a16z is challenging Silicon Valley's love for drop-outs by launching a school
News Source
β’Tue, 22 Sep 2026 18:24:34 +0000
π° What Happened
Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is starting a school called The Horowitz Andreessen Academy. It is aimed at people who just finished high school and have not attended college. The one-year program is free and takes about 50 students, chosen on what they have built or shipped. Classes range from AI research to a course on luck.
π The Backstory
Silicon Valley has a well-known love of founders who dropped out of college, like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. This academy takes a different path by training students before university. It is a for-profit project that has raised $42 million. It is not accredited, so students earn no degree or transferable credits, and they must sort out their own housing in San Francisco.
π― Why It Matters
It offers a new route into tech for school leavers who cannot afford university. But with no degree or credits, students are betting a year on the school's name.
Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is starting a school called The Horowitz Andreessen Academy. It is aimed at people who just finished high school and have not attended college. The one-year program is free and takes about 50 students, chosen on what they have built or shipped. Classes range from AI research to a course on luck.
Silicon Valley has a well-known love of founders who dropped out of college, like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. This academy takes a different path by training students before university. It is a for-profit project that has raised $42 million. It is not accredited, so students earn no degree or transferable credits, and they must sort out their own housing in San Francisco.
It offers a new route into tech for school leavers who cannot afford university. But with no degree or credits, students are betting a year on the school's name.