Question 1

How do I get on Naval Ravikant's radar as a crypto founder?

Accepted Answer

Naval is extremely difficult to access cold — the most effective pathways are the AngelList syndicate (where Naval has historically co-invested), warm introductions via his dense Silicon Valley and crypto network, or publishing technically and intellectually serious work that reaches his Twitter/X sphere. Naval explicitly backs ideas and intellectual clarity over trends, so demonstrating original thinking in public is a more credible signal than most warm intros.

Question 2

What does Naval Ravikant look for when investing in crypto projects?

Accepted Answer

Naval backs founders with technically ambitious, philosophically coherent crypto visions — he is looking for ideas, not trends. His public writing emphasises asymmetric bets in technically misunderstood spaces, founder quality and intellectual clarity, and genuine belief in decentralisation as a mechanism for increasing human autonomy. Projects that can articulate a first-principles case for why they need to be on a blockchain resonate more than applications chasing existing narratives.

Question 3

What is Balaji Srinivasan's typical check size as an angel?

Accepted Answer

Balaji's angel check sizes are estimated at $100K–$1M — larger than many individual angels, reflecting his significant personal wealth from the Coinbase CTO role and multiple successful exits. His backing is meaningful capital as well as a strong signal to other investors in the crypto ecosystem, given his intellectual influence and network.

Question 4

What does Balaji look for when making investment decisions?

Accepted Answer

Balaji's investments are driven by his 'network state' thesis — he backs technology that challenges centralised institutions, enables individual and community sovereignty, or advances Bitcoin and decentralisation. Founders building decentralised identity, network state tooling, biotech with crypto-enabled incentive structures, privacy technology, or Bitcoin infrastructure are the clearest fits. Projects that are merely crypto-flavoured without a genuine sovereignty or decentralisation thesis are less likely to resonate.

Question 5

Does Chris Dixon make personal angel investments or only invest via a16z?

Accepted Answer

Chris Dixon primarily invests through a16z crypto in his current role as General Partner — his involvement in deals is through the fund rather than as a personal angel. Prior to joining a16z, Dixon was an active individual angel (co-founding Founder Collective and backing Kickstarter, Pinterest, etc.), but as a GP he channels his investment activity through the fund exclusively.

Question 6

How do I get a meeting with Chris Dixon?

Accepted Answer

The most effective route is applying via a16z crypto's formal process or attending a16z Crypto Startup School, which provides direct exposure to the partner team including Dixon. He is also active on Twitter/X (@cdixon) and occasionally responds to compelling technical ideas shared publicly — engaging seriously with his 'computer vs. casino' and ownership economy writing demonstrates intellectual alignment and occasionally leads to direct contact.

Question 7

What does Anatoly Yakovenko look for when backing founders?

Accepted Answer

Anatoly Yakovenko's investments are concentrated in the Solana ecosystem — he backs founders building infrastructure, wallets, DeFi protocols, and consumer applications on Solana. Technical credibility is important given his own engineering background (Proof of History is a genuine cryptographic innovation), and ecosystem traction — having shipped something meaningful on Solana — is the most effective way to demonstrate alignment before seeking his backing.

Question 8

Does Anatoly Yakovenko invest in projects outside the Solana ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

Anatoly's investment activity is heavily concentrated in the Solana ecosystem, reflecting his role as Solana Labs CEO and his conviction in the chain's long-term success. While exceptions may exist, founders building primarily on other chains should focus their angel outreach elsewhere — Anatoly's value as a backer is specifically as an ecosystem-native supporter with deep Solana-specific relationships and technical context.

Question 9

What does Yat Siu look for in Web3 gaming investments?

Accepted Answer

Yat Siu and Animoca Brands invest in projects that advance digital property rights and the ownership economy in gaming and entertainment — the thesis that players should own their in-game assets as genuinely portable, tradeable digital property. Gaming credentials, existing community metrics, and a clear token-based ownership model are key evaluation criteria, alongside the team's gaming experience and ability to deliver engaging products.

Question 10

What is Yat Siu's typical check size via Animoca Brands?

Accepted Answer

Via Animoca Brands (which has 450+ portfolio companies), check sizes typically range from $500K to $10M at seed through Series B. Yat Siu's personal angel activity is less publicly documented, but the Animoca investment team is the primary vehicle — meaning a pitch to Animoca is effectively a pitch to Yat Siu's investment thesis at scale.

Angel Investor

Naval Ravikant

Balaji Srinivasan

Chris Dixon

Anatoly Yakovenko

Yat Siu

Marc Andreessen

Frequently Asked Questions — Angel Investor

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