a16z speedrun

a16z speedrun is Andreessen Horowitz's accelerator for very early-stage startups. Accepted companies get up to $1M in funding, more than $10M in partner credits, and a 12-week, in-person program in San Francisco run by speedrun's investors and operators, ending in a Demo Day for investors.

speedrun launched in 2023 and grew out of a16z's games practice (a16z.com/games now redirects to speedrun). Its own site says it has deployed more than $300M into over 300 startups, and the founder community numbers more than 600. It runs two cohorts a year in San Francisco; recent cohorts had 60 to 70 teams, and speedrun says its acceptance rate is below 0.4%.

Designed for Founders. The program is in person. Participation is generally full time.

• Early-stage founders from any background and any country.
• Teams must be able to build and iterate on the product in house, which usually means a technical cofounder.
• Solo founders can apply; teams with complementary skills are preferred.
• Companies that have already raised capital can apply.
• Founders must be able to attend the 12-week program in person in San Francisco. Students and employees can apply but must commit full time to the startup.
• Submit one idea per team; speedrun suggests focusing on your strongest idea.

Apply online at speedrun.a16z.com/apply. Applications are accepted anytime and reviewed on a rolling basis, usually within 4 to 6 weeks; applications that miss a cohort deadline are reviewed for the next cohort.

If speedrun wants to move forward, it invites you to send a short video pitch or to a 15-minute interview, then may ask for references, data or more detail before a quick final decision. Because volume is high, only teams invited to interview get specific feedback.

What speedrun looks for: a proven capacity to go from zero to one without waiting for permission, rapid execution, unique insights or earned secrets, complementary skills across technology, business and go-to-market, and early signs of market validation (encouraged, not required). speedrun says it is extremely selective, with an acceptance rate below 0.4%. Rejected teams can reapply for a later cohort.

• Up to $1M in funding, wired immediately on close.
• More than $10M in credits from AWS, GCP, OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Stripe, Deel and others, plus priority access to model providers, app stores and social platforms.
• Business development help: partnership, sales and pricing advisors, and access to a16z and speedrun's network of decision-makers at 2,000+ companies.
• Marketing programs: Launch Lab (launch moment across video, social and press), Brand Lab (brand sprint with logo, type, deck and website), Creator Connect and Press Club.
• In-house recruiters who source technical talent, executives and advisors for speedrun companies.
• People operations support, plus finance introductions to commercial banks and credit partners.
• Fundraising program: an in-person Demo Day and an online platform reaching 1,000+ early-stage investors, with pitch practice and negotiation coaching.
• Global Founders Program for visas, banking and relocation, with access to immigration attorneys.
• Alumni network and events after the program.

• Two cohorts a year, both in San Francisco, each 12 weeks long.
• SR007 (summer and fall 2026): application deadline May 17, 2026, 11:59 PM PT.
• Demo Day for the current cohort: October 6, 2026 (invite-only; investors apply at speedrun.a16z.com/investor/sign-up).
• SR008: late January through April 2027 in San Francisco. No SR008 deadline has been published; applications submitted now are reviewed for SR008.
• Review usually takes 4 to 6 weeks from application.

speedrun says it has deployed more than $300M into over 300 startups since launching in 2023 (a16z.com/speedrun still shows an older figure of $180M and 200+ startups). Founder testimonials on the official site include Sekai (Lucky Zhang), Fundamental Research Labs (Robert Yang) and k-ID (Kieran Donovan), whose founder credits speedrun with helping hire its CTO and reach an oversubscribed Series A. The portfolio is listed at speedrun.a16z.com/companies.