a16z launches a $42 million academy for young AI builders

Andreessen Horowitz, the venture-capital firm known as a16z, has launched the Horowitz Andreessen Academy, a San Francisco program for young people leaving high school who want to build in AI and tech rather than follow a standard college track. Its first cohort—about 50 students starting in fall 2027—will receive a free, one-year fellowship built around personal projects, short courses and opportunities to work with partner companies; admission will emphasize what applicants have made or shipped, not just grades. The academy has raised $42 million and has ten founding partners: Palantir, Google, Meta, Nvidia, OpenAI, Anthropic, Replit, Coinbase, Stripe and Anduril. It is not accredited and will not award degrees, so its real proposition is access to Silicon Valley mentors, tools and potential career openings rather than a recognized credential.