SAN FRANCISCO: The Horowitz Andreessen Academy launched Tuesday with $42 million in funding. It also opened applications for a tuition-free fellowship starting in September 2027.
Andreessen Horowitz, or a16z, incubated the private, in-person school. Udemy co-founder Gagan Biyani serves as founder and chief executive. Marc Andreessen and Erik Torenberg sit on its board.
The Horowitz Andreessen Academy said its first class will include about 50 students. The one-year program will operate in San Francisco.
Admissions will emphasise “proof of work.” Applicants can demonstrate what they have built, shipped or earned instead of relying mainly on grades, essays and standardised tests.
The program does not currently award an accredited degree, according to The Verge. Students must also arrange their own housing in San Francisco.
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Each student will receive more than $50,000 in compute credits and technology resources. The academy will also provide a $5,000 travel and exploration budget.
Founding partners include Anduril, Anthropic, Coinbase, Google, Meta, Nvidia, OpenAI, Palantir, Replit and Stripe. The companies will provide software, hardware, compute resources and curriculum input.
More than 40 additional companies have joined as hiring partners. They include Applied Intuition, Cognition, Databricks, Notion and Shopify.
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The curriculum will focus on practical technology and startup skills. Subjects include designing AI systems, founder-led sales, B2B go-to-market strategy, storytelling and startup finance.
Guest instructors and speakers include OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Figma CEO Dylan Field and World Labs co-founder Fei-Fei Li. Other participants include Naval Ravikant and Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora.
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The Andreessen Horowitz Academy plans to seek regulatory approval for a two-year paid program beginning in fall 2028. It expects tuition to be similar to elite private universities.
The academy operates as a for-profit company separate from a16z, although the two remain closely connected. Applications for the founding fellowship are available through the Horowitz Andreessen Academy website.
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