***Crypto Startup School 2023 announced! Visit a16zcrypto.com/css to apply***
Learn how to build a crypto company: Course videos from a16z crypto’s inaugural Crypto Startup School held spring 2020 are available to all — see below. Use the hours of free videos and the reading materials to navigate the idea maze and start building crypto projects. For additional resources, subscribe to the a16z crypto newsletter here.
Want to apply to be part of the next one, taking place Spring 2023? Apply here now.
Sign up to receive more content from the a16z Crypto team
Course Videos
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Crypto Networks and Why They Matter
Instructor: Chris Dixon
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Blockchain Primitives: Cryptography and Consensus
Instructor: Dan Boneh
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Setting Up and Scaling a Crypto Company
Instructor: Brian Armstrong
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Applications: Today & 2025
Instructor: Balaji Srinivasan
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Opportunities for Crypto in Gaming
Instructor: Josh Williams
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Business Models and Value Capture
Instructor: Ali Yahya
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Cryptoeconomics 101
Instructor: Sam Williams
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Deep Dive: How and Why to Decentralize Your Project
Instructor: Jesse Walden and Robert Leshner
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Developer Community Building
Instructor: Tom Preston-Werner and Chris Dixon
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Managing a Distributed Workforce
Instructor: Tina Ferguson
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Protocol to Product
Instructor: Nitya Subramanian
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Secure Smart Contract Development
Instructor: Jutta Steiner
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Crypto Regulators and Token Securities
Instructor: Brian Brooks
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Fundraising
Instructor: Jesse Walden
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Crypto Startup School Documentary
Instructor: n/a
Course Reader
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Why Decentralization Matters
Source: Chris Dixon
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The Future of Trust
Source: Ali Yahya
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What Comes After Open Source
Source: Denis Nazarov
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Past, Present, Future: From Co-ops to Cryptonetworks
Source: Jesse Walden
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Crypto Glossary
Source: Alex Pruden and Sonal Chokshi
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How Bitcoin Actually Works
Source: 3blue1brown
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Bitcoin White Paper
Source: Satoshi Nakamoto, 2008
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Ethereum White Paper
Source: Vitalik Buterin et al
Gaming
DeFi
DAOs & Personal Tokens
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Crypto Tokens: A Breakthrough in Open Network Design
Source: Chris Dixon
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Cryptoeconomics 101
Source: Nick Tomaino
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Towards a Practice of Token Engineering
Source: Trent McConaghy
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Lecture 1 of Algorithmic Game Theory class at Stanford (Autumn 2013)
Source: Tim Roughgarden
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Artificial Intelligence Implementations on the Blockchain. Use Cases and Future Applications
Source: Konstantinos Sgantzos & Ian Grigg
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Crypto's Business Model is Familiar. What Isn't Is Who Benefits
Source: Jesse Walden
Secure Governance
Secure Application Development
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Parity’s Checklist for Secure Smart Contract Development
Source: Kirill Pimenov
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Ethereum Smart Contract Security Best Practices
Source: Consensys
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On Smart Contract Security: 246 Findings From our Smart Contract Audits: An Executive Summary
Source: Trail of Bits
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Consensus and Finality in Sharded Blockchains
Source: Robert Habermeir
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The Issue of Cross Chain Message Passing
Source: Web3 Foundation
For a deep dive into various security issues in contemporary systems
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Kik and the SEC: What’s Going On and What Does It Mean for Crypto?
Source: Katie Haun
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A Visual Guide to the Howey Test
Source: Nick Grossman
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Digital Asset Transactions: When Howey Met Gary
Source: William Hinman
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Mutability in Crypto and Recent Moves by the SEC
Source: Scott Kupor
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Analogies, the Big Picture, and Considerations for Regulating Crypto
Source: Scott Kupor
Instructors
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Brian Armstrong
Cofounder & CEO
Coinbase -
Dan Boneh
Professor in Residence
Andreessen Horowitz and Stanford University -
Brian Brooks
Former Chief Legal Officer
Coinbase -
Chris Dixon
General Partner
Andreessen Horowitz -
Tina Ferguson
Partner
Andreessen Horowitz -
Robert Leshner
Founder
Compound -
Tom Preston-Werner
Cofounder, Chatterbug;
Former Cofounder & CEO, Github -
Balaji Srinivasan
Angel Investor and Entrepreneur
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Jutta Steiner
Founder & CEO
Parity Technologies -
Nitya Subramanian
Product Manager
Celo -
Jesse Walden
Program Manager
a16z Crypto Startup School -
Josh Williams
Cofounder & CEO
Forte -
Sam Williams
Cofounder
Arweave -
Ali Yahya
Deal Partner
Andreessen Horowitz
Program FAQ
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What is a16z Crypto Startup School?
A free, educational program built by Andreessen Horowitz to encourage talented technologists to get started in crypto. It features video lectures, presentations and fireside chats with leading entrepreneurs, investors and experts in the space.
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What will I learn?
Many outstanding programs and resources exist to help founders learn about building tech startups. Our goal with this course is to detail what is different about building in crypto.
Participants will learn to understand the fundamentals of building a crypto startup—from the enabling infrastructure, to applications, to business strategy and operational best practices.
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Who should take Crypto Startup School?
Technologists with a curiosity for crypto and an interest in starting or joining the next generation of crypto projects. No prior experience building in crypto is necessary.
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Do I need to apply?
No, all online course materials are publicly available.
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Will Andreessen Horowitz host another Crypto Startup School course soon?
Currently, we don’t have plans to host another cohort, but we are not ruling it out.
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Do you need to have a startup idea for Crypto Startup School?
No, Crypto Startup School is meant to help you accelerate your journey through the idea maze, towards conceiving and building a startup that you’re excited about.
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How many hours should I expect to put in?
The total running time of the videos is about 15 hours. Students may also find that the videos inspire them to work on crypto projects of their own.
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Is there a cost in participating in the program?
No, Crypto Startup School is 100% free.
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What is the Course Reader?
The course reader is a library of supplemental materials, which pairs well with the course presentations.
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Do I have to view the videos sequentially?
The course is designed so that each video builds on the lessons of the previous ones, but you can watch any video at any time.
Our crypto newsletter is coming soon. Sign up to be first on the list.
Crypto Networks and Why They Matter
Instructor: Chris Dixon
Blockchain Primitives: Cryptography and Consensus
Instructor: Dan Boneh
Setting Up and Scaling a Crypto Company
Instructor: Brian Armstrong
Applications: Today & 2025
Instructor: Balaji Srinivasan
Opportunities for Crypto in Gaming
Instructor: Josh Williams
Business Models and Value Capture
Instructor: Ali Yahya
Cryptoeconomics 101
Instructor: Sam Williams
Deep Dive: How and Why to Decentralize Your Project
Instructor: Jesse Walden and Robert Leshner
Developer Community Building
Instructor: Tom Preston-Werner and Chris Dixon
Managing a Distributed Workforce
Instructor: Tina Ferguson
Protocol to Product
Instructor: Nitya Subramanian
Secure Smart Contract Development
Instructor: Jutta Steiner
Crypto Regulators and Token Securities
Instructor: Brian Brooks
Fundraising
Instructor: Jesse Walden
Crypto Startup School Documentary
Instructor: n/a
Cofounder & CEO, Coinbase
Brian Armstrong is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Coinbase, the world’s leading cryptocurrency company, working to create a more open financial system for the world. Coinbase was founded in 2012 by offering a product that makes buying and selling cryptocurrency easy, secure and compliant, and has since expanded to product offerings for individual investors, active traders, businesses and institutions. Mr. Armstrong has led the team, now more than 700 employees, through more than $500M in funding from leading investors such as Tiger Global Management, Andreessen Horowitz, IVP, USV, DFJ, and NYSE. Since co-founding the company, Mr. Armstrong has led Coinbase to serve over 25M customers across more than 40 countries. Before founding Coinbase, Mr. Armstrong worked as a Software Engineer at Airbnb from 2011-2012 as part of the hospitality marketplace, focusing on fraud prevention. At the time, Airbnb was moving money between 190 countries, and Mr. Armstrong had a front row seat into global payment systems. Mr. Armstrong holds three degrees from Rice University: Bachelor’s of Computer Science, Bachelor’s of Economics, and a Master’s of Computer Science.
Professor in Residence, Andreessen Horowitz and Stanford University
Dr. Boneh is a Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University where he heads the Applied Cryptography Group and co-directs the Center for Blockchain Research. Dr. Boneh's research focuses on applications of cryptography to computer security. His work includes cryptosystems with novel properties, web security, cryptography for blockchains, and cryptanalysis. He is the author of over 150 publications in the field, and is a recipient of the 2014 ACM prize, the 2013 Godel prize, the RSA award in mathematics, and six best paper awards. In 2016 Dr. Boneh was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
Former Chief Legal Officer, Coinbase
Brian Brooks is the Chief Legal Officer of Coinbase, an $8 billion Silicon Valley startup that is one of the largest digital currency platforms in the world. At Coinbase, he is responsible for the company’s legal, compliance, internal audit, government relations, and global intelligence groups. Brooks is deeply involved in the financial technology sector, serving as a member of the board of directors of Avant Inc., a major marketplace lending and technology platform company; a founding advisor of Spring Labs, a blockchain-enabled digital credit bureau, and other fintech startups; and an early-stage fintech and legal tech investor. He previously served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Fannie Mae, where he currently serves on the board of directors.
General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
Chris Dixon is a general partner. For the past six years, Chris has been an active seed and venture-stage investor at Andreessen Horowitz.
Previously, Chris was the cofounder and CEO of two startups, SiteAdvisor and Hunch. SiteAdvisor was an internet security company that warned web users of security threats. The company was acquired by McAfee in 2006. Hunch was a recommendation technology company that was acquired by eBay in 2011.
Chris has been a prolific seed investor, cofounding Founder Collective, a seed venture fund, and making a number of personal angel investments in various technology companies.
Chris started programming as a kid, and was a professional programmer after college at the high-speed options trading firm, Arbitrade. He has a BA and MA in Philosophy from Columbia and an MBA from Harvard. He has written about his theories and experiences as an entrepreneur and investor on Medium, and before that at cdixon.org; his a16z Podcast appearances can be found here.
Twitter: @cdixon
Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
Tina is an Andreessen Horowitz Partner on the Tech Talent and People Practices team, focused on developing HR best practices and partnering with portfolio companies as they scale. She joined the firm in 2012, and was the first People Practices team member. Prior to joining Andreessen Horowitz, Tina has worked in HR for 20 years with various companies ranging from early stage start-ups to Fortune 100 companies supporting senior executives and managers across the globe. She enjoys partnering with entrepreneurs in supporting organizations through different stages of scale, and designing HR practices that drive business success.
Founder, Compound
Robert Leshner is the founder of Compound, a money market protocol for digital assets, and an investor in early-stage blockchain companies.
Cofounder, Chatterbug;, Former Cofounder & CEO, Github
Tom Preston-Werner is a software developer, inventor, and entrepreneur living and working in San Francisco. He is currently the cofounder and Chief Product Officer of Chatterbug, the best way to learn a foreign language online. Prior to that, Tom cofounded GitHub in 2008, where he served as CEO and helped grow it into the world’s most popular code collaboration tool. In 2018, Microsoft acquired GitHub for $7.5 billion, making it their 3rd largest acquisition of all time. On the side, Tom is an angel investor and philanthropist, with an investment thesis focused on developer tools and fighting climate change. In his spare time, Tom enjoys flying helicopters, snowboarding, and seeking out the best tater tots and beer in the Bay Area.
Angel Investor and Entrepreneur,
Balaji S. Srinivasan is an angel investor and entrepreneur. Formerly the CTO of Coinbase and General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, he was also the cofounder of Earn.com (acquired by Coinbase), Counsyl (acquired by Myriad), Teleport (acquired by Topia), and Coin Center. He was named to the MIT TR35, won a Wall Street Journal Innovation Award, and holds a BS/MS/PhD in Electrical Engineering and a MS in Chemical Engineering, all from Stanford University. Dr. Srinivasan also teaches the occasional class at Stanford, including an online MOOC in 2013 which reached 250,000+ students worldwide.
Founder & CEO, Parity Technologies
Jutta Steiner is CEO and founder of Parity Technologies. Awarded Hottest Blockchain Startup Founder by TechCrunch and Top 40 Under 40 by Fortune Ledger, Jutta holds a Ph.D in Mathematics. Jutta began her blockchain career as Ethereum Foundation's original Chief of Security, overseeing security audit and integration prior to the launch of the public blockchain in 2015. At Parity, Jutta works to ensure web 3.0 will be a fair web for all.
Product Manager, Celo
Nitya Subramanian is a Product Manager at Celo, where she leads Celo's Developer and Consumer Product initiatives. Prior to Celo, she managed several Product Engineering Teams at Blend, a lending technology company. Nitya has previously worked as a Machine Learning and Software Engineer and holds degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics from MIT.
Program Manager, a16z Crypto Startup School
Jesse Walden recently switched from a16z's crypto investment team to program manage a16z Crypto Startup School. Previously, he co-founded Mediachain, a blockchain-based media attribution protocol (acquired by Spotify). Prior to that, Jesse co-founded an artist management firm focused on helping Grammy award winning artists reach their fans directly. He holds a B.A. in Art History and Economics from McGill University.
Cofounder & CEO, Forte
Josh Williams is a co-founder and CEO at Forte. He is a lifelong builder, and has spent the last two decades leading and investing in startups across games, fintech, and distributed computing. Previously, Josh served as CEO and CTO of GarageGames, which helped pioneer the industry's transition to digitally distributed games and built the world's leading game development platform before it was acquired in 2007. At Forte, Josh is building a transformative blockchain gaming platform that introduces breakthrough community economics, aligning the interests of developers and players, and creating new economic and creative opportunities for billions of players around the world.
Cofounder, Arweave
Sam Williams is a decentralisation advocate, and cofounder of the Arweave protocol: A permanent archive of knowledge and history on an improved blockchain. Sam is passionate about building innovative software, and solving complex problems in distributed and decentralised system design.
Deal Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
Ali Yahya is on the investment team at Andreessen Horowitz. Previously, Ali was a Software Engineer and Machine Learning Researcher at GoogleX and Google Brain, where he worked on learning algorithms for robotic manipulation, and worked on Google’s open source Machine Learning library, TensorFlow.
Ali discovered the Bitcoin whitepaper as a Computer Science undergraduate at Stanford University. He became fascinated by the Computer Science implications and went down the rabbit hole, but somehow missed the economics implications until a few years later, and so neglected to mine some from his dorm room, alas :). While at Stanford, Ali did research with Professors David Mazieres, Nick McKeown, and David Cheriton –– the intersection of Computer Security, Networking, and Distributed Systems.
A random fact: For three months in 2008, Ali slept an average of 2.5 hours a night by taking a twenty minute nap every four hours (i.e. the Uberman polyphasic sleep schedule).