Have an Idea for a New Company? START here.
The a16z START program fuels founders at the earliest stages of company-building.
Powered by the a16z seed fund in collaboration with partners investing across American Dynamism, Consumer, Enterprise, and Fintech, a16z meets START entrepreneurs where they are in their journey—whether it’s honing their product vision and defining a target audience, building and launching their MVP, or scaling an already launched product. a16z START entrepreneurs are introduced to a network of peers, repeat founders, domain experts, potential customers and more to help refine their thesis and scale it into a world-changing business.
If founding a technology company is a dream of yours—even if you don’t yet have a fully formed idea and haven’t yet quit your day job—we want to hear from you.
Meet our STARTers
Since launching the START beta program in fall 2021, our team has received over 1,000 applications and welcomed 11 START entrepreneurs into the a16z portfolio. Meet some of the first START entrepreneurs:
FAQ
- How is the a16z START program structured?
- Do I need to have my founding team finalized before applying?
- Can I apply if I already have an MVP or product in-market?
- Can I apply if I’ve already raised funding?
- Can I raise funding alongside the a16z START investment?
- What is the application deadline?
- Do I need to be in the San Francisco area to participate?
- How many founders are accepted into the program?
For additional other questions, please apply through the form and we’ll be in touch.