As cryptocurrency prices soared last year, no investor bet more on the sector than Andreessen Horowitz.

The storied venture-capital firm had developed a reputation as Silicon Valley’s greatest crypto bull, thanks largely to a 50-year-old partner named Chris Dixon who was one of the earliest evangelists for how the blockchain technology powering cryptocurrencies could change business. His unit was one of the most-active crypto investors last year, and in May announced a $4.5bn crypto fund, the largest ever for such investments.