LehighSiliconValley Meets Up with Top-Tier VC

On Jan. 7, 2015, the big white bus drove 56 Lehigh University students from their high-rise hotel to a small cluster of unassuming offices located in a secluded area that borders Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, California.

A short distance from an asphalt strip known around the world for venture capital stardom are the offices of Andreessen Horowitz–a self-styled Silicon Valley venture capital firm with an enviable track record for taking innovation and industry disruption to the highest level of play in the startup world.

Anyone who has worked in venture capital understands that today's new ideas and new thinking can become the next Facebook, Twitter, Airbnb, Foursquare or Skype. These names are a few of the many signatures of Andreessen Horowitz with over $4 billion in assets under management.

Each day from dawn to dusk over Jan. 4-10, 2015, a highly diverse group of Lehigh students from all campus walks and a wide cross-section of academic disciplines became part of LehighSiliconValley–an immersion program offered by Lehigh University under the auspices of its Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation.

Around mid-week the path led to the doorsteps of Andreessen Horowitz and its chief operating officer and partner, Scott Kupor, for an unscripted and no-holds-barred Q&A session.

Kupor lived up to the reputation of Andreessen Horowitz. He spoke about the vibrant ecosystem in Silicon Valley and the abundant deal pipeline open to VCs who seek out and invest their millions in what they hope will be the next trendsetting enterprise.

While Kupor focused on the successes of his team, he gave examples of failure and stressed that even the worst mistakes are an indispensable part of learning. One after another the questions kept coming in a crowded room that went silent each time Kupor shared his take with his eager audience.

Patrick V. Farrell, Lehigh University provost and vice president for academic affairs, witnessed the group dynamic and characterized the moment as an exciting and sobering experience.

“Students learned firsthand how Andreessen Horowitz finds the next new explosive-growth enterprise, but they also heard about opportunities missed,” Farrell said.

“Intense competition among Silicon Valley VCs and the pressing need to create value for their investors or limited partners was made clear. We all appreciated Kupor’s openness and honesty. Lehigh students observed that even those among the most respected need to continually acknowledge and learn from both successes and failures."

LehighSiliconValley creator Dale F. Falcinelli ’70 remarked: “The meet-up at Andreessen Horowitz was one of the most impactful of the entire week.” Falcinelli, also a professor of practice in Lehigh’s College of Business and Economics and chairman of the Baker Institute’s Advisory Council, added: “The verbal exchange with Scott Kupor was solid, intense, fast-moving, provocative, penetrating and fun-filled thanks to this amazing group of students. I am so proud of the talent pool that populates our campus. It is so Lehigh!”

To learn more about LehighSiliconValley:

Read LehighSiliconValley2015 blog

View LSV2015 photos

Photos by Adrian Mendoza