a16z’s Chris Dixon publicizes new accelerator program for crypto founders in LA • TechCrunch

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is among the most influential gamers within the web3, funding entrepreneurs within the area amid “crypto winter.” Based and helmed by common companion Chris Dixon, the enterprise agency’s crypto arm raised an enormous $4.5 billion fund in Could for its fourth devoted sector fund to proceed backing early-stage founders simply because the crypto downturn had begun to take root.

Now, it’s doubling down on its programming for crypto founders, Dixon, an early Coinbase backer who has been investing at a16z since 2012, revealed on stage at Disrupt 2022 in San Francisco on Tuesday in an interview with TechCrunch’s Lucas Matney.

On stage, Dixon introduced a16z’s plans to broaden its academic “Crypto Startup Faculty” initiative to incorporate a brand new accelerator program for entrepreneurs.

The inaugural accelerator program will happen in-person in March in Los Angeles, Dixon mentioned, including that he has observed specific pleasure within the metropolis across the creator financial system and its potential intersections with crypto. Contributors within the 12-week program will every get $500k in seed funding and entry to mentors and advisors in addition to the chance to take part in a Demo Day on the finish of the course, in keeping with the web site.

Purposes for the accelerator are actually open, Dixon mentioned, although he didn’t share particulars on the anticipated cohort measurement.

“This one can be totally different than the final one in that we are going to additionally present capital and take fairness, much like an accelerator and Startup Faculty mixed,” Dixon mentioned of the brand new program, contrasting it with the present model of “Crypto Startup Faculty.”

“Crypto Startup Faculty” first launched in 2020 as a seven-week course meant to coach folks on construct a crypto firm. The in-person cohort had 40 founders taking part, together with these behind corporations comparable to Phantom and Notional Finance, and raised a collective $300 million+ in enterprise funding, in keeping with a16z.

a16z Crypto additionally launched video segments of its lectures for the general public to view, which it says have been watched by over 1 million folks. Instructors for the primary program included Dixon, Stanford pc science professor Dan Boneh, Coinbase founder Brian Armstrong and different well-known trade leaders.

Dixon famous that the brand new program will stay crypto-focused and that a16z is “not attempting to construct some form of new startup accelerator,” saying the brand new providing is as a substitute meant to be an academic program with funding that’s tied to the “very particular” sector.

When requested about what makes the agency’s providing distinctive from accelerators comparable to Y Combinator, Dixon mentioned there isn’t a “grand grasp plan” for this launch and that it was constructed as a response to suggestions he had been listening to from founders.

“We actually simply meet entrepreneurs on a regular basis, who say, hey, I want that dialog we had was out there on-line … so we’re simply listening [to them],” Dixon mentioned.