a16z hires acquitted former Marine Daniel Penny as an investor

Powerhouse venture firm Andreessen Horowitz has hired Daniel Penny as an investor, its web page confirms. 

Penny is the former Marine who was tried last year and found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the death of a homeless man on a New York City subway. After the man acted erratically, Penny held him in a choke hold and the man was later pronounced dead. The case polarized the nation. 

Penny does not have a background in investing, but a16z plans to train him, according to an internal statement obtained by The Free Press, which broke the news. Penny will work in the American Dynamism practice, which invests in government and defense tech.

a16z declined further comment.