# Guido Appenzeller

> Guido Appenzeller is a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) focused on AI and infrastructure investing. A two-time startup founder, he co-founded Voltage Security (acquired by HP) and Big Switch Networks (acquired by Arista), led the team that developed the OpenFlow v1.0 networking standard at Stanford's Clean Slate Lab, served as CTO at both VMware and Intel, and is now one of Silicon Valley's sharpest voices on LLM economics - having coined the term 'LLMflation' to describe the 10x-per-year cost decline in AI inference.

- **Role:** Partner at Andreessen Horowitz
- **Organizations:** Andreessen Horowitz, Big Switch Networks, Voltage Security, VMware, Intel, Yubico, Stanford University
- **Nationality:** German-American
- **Education:** Ph.D. in Computer Science, Stanford University, M.S. (Diplom) in Physics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** Co-developed OpenFlow v1.0 standard at Stanford's Clean Slate Lab, foundational to software-defined networking, Co-founded Voltage Security (acquired by HP) and Big Switch Networks (acquired by Arista Networks), Grew VMware's NSX product line from under $200M to over $1B in annual revenue

## Career timeline

- **~2000** — PhD research at Stanford University, networking and security
- **2004** — Co-founded Voltage Security as CTO; pioneered identity-based encryption for enterprise email security
- **2008** — Consulting Assistant Professor at Stanford and Head of Clean Slate Lab; led team that developed OpenFlow v1.0 standard
- **2010** — Co-founded Big Switch Networks as CEO, commercializing Software-Defined Networking
- **~2015** — Joined VMware as CTO for Cloud & Networking; helped grow NSX product line from under $200M to over $1B in revenue
- **~2018** — Voltage Security acquired by HP; Big Switch Networks acquired by Arista Networks
- **~2019** — Joined Yubico as Chief Product Officer
- **2020** — Joined Intel as CTO of Data Platforms Group, responsible for technical direction across data platforms portfolio
- **2024** — Joined Andreessen Horowitz as Partner on the Infrastructure Investing team; focus on AI, infrastructure, open source, silicon

## Achievements

- Co-developed OpenFlow v1.0 standard at Stanford's Clean Slate Lab, foundational to software-defined networking
- Co-founded Voltage Security (acquired by HP) and Big Switch Networks (acquired by Arista Networks)
- Grew VMware's NSX product line from under $200M to over $1B in annual revenue
- Named to MIT Technology Review's TR35 list of top innovators under 35
- Recipient of SIGCOMM Test of Time Award for networking research
- Named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum
- Named one of Goldman Sachs's 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs
- Co-authored 'AI Canon' at a16z - the definitive curated reading list for AI builders
- Published 'LLMflation' analysis tracking 10x/year decline in LLM inference costs

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Active as Partner at a16z Infrastructure fund; continuing to write and speak on LLM economics and AI infrastructure trends
- **2025-12** — Co-led $45M seed round into Mirelo as part of a16z infrastructure team
- **2024-04** — Joined Andreessen Horowitz as Partner, announced participation in a16z Infrastructure fund

## Links

- Website: https://guido.appenzeller.net/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/appenz/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/appenz

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