Marc Andreessen Talks RockMelt, Public vs. Private, And More With CNBC

Marc Andreessen, co-founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, was on CNBC today speaking about the invention of RockMelt, the growth of tech companies, and whether they should stay private or go public.

“Many of the best new tech companies are staying private longer,” he said, adding that this allows them to build for the long term instead of having to worry about quarterly reports.

Andreessen, who sits on the board of companies like Facebook and eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY), is most well known for creating the first widely-used web browser, and for co-founding Netscape Communications.

When first designing a web browser, Andreessen admits that he had no idea how far the technology would go. But it was the years of advancements that followed that urged him to create RockMelt, a social media web browser. “All the users testing it love it,” he said, noting that it can instantly connect users with their friends.

Since its formation in June 2009, Andreessen Horowitz has made 28 investments. Its portfolio includes eBay, Facebook, HP (NYSE: HPQ), Skype, Foursquare, Zynga and Digg. According to CNBC, the company raised $650 million in capital in just three weeks.