Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has introduced the Horowitz Andreessen Academy, an unaccredited, in-person program in San Francisco designed to train the next generation of technology builders. The academy, incubated by a16z, aims to provide an AI-native education, focusing on hands-on building and direct industry access.
The program has secured $42 million in funding, led by a16z, with participation from individual investors. Founding partners include Anduril, Anthropic, Coinbase, Google, Meta, NVIDIA, OpenAI, Palantir, Replit, and Stripe. These companies will offer access to software, compute resources, and provide spaces for lessons.
The Horowitz Andreessen Academy will accept applications for its Founding Class Fellowship, a one-year, tuition-free program beginning in Fall 2027. Admission will heavily weigh proof of work, such as what applicants have built or shipped, rather than solely on grades or test scores. The founding class will consist of approximately 50 students. The academy also intends to seek regulatory approval for a two-year program starting in Fall 2028, with tuition expected to be comparable to elite private universities.
The curriculum will center on AI, with courses covering topics like Frontier Systems and AI Inference Engineering. Students will engage in projects that require AI solutions or involve creating problems for current AI systems. Instruction will be provided by tech founders and industry leaders, with notable figures such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expected to teach. The program also includes "co-ops," which are essentially internships, allowing students to gain practical experience at founding partner companies.
Gagan Biyani, co-founder of the education technology platform Udemy, will lead the academy as its Founder and CEO. Marc Andreessen and Erik Torenberg of a16z will join Biyani on the academy's board. The academy aims to prepare students for jobs at leading tech companies or to help them start their own ventures.