a16z Build

a16z Build is a dinner series, community and newsletter run by Andreessen Horowitz for founders and operators who are, openly or quietly, figuring out their next big thing. Build says great startups come less from ideas alone than from ambitious people meeting at the right time, and it exists to create small, repeatable rooms where trust compounds and decisions get sharper.

It is not an accelerator: there is no curriculum, no demo day and no prescribed outcome. Members get private dinners, retreats and off-the-record conversations with people at the same early stage; invitation-only events hosted by a16z, including hiring nights; early startup roles shared before they reach job boards; a newsletter of spotlights and introductions; and access to Build's fellowships for emerging crafts (ops engineering, talent engineering, forward deployed engineering, design engineering, growth engineering and new media).

Build's flagship story is Decagon: Jesse Zhang and Ashwin Sreenivas met at an a16z retreat and cofounded the company, which Build says is now valued at $1.5B with $231M in total funding. Most gatherings are in San Francisco and New York, but members can be based anywhere.

Designed for Founders, Operators, Builders. The program is hybrid. Participation is generally part time.

• Founders committed to building something new who want cofounders, early engineers, designers, advisors and peers beyond the cap table.
• Joiners who want to work with a strong founder from day one, or who are between chapters and want warm introductions.
• Operators shaping emerging crafts: design engineers, FDEs, growth builders, talent leaders and others defining roles the market has not named yet.
• Based anywhere; most events are in San Francisco and New York.

Apply through the Join form at build.a16z.com/build/join, or be nominated by someone through the nomination form on the community page. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Build does not publish selection criteria beyond who it is for (founders, joiners and operators in emerging crafts) or an acceptance rate.

• Founder community: private dinners, retreats and off-the-record chats with cofounders, joiners, advisors and peers.
• Fellowships: focused cohorts for design engineering, FDE, growth, talent, new media and ops engineering.
• Events: invitation-only gatherings hosted by a16z, including hiring nights and small rooms around live work.
• Early roles: openings at high-potential startups, shared with context before they reach job boards.
• Newsletter: spotlights, introductions and news from the Build network.

Rolling. There are no cohorts or deadlines for the community itself; events run throughout the year (for example the "Growth Teams You Should Know" hiring event in San Francisco on August 19, 2026). Fellowships run as separate cohorts with their own windows.

Build highlights Decagon, cofounded by Jesse Zhang and Ashwin Sreenivas after they met at an a16z retreat; Build says the company now powers customer support for brands such as Eventbrite, Rippling, Vanta and ClassPass and is valued at $1.5B with $231M raised. Fellowship cohorts include leaders from OpenAI, Anthropic, Ramp, Cursor, Stripe and Decagon.