Profile
James Gwertzman is a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, focused on games, and has spent his career at the intersection of art, technology, and business.
Prior to joining a16z, James led Microsoft’s game industry vertical, which provides tools and services to game creators.
He joined Microsoft following its 2018 acquisition of PlayFab, the game infrastructure service that he founded in 2014 and led as CEO.
He also co-founded Sprout Games, which was acquired by PopCap Games in 2005.
At PopCap, he opened and led their first free-to-play game studio, based in Shanghai, and oversaw the launch of Plants vs Zombies in China, which went on to become one of the most successful western games in China.
James is an advisor to Code.org, where he served as chief evangelist for the Hour of Code initiative that introduced more than 20 million students to computer science in 2013.
He received his A.B.
in computer science from Harvard and resides in Seattle, WA.
Former positions of James Gwertzman
| Companies | Position | End |
|---|---|---|
AH Capital Management LLC
 AH Capital Management LLC Investment ManagersFinance AH Capital Management LLC (Andreessen Horowitz) is a venture capital firm founded in 2009 by Marc Lowell Andreessen and Ben A. Horowitz. The firm is headquartered in Menlo Park, California. | Private Equity Investor | 19/01/2023 |
| MICROSOFT CORPORATION | Corporate Officer/Principal | 30/11/2021 |
PlayFab, Inc.
 PlayFab, Inc. Packaged SoftwareTechnology Services PlayFab, Inc. provides gaming technology. It offer cloud-based backend services built for games and live operations tools to help the customers maximize player retention and monetization. The company was founded by James Gwertzman and Matt Augustine and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. | Chief Executive Officer | 01/02/2018 |
Sprout Games LLC
 Sprout Games LLC Packaged SoftwareTechnology Services Part of Electronic Arts, Inc., Sprout Games LLC is a company that designs and develops video games. The company is based in Seattle, WA. The company was founded by James Gwertzman. Sprout Games was acquired by PopCap Games, Inc. on June 30, 2005. | Founder | 01/06/2005 |
PopCap Games, Inc.
 PopCap Games, Inc. Packaged SoftwareTechnology Services PopCap Games, Inc. designs and develops video games. It developed Bejeweled, Bookworm, Zuma, Peggle and Plants vs. Zombies. PopCap games are available for Web, PC and Mac, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Zeebo, Cell Phones, PDAs, iPod Classic, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Windows Phone, and other mobile devices. The company was founded by Brian Fiete, John Vechey and Jason Kapalka in 2000 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. | Corporate Officer/Principal | - |
Training of James Gwertzman
| Harvard University | Undergraduate Degree |
Experiences
Positions held
Connections
1st degree connections
1st degree companies
Male
Female
Members of the board
Executives
Linked companies
| Listed companies | 1 |
|---|---|
| MICROSOFT CORPORATION | Technology Services |
| Private companies | 4 |
|---|---|
PlayFab, Inc.
PlayFab, Inc. Packaged SoftwareTechnology Services PlayFab, Inc. provides gaming technology. It offer cloud-based backend services built for games and live operations tools to help the customers maximize player retention and monetization. The company was founded by James Gwertzman and Matt Augustine and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. | Technology Services |
Sprout Games LLC
Sprout Games LLC Packaged SoftwareTechnology Services Part of Electronic Arts, Inc., Sprout Games LLC is a company that designs and develops video games. The company is based in Seattle, WA. The company was founded by James Gwertzman. Sprout Games was acquired by PopCap Games, Inc. on June 30, 2005. | Technology Services |
PopCap Games, Inc.
PopCap Games, Inc. Packaged SoftwareTechnology Services PopCap Games, Inc. designs and develops video games. It developed Bejeweled, Bookworm, Zuma, Peggle and Plants vs. Zombies. PopCap games are available for Web, PC and Mac, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Zeebo, Cell Phones, PDAs, iPod Classic, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Windows Phone, and other mobile devices. The company was founded by Brian Fiete, John Vechey and Jason Kapalka in 2000 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. | Technology Services |
AH Capital Management LLC
AH Capital Management LLC Investment ManagersFinance AH Capital Management LLC (Andreessen Horowitz) is a venture capital firm founded in 2009 by Marc Lowell Andreessen and Ben A. Horowitz. The firm is headquartered in Menlo Park, California. | Finance |
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