Investor Arianna Simpson to join a16z's crypto team

Cryptocurrency investor Arianna Simpson is joining Andreessen Horowitz as a deal partner. 

The founder and managing director of crypto hedge fund Autonomous Partners announced the news Friday on Twitter. She said she has "admired the brand and platform that a16z has built from afar."

1/ I have some news! I’m thrilled to announce I’ll be joining the @a16z crypto team as a deal partner as of March.

— Arianna Simpson (@AriannaSimpson) January 31, 2020

"When the opportunity arose to join forces, particularly given we’d already invested in many of the same founders, it made perfect sense," Simpson stated. 

The crypto investor founded Autonomous Partners in 2018, raising an eight-digital figure from Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, Union Square Ventures, Craft Ventures, and Cohen Private Ventures. 

Simpson said she will continue to oversee the hedge fund and manage the portfolio in her new role at Andreessen Horowitz. 

Andreessen Horowitz is one of the few publicly-known venture capital giants that are heavily involved in cryptocurrency. The venture firm has a $350 million crypto fund to invest in the space, counting Anchorage, Coinbase, MakerDAO and Compound among its portfolio companies.