a16z launches its 5th fund with $2.2 billion in crypto, leading an investment in three AI startups

According to an announcement by a16z (Andreessen Horowitz) on May 5, the risk investment firm officially launched its fifth crypto-dedicated fund, “Crypto Fund 5,” with a fundraising size of $2.2 billion. In the same period, a16z announced that it led investments in AI integration company Tessera Labs, the AI recruiting platform Ethos, and the AI creation platform Glif.

Crypto Fund 5: Fundraising Structure, Core Focus, and Leadership Team

According to a16z’s May 5, 2026 announcement, Crypto Fund 5 has a size of $2.2 billion, which is about half the size of Crypto Fund 4 ($4.5 billion) launched in May 2022. In the announcement, a16z said that this time it proactively shortened the fundraising cycle in order to adapt more quickly to the crypto market’s rapid changes.

The fund is led by Managing Partner Chris Dixon. General partners include Ali Yahya, Guy Wuollet, and Eddy Lazzarin; Lazzarin was promoted from the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) role to a general partner.

a16z’s announcement states that the core investment directions of Crypto Fund 5 cover: stablecoins, payments, on-chain finance, asset tokenization (RWA), perpetual futures, prediction markets, and AI agents. In its announcement, a16z also said that although some venture capital funds are shifting toward AI, the current crypto industry’s “fundamentals are at a historical high.” Dixon said in the announcement: “The founders we support with this $2.2 billion fund are working on parts of the enterprise lifecycle that receive less attention but can create more enduring value.”

Three AI Domains with Lead Investments: Tessera Labs, Ethos, and Glif

Based on the a16z announcement and related financing disclosures, a16z has recently completed the following three AI-focused investments:

Tessera Labs: Completed a $60 million Series A financing round, with a16z leading the round. Tessera Labs positions itself as an AI-native enterprise systems integrator, automating complex enterprise software migrations (such as SAP upgrades) through multi-agent systems, significantly reducing the time and manpower required by traditional consulting projects.

Ethos: A London, UK AI recruiting platform, completed a $22.75 million Series A financing round, with a16z leading the round. Ethos builds candidate skill profiles using voice AI, replacing traditional resume-screening processes to improve the accuracy of matching talent and roles across industries.

Glif: An AI creation platform, completed seed funding with a16z leading the round. Glif integrates multiple generative AI tools such as image, video, and audio generation to simplify the content creation workflow through a single-agent interface.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the size of a16z Crypto Fund 5 compare with earlier funds?

According to the a16z announcement, Crypto Fund 5 has a size of $2.2 billion, which is about half the size of Crypto Fund 4 ($4.5 billion) launched in May 2022. a16z said it is shortening the fundraising cycle proactively to adapt to market changes, and that across five crypto funds, cumulative committed capital totals $9.8 billion.

What are the core investment directions of Crypto Fund 5?

According to the a16z announcement, Crypto Fund 5 focuses on stablecoins, payments, on-chain finance, asset tokenization, perpetual futures, prediction markets, and AI agents, positioning itself to support startups at various stages—from blockchain infrastructure to mainstream application deployment.

Which companies are involved in a16z’s three recent AI investments?

According to the a16z announcement and related financing disclosures, a16z has recently led investments in Tessera Labs ($60 million Series A, AI enterprise software automation), Ethos ($22.75 million Series A, AI talent recruiting platform), and Glif (seed round, AI creation platform).