GoKawiilAndreessen Horowitz launches for-profit school for aspiring founders
Andreessen Horowitz is opening The Horowitz Andreessen Academy, a one-year, tuition-free program in San Francisco for about 50 high school graduates who haven't attended college. The program mixes technical coursework with mentorship from tech industry figures, and is backed by $42 million in funding as a for-profit venture led by CEO Gagan Biyani.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The school is not accredited, so students won't earn a degree or transferable credits, which could limit their options if the venture path doesn't work out. By 2028 the academy plans to charge tuition comparable to an elite private university, suggesting a16z sees this as a long-term business rather than a philanthropic experiment, and the involvement of major corporate partners like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google hints at a pipeline for hiring young talent directly into the tech industry.
- The academy targets high school grads who skip college, offering free tuition for its first year with about 50 students.
- It is unaccredited, offering no degree or transferable credits, and is structured as a for-profit company that has raised $42 million.
- Ten corporate partners, including Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI, will provide mentors and may hire graduates, per CEO Gagan Biyani.
Source: techcrunch.com — Julie Bort, 2026-09-22
Published there as: “a16z is challenging Silicon Valley’s love for drop-outs by launching a school”
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