A16Z Games has opened submissions for the fourth iteration of its 'Speedrun' accelerator (SR004).
The 12-week program offers tech and gaming startups the opportunity to secure $750,000 in investment and mentorship from industry leaders.
Josh Lu, an investing partner at A16Z Games, said the accelerator aims to give entrepreneurs the tools to “start building their dream companies” and provides support in the form of cash, high-level resources and mentorship.
Applications for SR004 are now open and will close on September 30, 2024. The program will begin on January 6, 2025 and conclude with a demo day at Game Developers Conference 2025 in March.
The A16Z website describes the initiative as “highly selective,” noting that less than 1 percent of applicants were accepted into the previous SR003 cohort. It aims to cover a range of verticals, including game studios, interactive platforms, AR/VR, playable apps, UGC, web3, and AI.
“Any early stage founder building at the intersection of tech and gaming [can apply]. Our current cohort includes companies building everything from live operations tools to digitized wargames, social quiz platforms, avatar foundation models, and casual mobile games,” an FAQ reads.
“We've had solo founders in the program and we've also helped solo founders match. However, because building successful startups is a difficult undertaking, we generally prefer to hire teams with multiple founders.”
A16Z encourages successful applicants to “temporarily relocate to San Francisco to build a community” and requires one day of presence per week so founders can interact with other speedrunners.
Visit the A16Z website for more information about Speedrun.
