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Andreessen Horowitz launches SF academy for 'builders' with no grades or degree

Andreessen Horowitz launches SF academy for 'builders' with no grades or degree

New Capabilities San Francisco, CA local

Venture firm's $42M academy promises to turn high school grads into founders

September 22nd, 2026: Andreessen Horowitz announces academy

Overview

Updated Sep 23

Horowitz Andreessen Academy, announced September 22 by venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, is a for-profit San Francisco school for high school graduates who want to build startups instead of earning a degree. The founding class of about 50 students attends tuition-free for one year starting September 2027, with no grades, tests, or homework.

The academy has raised $42 million and students keep all the intellectual property they create. Founding partners include Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Meta, and NVIDIA; more than 40 companies have signed on as hiring partners. Each student gets $50,000 in compute credits and guest lectures from Sam Altman, Fei-Fei Li, and Jensen Huang.

Why it matters

If this academy works, it could convince more students to skip college and more employers to drop degree requirements—reshaping the path to a tech career.

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Key Indicators

$42M
Total funding raised
From a16z and individual investors; a16z's direct share is $35M.
50
Founding class size
Tuition-free one-year program for ~50 students starting September 2027.
40+
Hiring partner companies
In addition to 10 founding partners, including Applied Intuition, Cognition, Databricks, Notion, and Shopify.

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People Involved

Marc Andreessen
Marc Andreessen
Co-founder and general partner at Andreessen Horowitz; board member of the academy
Active
 Ben Horowitz
Ben Horowitz
Co-founder and general partner at Andreessen Horowitz; co-founder of a16z, which incubated the academy
Active
GB
Gagan Biyani
CEO of Horowitz Andreessen Academy
Active
 Erik Torenberg
Erik Torenberg
Board member of Horowitz Andreessen Academy
Active
 Jensen Huang
Jensen Huang
CEO of NVIDIA; guest instructor at Horowitz Andreessen Academy
Active

Organizations Involved

Andreessen Horowitz
Andreessen Horowitz
Venture capital firm
Investor and parent entity

One of Silicon Valley's largest venture firms, known for backing tech startups.
Horowitz Andreessen Academy
Horowitz Andreessen Academy
Private School
Launching

For-profit, unaccredited school in San Francisco for high school graduates to learn building skills.

Timeline

2 events Latest: September 22nd, 2026 · 2 months ago

  1. Andreessen Horowitz announces academy

    Latest Announcement

    Venture firm invests $35M in for-profit school for 'builders' with no grades or degrees. Applications open for founding class of 50.

  2. Official launch release details funding, board, and student perks

    Announcement

    The academy's official announcement confirms $42M raised from a16z and individual investors, a board of Marc Andreessen and Erik Torenberg, 10 founding partners, and per-student perks including $50,000 in compute credits and a $5,000 travel budget.

Scenarios

1

Academy launches founding class on schedule

Likely Resolves by Q3 2027

Discussed by: Academy leadership, tech press

The academy receives enough qualified applicants and starts its one-year tuition-free program for ~50 students in fall 2027. The first cohort completes the program, and some students go on to found or join startups.

2

Regulatory hurdles delay two-year program

Possible Resolves by Jun 1, 2028

Discussed by: Education policy analysts, California regulators

The academy's application to operate as a two-year degree-granting program faces delays or rejection from California's Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. The founding class may still run, but the paid two-year track is postponed or altered.

3

Academy fails to attract enough students, cancels founding class

Unlikely Resolves by Mar 1, 2027

Discussed by: Skeptics in higher education, some tech commentators

Despite the hype, the academy receives too few qualified applicants or faces public backlash over its unaccredited model. It postpones or cancels the founding class, citing low enrollment or regulatory pressure.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2011-present

Thiel Fellowship (2011)

Peter Thiel launched a program offering $100,000 to young people under 23 to skip college and start companies. The first class of 24 fellows included future founders of companies like Ethereum and DeepMind.

Then

The fellowship drew intense media attention and criticism from educators, but produced several successful startups.

Now

It normalized the idea that dropping out of college could be a rational choice for ambitious tech entrepreneurs, but did not significantly reduce college enrollment.

Why this matters now

The Horowitz Andreessen Academy is a direct descendant of this idea, but with a more structured curriculum and corporate partnerships, aiming to scale the 'skip college' model.

2012-2015

Coding bootcamps (2012-2015)

Intensive, short-term programs like General Assembly and Hack Reactor promised to turn beginners into job-ready software developers in months, without degrees. They grew rapidly, attracting students and employer interest.

Then

Many bootcamps placed graduates in tech jobs, but outcomes varied widely. Some closed amid regulatory scrutiny and lawsuits over misleading job placement claims.

Now

The industry consolidated, and many programs added accreditation or partnerships with universities. The experience showed that unaccredited education can succeed only if it delivers measurable employment outcomes.

Why this matters now

The academy's success will depend on whether it can prove that its 'proof of work' model leads to real careers, avoiding the pitfalls that plagued bootcamps.

Sources

(8)
+2
The San Francisco Standard a16z.news Yahoo Finance (Forbes) GlobeNewswire TechCrunch The Verge Sourcery SBS News