
- Facilitated hundreds of introductions between cultural leaders and a16z portfolio companies
- Board member of Yuga Labs, The James Beard Foundation, The Black Economic Alliance, and New Story Charity
- Kauffman Fellow (Class 19)
- Verizon Media Global Advisory Board member
- Founder of Lyons Wine, an Italian wine brand
- Investment portfolio includes Yuga Labs ($450M round), VeeFriends, Propel, Overtime, Rasa, Wonderschool

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Announced departure from Andreessen Horowitz after 13+ years to launch his own independent venture fund, calling AI 'the defining moment to build'
- **2025-01** — Featured in Entrepreneur magazine conversation on blending culture, history, and the future of tech at a16z
- **2025-06** — Featured on the Design Better Podcast (Episode 139) discussing why EQ beats IQ in building the future of technology

## Links

- Website: https://www.chrislyons.co
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/christophermlyons
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/chrislyons
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrislyons/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/christopher-lyons
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-09