# Connie Chan

> Connie Chan is a venture capitalist and technology writer who spent 12 years at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), becoming the firm's first-ever internally promoted General Partner in 2018. Known as 'Silicon Valley's China Whisperer,' she made her mark by translating Asian tech trends - super apps, social commerce, livestream shopping - into investment theses before Western founders even knew the terms. Her 2015 WeChat essay won the New York Times Sidney Award and predicted the app-consolidation wave that would reshape mobile over the following decade. She backed Pinterest early, championed Lime before scooters were cool, and holds board seats at Whatnot, KoBold Metals, and Cider. In January 2024, after 12 years at a16z, she stepped back from GP duties to pursue a new Asia-focused venture.

- **Role:** Independent Investor and Board Director (formerly General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz)
- **Organizations:** Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Whatnot, KoBold Metals, Cider, World Economic Forum (Young Global Leader), Gold House
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Economics, Stanford University, M.S. in Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University
- **Known for:** First person ever promoted from within Andreessen Horowitz to General Partner (2018), NYT Sidney Award winner for WeChat essay 'When One App Rules Them All' (2015), World Economic Forum Young Global Leader

## Career timeline

- **2005-2010** — Founding Senior Associate at Elevation Partners, a $1.8B private equity fund focused on media and entertainment
- **2010-2011** — Business Development & Marketing for webOS in China at HP/Palm
- **2011** — Joined Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) as one of the firm's earliest deal/investment partners
- **2015** — Published landmark WeChat essay 'When One App Rules Them All,' winning the NYT Sidney Award
- **2015** — Facilitated $100M investment and partnership between Lyft and Didi Kuaidi
- **2016-2017** — Championed early investment in Lime (micro-mobility) after 10 months studying China's Ofo
- **2018** — Promoted to General Partner - first person ever promoted from within a16z to GP, breaking a long-standing firm rule
- **2018-2024** — Led consumer tech investments including Whatnot, KoBold Metals, Cider, Run The World, Knowable, Glorify
- **2024** — Announced departure from full GP role at a16z after 12 years to pursue Asia-focused work independently
- **2024-present** — Independent investor and board director at Whatnot, KoBold Metals, and Cider; active on Substack and personal projects

## Achievements

- First person ever promoted from within Andreessen Horowitz to General Partner (2018)
- NYT Sidney Award winner for WeChat essay 'When One App Rules Them All' (2015)
- World Economic Forum Young Global Leader
- LinkedIn NextWave Top Professionals Under 35
- Wired Next 20 Tech Visionary
- Fast Company Most Creative People (2017)
- Facilitated $100M Lyft-Didi partnership and investment
- Championed early Pinterest investment at ~$200M valuation
- Early backer of Lime (micro-mobility) and Whatnot (social commerce)

## Latest updates

- **2025-10** — Whatnot (board seat) raised $230M Series F, continuing its expansion as the leading live shopping marketplace
- **2024-01** — Announced departure from General Partner role at a16z after 12 years, stepping back to pursue Asia-focused work independently
- **2024-ongoing** — Active on Substack (conniesnewsletter.substack.com) writing about technology's positive impact on society

## Links

- Website: https://www.conniechan.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conniechan/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/conniechan

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/connie-chan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-04