The new era of global expansion: the rise of borderless founders. Nearly half of a16z's app investments in the past two years came from international founders.
Companies no longer need to cram talent, R&D, capital, and customers into a single country. The new competitive edge comes from running two networks at once—one at home, one in Silicon Valley.
- Over the past two years, 44% of a16z's app investments involved international founders.
- These founders tap into customers and talent in their home countries while plugging into Silicon Valley's capital and global markets.
- a16z uses small founder dinners to spot and connect with these entrepreneurs early.
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is one of the most influential venture capital firms in Silicon Valley. As of 2026 (April), it managed more than $100 billion in assets. Its Apps team focuses on application-layer technology companies — firms that turn AI and software directly into products for enterprises and consumers.
The team recently shared some internal data: over the past two years, 44% of its investments included an international founder. Roughly half of those companies are headquartered in the US, while the other half remain headquartered outside the country.
These founders come from countries like Sweden, Poland, Brazil, Spain, and Estonia. They maintain access to talent, customers, and industry relationships in their home countries while tapping into Silicon Valley's capital, talent pool, and global market reach. In their report Rise of the Borderless Founder, a16z partners Gabriel Vasquez and Angela Strange have a name for this group: Borderless Founders.
"An international background isn't a disadvantage — it's your strongest moat."
So what exactly is a "borderless founder"?
It refers to founders who operate across borders — with one foot rooted in their home country and the other in Silicon Valley or the broader global market. In the past, overseas founders often felt they were starting from scratch when they left home for Silicon Valley. But today, remote collaboration and AI have flattened distance. As the report puts it, "Silicon Valley is no longer just a geographic location; it's a mindset."
Based on a five-year track record with these companies, a16z offers five key takeaways:
- An international background needs to be converted into a usable asset. Nationality, resume, or an overseas HQ are just surface markers. The real value lies in whether dual networks can deliver customers, talent, brand recognition, and funding for the company.
- The home country often provides the first push for the growth flywheel. Local reputation helps secure the first marquee customers, familiarity with local talent signals uncovers engineers that the global market hasn't noticed yet, and domestic influence can be amplified into an international brand.
- A small advantage attracts further resources. Customer credibility aids fundraising and hiring; talent improves the product; a better product brings more customers; and growing brand recognition accelerates the entire cycle.
- a16z has turned its global relationships into an investment system. Over the past five years, it has engaged with over 600 founders and early key employees through country-specific nodes, small dinners, repeated visits, and diaspora communities.
- The "going global" challenge for Chinese companies is shifting. Selling products overseas is just one piece. R&D, supply chain, capital, brand, customers, and community can be distributed across different countries — the founder's job is to make all these nodes work together.
Behind the 44%: Founders Linked to Both Home Country and Silicon Valley
The criteria for identifying a Borderless Founder is quite specific: the founder is deeply embedded in two networks — one in their home country and one in Silicon Valley.
- Familiar talent signals
- First enterprise customers
- Industry and government ties
- Local media and influence
- Diaspora referrals
- Venture capital
- Frontier AI talent
- Startup advisors and operators
- Global tech customers
- High-frequency startup intel
The home network might offer familiar engineering talent, first enterprise customers, government and industry connections, local media, and the diaspora. The Silicon Valley network provides access to venture capital, cutting-edge AI talent, startup advisors, global tech clients, and a high-frequency flow of information. The founder's role is to merge these two networks into a system their company can repeatedly tap into.
a16z uses a map showing founders' birthplaces to illustrate the scope of what they've observed. The founders on the map come from various countries across Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and have gone on to play key roles in high-growth AI and software companies.
Source: a16z internal data. This map shows the distribution of founders' birthplaces.
Another chart lists companies that reached $100 million in ARR within four years — OpenAI, Manus, Lovable, Replit, Anthropic, Cursor, Mistral, Perplexity, Wiz, Ramp, and Harvey — with flags indicating founder backgrounds.
Source: a16z internal data. The page doesn't disclose the sample selection, a standardized ARR definition, or a control group. This chart shows that international founders are common among high-growth companies, but it doesn't prove that an international background causes faster growth.
It's also important to note that the 44% figure only covers a16z's Apps team investments over the past two years. It shouldn't be extrapolated to all of a16z's investments, and it certainly doesn't represent the average for global startups.
For a broader context, consider data from the NFAP. Their 2026 report found that of 775 private US billion-dollar startups, 455 — or 59% — were founded or co-founded by immigrants. It's worth noting that "immigrant founder," a16z's "international founder," and "headquartered overseas" are three different metrics. Taken together, they simply underscore that high-value American startups have long been deeply reliant on cross-border talent.
Being "borderless" doesn't mean frictionless. a16z immediately identifies three hurdles: visas, establishing a presence in San Francisco, and securing credible referrals while still in the home country. While a dual-network structure can bridge geography, gaining entry into both networks still requires long-term relationships and physical presence.