How to Apply to a16z speedrun: Deal Terms, Questions and Tips

a16z speedrun is Andreessen Horowitz's accelerator: a 12-week, in-person program in San Francisco with one of the largest cheques of any accelerator. It started in games and now backs a wide range of consumer, AI and infrastructure startups. The form is short and nearly every field has a hard character limit, so the challenge isn't saying enough — it's saying the most important things in the fewest characters.

The full question list with every limit is on our a16z speedrun program page.

The speedrun deal

According to a16z's own announcements, speedrun invests up to $1M: $500K for 10% upfront on a SAFE, plus up to an additional $500K in your next round within 18 months. Companies also get a large package of cloud, AI and software credits from partner companies, and a16z doesn't take board seats.

Compare that with Y Combinator's $500K deal for 7% plus an uncapped MFN SAFE: speedrun costs more equity upfront, with more follow-on money committed. Which one is better depends on your round and your stage. We break down the trade-offs in our guide to accelerator deal terms.

How the application works

speedrun runs cohorts (named SR001, SR002 and so on), each with its own application window. Applications for the cohort starting in early 2027 close on November 1, 2026, according to a16z's announcement. Check the official page for the current window before you start — dates move each cohort.

The process is:

1. Online application — a short form with founder details and a handful of free-text answers.
2. Calls with the team if they want to learn more.
3. Decision, ahead of the cohort start in San Francisco.

The questions, and how to answer them

Pitch your startup in one sentence (100 characters)

One hundred characters is roughly fifteen words. Name the user and the outcome:

• "A multiplayer sandbox where kids learn to code by building games together."
• "AI that writes and maintains integration tests for mobile apps."

Avoid "platform", "revolutionize" and "AI-powered" unless they're doing real work in the sentence. See our guide on writing a startup one-liner.

Startup description (800 characters)

About 130 words. Use this structure:

1. What you've built and who it's for (one or two sentences).
2. Proof: users, revenue, engagement, growth — numbers in the first two lines.
3. Why now: the shift that makes this possible today.

Cut adjectives first. Every sentence should contain a fact.

Are you technical enough to build the product end-to-end?

This is a yes/no filter, and it matters a lot to speedrun. If yes, prove it in the experience fields with things you've shipped. If no, explain who on the team covers engineering and how far the product has got.

Relevant experience and "Tell us more about the team" (1,000 characters each)

Answer the question behind the question: why will this team win this market? Strong answers include:

• Domain experience — you've built in this space before or lived the problem.
• History together — how long the founders have worked together and what you've shipped.
• Unfair access — to customers, to distribution, to a community.

Anything else we should know? (1,000 characters)

Never leave this blank. Use it for your single strongest fact that didn't fit elsewhere: a notable user, a viral launch, a hard technical result, a prior exit.

What speedrun looks for

From the shape of the form and a16z's own descriptions of the program, a few themes stand out:

• Builders. The form asks directly whether you can build the product end-to-end. Demos beat decks.
• Speed. It's in the name. Show how fast you go from idea to working product.
• Consumer and AI ambition. The program's roots are in games and consumer software; ambitious consumer, AI and infrastructure products fit well.
• Commitment to San Francisco. The program is in person; the form asks where you intend to build.

speedrun vs Y Combinator

Many founders apply to both. The main differences:

There's a full side-by-side on our YC vs a16z speedrun comparison.

Prepare a demo, not just a deck

speedrun is built around founders who ship. If you have anything working — a prototype, a playable build, a product with a few users — make it easy to see:

1. Record a 60–90 second screen capture of the core experience. No intro slides; start with the product.
2. Link it directly in the fields that allow links, or in "Anything else".
3. Show usage, not features. A clip of a real user completing the main action is more convincing than a tour of every screen.

If you don't have a product yet, show the fastest thing you've ever built — a side project, a hackathon win, a previous company's launch.

Timeline

Plan backwards from the application close date:

• Two weeks out: write the one-sentence pitch and the 800-character description; record the demo.
• One week out: draft the team and experience answers; ask someone outside your industry to read them.
• Two or three days out: cut every answer to fit, and submit. Don't wait for the last day — and if something big happens after you apply, mention it if they reach out.

A short checklist

• One-sentence pitch under 100 characters that names the user.
• Description with numbers in the first two lines.
• A clear answer on who builds the product.
• A demo link or video if you have one.
• Something strong in "Anything else".

Don't make speedrun your only application

Acceptance at the top programs is in the low single digits — around 1% for speedrun by most estimates. The founders who get funded usually apply to several programs in parallel. speedrun's questions overlap heavily with Y Combinator, PearX and Boost VC, so the work transfers — and Applyseed drafts each version within its own limits from one profile.