Communicator ‘Translates’ Crypto’s Advantages as Digital Currencies Seek Trust

[Editor’s Note: We jumped at the chance to interview Rachael Horwitz, who’s led communication strategies at Silicon Valley giants, most recently Google. Before that, she was a communicator at Facebook and Twitter. She was the first VP of communication at crypto exchange firm Coinbase. In late June, venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz named her an operating partner. That same day, it unveiled a $2.2 billion fund to continue investing in crypto. This adds to investments it made in crypto since 2003.

In her new position, Horwitz is leading communication and marketing for a16z crypto, which oversees and counsels the crypto companies and entrepreneurs Andreessen Horowitz invests in. Along with Horwitz, the a16z crypto team also features executives in regulation, policy, recruiting and startup management.

In its late-June release, Andreessen Horowitz admitted, “crypto has endured a variety of challenges and misconceptions.” That’s why Horwitz’s remit includes “help[ing] translate crypto to the mainstream.”

In this interview, we asked Horwitz about ‘translating’ a new currency format and what communicators at small companies need to consider as crypto continues its increasingly larger role in the business zeitgeist.