Speedrun

Drop EVERYTHING — speedrun SF applications are live 👀

Samira Behrouzan and Joshua Lu Posted September 2, 2025

Our upcoming Winter/Spring cohort (SR006) runs from late January through April 2026. Applications are open now and will close on September 28, 2025, at 11:59 PM PT.

We built speedrun for one reason: to back exceptional founders from around the world at the earliest stage. If that’s you, apply now to join SR006.

Our commitment is that we’ll partner with you and provide support through every part of your founder journey.

To get a sense of what that looks like, today we’re sharing details on the offer for startups accepted to a16z speedrun.

We invest up to $1M in your startup.

We invest $500K for 10% upfront in a SAFE and another $500K in your next round within 18 months, so you start your fundraise from a position of strength.

Plus, an industry-leading package of over $5M in credits from world-class partners.

Accepted companies receive cloud, AI, and software credits worth >$5M, as well as priority access to model providers, app stores, and social platforms. Our credits are often enough to fully defray the cost of building an MVP. We created this credits program with purpose: to combine your cash investment with resources that maximize its impact and longevity.

We wire upon acceptance so you can start building ASAP.

We accept startups on a rolling basis, wire immediately upon close, and start working together right away.

We help you build for the long-term.

We see this as the beginning of a multi-stage partnership so we ask for a right to invest in subsequent financing rounds (a “pro rata” right). In many cases, we’ve invested millions of additional dollars to support our companies later on.

Start your company and team with strong fundamentals.

We ask that founders set aside an option pool to hire exceptional employees early. We offer legal resources to help you set up your pool and company incorporation too.

Unlock cheat codes with help from our team of operators.

You’ll get direct access to our team of expert operators who’ll help guide you through every stage of raising capital, BD, recruiting, marketing, and HR.

But you run the show.

We don’t take board seats. We believe founders should control their boards at this stage.

If you’re building the future and ready to move fast → apply now.

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