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Andreessen Horowitz Launches An AI-Focused Academy
Courtesy of Horowitz Andreessen Academy
VC firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is breaking ground on a new post-high school education project called the Horowitz Andreessen Academy.
The Big Pitch: The skills needed for a job in Silicon Valley — especially in AI — are changing so fast that many of its leaders no longer believe a typical four-year university is giving students the tools and experience they need to enter the workforce. While some are advocating for students to simply skip school, others among the biggest names are opening (and closing) their own grade schools, apprenticeship-focused internship pipelines, or college-like trade schools. Time will tell how successful these experiments are.
Behind The Syllabi: The Horowitz Andreessen Academy, an uncredited one-year program developed by Udemy co-founder Gagan Biyani, is already open for applications.
According to Insider, applicants need to submit “a portfolio website showing what they have built, a short video, test scores, and a high-school transcript.” The academy says admission will be weighted heavily toward “proof of work” rather than grades.
If accepted, students will take classes geared toward “building companies, products, and emerging technologies,” with an emphasis on independent projects, short classes, and work placements at companies like Databricks, Kraken, and Flock Safety.
The curriculum is reportedly being shaped by 10 founding corporate partners, including OpenAI, Google, Meta, Nvidia, Palantir, and Anduril. They’ll also help subsidize $50,000 in computing credits and a $5,000 travel and research budget for each student.
Speakers include high-profile names like Meta chief AI scientist Yann LeCun, neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, longevity guru Bryan Johnson, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and, of course, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz.
Final Enrollment: The academy has already raised $42 million to begin operations, with the in-person program set to take place at an undisclosed location in San Francisco. While the inaugural class won’t have to pay tuition, the company plans to introduce a two-year paid program with tuition “comparable to that of an elite private university.”
The Future: Soon, tech-focused high schoolers may be touring both Ivy League institutions and Silicon Valley-developed alternative education programs. The trade-school question is no longer reserved for blue-collar roles.
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.