A16z opens applications for third Speedrun tech and games class for $75M accelerator

A16z opened applications for the latest Speedrun tech and games accelerator class — the third such class for the $75 million accelerator.

The A16z Games Speedrun accelerator will also move its location from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles. SR003, the third iteration of the intensive 12-week training program for game and tech entrepreneurs, will culminate in a Demo Day during SF Tech Week.

As part of its commitment to invest up to $75 million in some of the most promising pre-seed startups that will help shape the future of the games industry, A16z Games is raising its investment to $750,000 in each selected Speedrun company.

“Speedrun brings together tech and games, two worlds that sit on the frontline of massive transformations and attract some of the world’s most innovative entrepreneurs,” said Josh Lu, investing partner for A16z Games, in a statement. “What many founders don’t realize is that venture capital is a viable path to fund their games startup, and our SPEEDRUN program not only provides capital support, but also a team of operators and partners who have worked across the games industry and can equip them with the knowledge that help them go from zero to launch. It has been inspiring and impressive to see what the SPEEDRUN founders have been able to accomplish in such a short period of time, and we’re eager to see what ideas and products come out of SR003.”

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A16Z Games recently concluded its second edition of Speedrun, SR002, with a Demo Day during GDC that saw more than 370 investors in attendance, representing more than $500 billion in assets under management.

The second class details

SR002 saw a diverse selection of early-stage companies disrupting the Tech x Games industry, spanning across verticals including:

  • 43% infrastructure plus tools, with alums from top tech companies such as Discord, Zynga, Google, Apple, Square, Palantir, Magic Leap and Xsolla.
  • 35% games studios, founded by both newcomers and veterans in the space from companies including Rocket League, Blizzard, Epic Games, Jam City, King, and Supercell.
  • 25% consumer apps/platforms, creating community and safe spaces for players online, led by veterans from Magic Leap, Crunchyroll, Dapper Labs, Canva, and Snap.
  • 49% AI, led by by PhDs from Stanford, MIT, and Oxford.

A16z said the Speedrun program is highly selective, with about 1% of applicants selected for the program’s last cohort. Participants are supported not just with capital from A16z Games, but also by a highly curated set of industry coaches, mentors and a community of ambitious founders.

As a result, 80% of the participating companies from SR001 secured funding from investors after graduation at Demo Day.

SR003 will run for 12 weeks beginning on July 29, 2024, and conclude with a Demo Day during SF Tech Week in October 2024.

Applications are open beginning today until May 19, 2024 at https://sr.a16z.com/.