StartupsNov 3, 2026, 9:25 PM UTC·1 min read

Andreessen Horowitz scouts: Two Germans on investing for US VCs

Robert Richarz and Alexander Worbs act as scouts for leading US venture capital firms. They explain what the role means and how Germans can reach top funds.

Two investors in conversation in a modern office, representing venture capital scouts working with top US funds. — Image: Business Insider

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Robert Richarz and Alexander Worbs work as scouts for American top-tier venture capital firms. Both have now described what that role involves in practice, offering a rare look at one of the less visible routes into the US startup funding world.

For many founders and investors, working with a fund such as Sequoia or Andreessen Horowitz is the ultimate goal. The difficulty is obvious: the large US funds are hard to reach from Europe, and cold outreach rarely gets far. Scouts are one way the gap is bridged, with people outside the firm's core team looking at companies and bringing promising ones to the fund's attention.

Why the scout model matters

For a German market, the idea is attractive on two levels. Founders gain a potential path to a conversation with a leading investor that does not depend on an existing network in Silicon Valley. Individuals with a strong standing in the local startup scene, meanwhile, can build a relationship with a US fund and take part in the deal flow without joining a firm full time.

Richarz and Worbs are examples of how that can work from Germany. Their accounts explain what the job actually entails, which is often unclear from the outside, and what it takes to be considered for such a position at a prominent investor.

What readers should take away

The story underlines how competitive access to top-tier capital remains, and how much of it still runs through personal relationships and trusted intermediaries. For German founders aiming at US funding, understanding who these intermediaries are and how they operate can be a practical first step. For aspiring investors, the scout role shows an alternative entry point into the venture capital business.