- Daniel Penny, who studied architecture and was cleared on a charge of criminally negligent homicide in a case that rocked New York City, was hired by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. His bio on the a16z website identifies him as a deal partner.
Famed Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz has a new deal partner: Daniel Penny, the former Marine who was acquitted on a charge of criminally negligent homicide in December after fatally choking another passenger on a New York City subway.
The a16z team Penny was hired to join is called “American Dynamism,” which, per the company website, invests in those that support American interests: aerospace, defense, public safety, education, housing, supply chain, industrials, and manufacturing. A photo of Penny appears in its “Team” gallery.
In a memo to employees on Tuesday shared with the New York Times, David Ulevitch, a partner at the firm, wrote: “We believe in Daniel and are excited to have him as part of our team.”
In the memo, Ulevitch said the firm plans to teach Penny “the business of investing.” Penny was an architecture student at the New York City College of Technology, also known as City Tech.
In explaining a16z’s hiring decision, Ulevitch wrote: “I believe, as I know many of you do, that Daniel acted with courage in a tough situation,” according to the website The Free Press, the first to report the news. “He was acquitted of all charges. Beyond that, it has always been our policy to evaluate the entire person and not judge them for the worst moment in their entire life.”
The high-profile criminal case rocked New York City and beyond as videos capturing the incident spread online. In May 2023, a homeless man with a history of mental illness named Jordan Neely entered a subway car, and when he started acting erratically, Penny put him in a chokehold, dropping Neely to the floor. A debate on race, self-defense, and vigilantism followed the death, and Penny was later arrested and charged. A jury found him not guilty of criminally negligent homicide after a prior manslaughter charge was dismissed. Conservatives who rallied behind him cheered.
Vice President JD Vance posted “incredible news” in response to reporting that Penny was hired by Andreessen Horowitz. On the day of Penny’s acquittal, Vance wrote: “thank God justice was done in this case. It was a scandal Penny was ever prosecuted in the first place.”
Marc Andreessen, a cofounder and general partner of a16z, backed President Donald Trump in the latest election, despite being openly critical of the real estate magnate in 2016 and instead backing his opponent Hillary Clinton. This summer, Andreessen shelled out $2.5 million to a pro-Trump super political action committee and an additional $844,600 to a Trump joint fundraising committee, according to data from the Federal Election Commission, Fortune reported earlier. He has helped Elon Musk with his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) too.
Not long after his acquittal, Penny was invited to attend a football game with Trump and Vance. Penny sat in the luxury box.
Andreessen Horowitz and Thomas Kenniff, Penny’s lawyer during his trial, did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.