Erik Torenberg

Torenberg is from New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the eastern United States on the Atlantic Ocean, bordered by New York State, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, with the Hudson River forming its northeastern boundary and the Delaware River its western boundary; its capital is Trenton and its largest city is Newark. One of the original 13 colonies, it became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on December 18, 1787, and its population in the 2020 census (April 1, 2020) was 9,288,994.Open the full entry and studied economics at the University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a university founded in Detroit in 1817 that moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1837; it is governed by a statewide-elected Board of Regents and also has campuses in Dearborn and Flint.Open the full entry.⁠[1]

His early startup Rapt.fm tried to organize online rap battles. He later reflected that execution problems in his first startup, the barrier to user participation, and the size of the market all affected the project, and that its failure could not be attributed only to being too early.⁠[2]

He then became the first employee of Product Hunt, founded by Ryan HooverRyan HooverRyan Hoover is an entrepreneur and early-stage investor who founded the new-product discovery community Product Hunt in 2013, served as its CEO until 2020, and sold the company to AngelList in 2016; since 2017 he has run the early-stage venture fund Weekend Fund.Open the full entry, and took part in building its early community. By bringing together product makers, investors, and users discovering new products, the platform helped founders gain exposure.⁠[3][4]

In its early days the team actively reached out to members, facilitated interactions, shared its roadmap and design mockups publicly, and gathered feedback from core users. He believes such communities need continuous organizing and cannot be expected to form on their own once a website launches.⁠[4]

Torenberg co-founded On Deck and Village Global. On Deck serves professionals preparing to start or join a new company, helping them meet potential co-founders and peers; it later developed into founder development and networking programs.⁠[5][1]

In a 2020 interview, he explained that Village Global sources, selects, and supports companies through founders and angel investors with industry or regional experience, and uses profit sharing to incentivize these network members to participate, supplementing the limited time and knowledge of a small number of partners.⁠[2]

His public investment record includes seed-stage investments in Scale AI, Applied Intuition, Pave, Lattice, and Rappi; his personal website explicitly lists Flexport and Figma as later-stage investments.⁠[5][3]

In a conversation with James Currier, Torenberg distinguished between a community’s practical value and its shared values: the former helps members solve problems, while the latter keeps members engaged. He emphasized that members should build connections with one another rather than forming an audience around a single host.⁠[4]

He also argued that when expanding a community, one should weigh the real help new members can bring rather than relying only on exclusivity and identity; for On Deck, the focus was on providing founders with support in fundraising, hiring, and distribution.⁠[4]

In 2023, Torenberg launched Turpentine, building a network of podcasts and newsletters around technology, business, and culture and inviting hosts with real industry experience to discuss niche fields in depth.⁠[6]

The initially announced shows included Moment of Zen, The Cognitive Revolution, and Upstream. Under its partnership model, hosts provide the topics and expertise, while the network handles production, growth, and monetization support.⁠[6]

In 2024, he announced in a career update that he was becoming a venture partner at Village Global, continuing to support portfolio companies while exploring projects in media, recruiting, and expert networks.⁠[7]

On April 21, 2025, a16z announced that Torenberg was joining as a general partner and that it was acquiring Turpentine. In his own announcement, he said the existing shows would continue and would gain more resources to support the hosts and the network’s growth.⁠[8][9]

His responsibilities combine investing, media, and network building. As of September 2026, the official team page listed his work as investing, managing marketing and the ecosystem organization, and supporting portfolio companies.⁠[5]

In November 2025, he and his team jointly announced the New Media Fellowship. The program was designed as an eight-week program for operators, creators, and content talent, originally scheduled to begin in February 2026, and included workshops, networking, and possible opportunities to take part in portfolio company launches.⁠[10]

In June 2026, in an article marking New Media’s first year, Torenberg and others described the team’s four types of work: in-house creative production, owned distribution channels, a dedicated services team, and an external talent network, with the goal of helping startups explain their products and direction directly to the public.⁠[11]

On September 22, 2026, he announced under his byline the Horowitz Andreessen Academy, incubated by a16z and positioned as a full-time, in-person school in San Francisco for young people who have graduated from high school. The plan combines work placements at companies, coursework, and personal projects.⁠[12]

The announcement listed potential partner companies for work placements and planned courses, and opened applications for the founding class. These were the arrangements at the time of the announcement and do not establish that all partnerships, courses, or student projects have been implemented.⁠[12]

Personal website: https://eriktorenberg.com/ (opens in a new window), which brings together his investment record, articles, and podcasts. X: Public account: https://x.com/eriktorenberg (opens in a new window).⁠[3]

Andreessen Horowitz (current employer): Official website: https://a16z.com/ (opens in a new window). He co-founded Village Global and continues to take part in tech content production through Turpentine.⁠[5]