Andreessen Horowitz Announce A16z START; An Accelerator for Early-Stage Entrepreneurs

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has announced an accelerator for early-stage entrepreneurs.

Andreessen Horowitz (known as “a16z”) is a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, California, founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz that supports entrepreneurs shaping the future through technology. A16z manages $28.2 billion in assets across multiple funds, including the $2.9 billion Bio funds, $3.1 billion Crypto funds, and the Cultural Leadership Fund.

A16z START gives early-stage entrepreneurs up to $1 million in venture funding in exchange for an undisclosed percentage of ownership. In the START application form, the a16z lists six categories: American dynamism, consumer, enterprise, fintech, games, and “other”.

On the program’s landing page, the firm says,

“If founding a technology company is a dream of yours—even if you don’t yet have a fully formed idea and haven’t yet quit your day job—we want to hear from you,”

However, the firm has not disclosed how long the initiative will last, who will instruct the entrepreneurs, and how the company will decide which portion of a million dollars to invest, but this will be discussed with eligible candidates.

The recently announced A16z initiative is the firm’s entry into the early stages of entrepreneurship. While it has long seeded businesses, it hasn’t collaborated with entrepreneurs during the early stages of their development.

A16z has a rich history and a plethora of well-known partners. Will entrepreneurs trust them for first-round funding? Can the A16z encourage high-quality entrepreneurs to pursue its investment and ownership goals?