Katy Nelson

For nearly 20 years, Katy Nelson has worked at the intersection of technology, go-to-market strategy, venture capital, and enterprise transformation.
Katy most recently was a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), where she built and led the firm’s largest GTM organization over five years — during which a16z grew from 100 to 800+ people, expanded AUM from ~$13B to >$60B, and evolved from a small enterprise portfolio to thousands of companies. Katy played a central role in driving commercialization, revenue growth, and enterprise market penetration for the a16z portfolio. She oversaw GTM efforts supporting the firm’s AI Apps, AI Infrastructure, Fintech, Enterprise, American Dynamism, and Growth portfolios.

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Katy began her career as a consultant at Accenture, partnering with Fortune 500 enterprises on technology modernization and business strategy. She later spent nearly a decade at Gartner, advising Global 2000 and Fortune 500 C-suite executives on cybersecurity, data strategy, cloud adoption, and emerging technology trends during major industry shifts — from cloud and mobile to the early days of AI.

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Today, Katy co-invests in and works hands-on with early-stage founders building AI-driven solutions for regulated and high-impact markets, including healthcare, cybersecurity, and critical infrastructure. Her work is grounded in the belief that technology can be a force for good when deployed responsibly in environments where trust, safety, and resilience matter most.

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A first-generation college graduate, Katy earned her undergraduate degree from NYU and completed executive master’s programs in AI & Disruptive Innovation at MIT Sloan and General Management at Harvard Business School. She is deeply committed to advancing women founders, first-generation leaders, and the responsible deployment of AI. Katy serves as an Executive in Residence and Adjunct professor at NYU Stern School of Business and regularly lectures at universities including Yale, Harvard, Tufts, and MIT, as well as at industry conferences on go-to-market strategy, AI, and leadership.