Andreessen Horowitz Names Nicira And VMware Veteran Martin Casado Its Ninth General Partner
Today I am delighted to announce that Martin Casado … Mike Wheatley / SiliconANGLE : Martin Casado quits VMware to join Andreessen Horowitz Darren Pauli / The Register : NSX Daddy Martin Casado leaves VMware to become a VC Patience Haggin / Wall Street Journal : Nicira Co-Founder Martin Casado Joins Andreessen Horowitz as General Partner Carol Wilson / Light Reading : Nicira Founder Casado Leaves VMware Arik Hesseldahl / Re/code : VMware Executive Martin Casado Leaving to Join Andreessen Horowitz Jordan Novet / VentureBeat : VMware exec Martìn Casado joins Andreessen Horowitz following Nicira acquisition Barb Darrow / Fortune : VMware Names Ramaswami to Head Networking Unit Barb Darrow / Fortune : VMware Exec Martin Casado Joins Andreessen Horowitz Eugene Kim / Business Insider : The guy who sold his startup for $1.26 billion to VMware just got poached by a top VC firm Connie Loizos / TechCrunch : In Advance of Next Fund, Andreessen Horowitz Brings Aboard Martin Casado As GP Tweets: Dan Primack / @danprimack : What has @martin_casado done with the real @pmarca? http://twitter.com/... Felix Salmon / @felixsalmon : Good to see Marc breaking his Twitter silence to announce... yet another male partner at a16z http://twitter.com/... Mathew Ingram / @mathewi : Marc Andreessen is tweeting again! Almost two weeks since the last one http://twitter.com/...
Context & Ripple Effects
When Nicira was sold into VMware, Martin Casado carried its network-virtualization thesis into the enterprise as the face of NSX. His move to Andreessen Horowitz as the firm's ninth general partner converts that operating credibility into an investment franchise — the same founder-becomes-GP pattern a16z would repeat with Sriram Krishnan's product-leader hiring five years later.
First-order effects
- VMware loses the executive most identified with NSX, leaving its network-virtualization push without its founding champion.
- a16z gains an in-house expert on infrastructure software at the partner level, deepening its bench for enterprise deals.
Second-order effects
- Casado's arrival sets up his later role fronting a16z's $400M seed-focused fund, giving early-stage infrastructure founders a partner with direct Nicira-to-VMware experience rather than a generalist.
- Enterprise networking startups gain a credible VC path modeled on Nicira's outcome, shifting where founders look for validation of infrastructure bets.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, large venture firms increasingly staff themselves with former founders who anchor entire practice areas — Casado's 2016 hire is the template that later funds and GP additions were built on.
- The line between operator and investor careers keeps blurring, with firms like a16z treating GPs' operating histories as the product they sell to portfolio companies.
The trend: Venture firms are converting successful founders into general partners who then run dedicated vehicles, with a16z's Casado hire an early marker of that structure.