Despite their ability to recognize great early-stage digital companies, Silicon Valley VCs and entrepreneurs often lack marketing acumen. This is where Margit Wennmachers comes in as one of two female operational partners at Andreessen Horowitz. "Entrepreneurs often have zero experience in terms of sales and marketing," she said. "That's my job."
Managing a wide portfolio of brands hark to her days as the founder and CEO of OutCast, a branding agency primarily for tech companies, where she learned to simultaneously tell multiple brands' stories.
"Things are getting better in Silicon Valley," she said. Though she added, "You still have a lot of male CEOs because a lot of companies are run by someone technical, and we've not yet managed to make girls excited to learn how to code at an early age."
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Ms. Wennmachers grew up in Bruxgen, Germany, a tiny village near the Dutch border. She's worked for five companies -- three in the U.S., one in Germany and one in Spain.Jeans in the office?
"Not so much. If I wear jeans, they are cool jeans. … Silicon Valley is a T-shirt-and-khaki place. Not me. I like my outfits."