About the opportunity
The Alpha Fellowship is an intensive 8-week in-person program designed for highly technical students and recent graduates who want to start building immediately. The program offers two distinct tracks: the Startup Track, where fellows take full-time engineering roles with salary and equity at fast-growing a16z speedrun and Andreessen Horowitz portfolio companies, and the Founder Track, which provides up to $250K in investment (plus automatic final interviews for speedrun with up to $1M in investment) for individuals ready to start their own companies pre-entity, pre-idea, and pre-team. The fellowship kicks off with an immersive retreat in early June, featuring curated dinners, founder AMAs, and small-group mentorship from engineering leaders and investors, and concludes in mid-August with a capstone presentation.
Salary and benefits
- Startup Track: Full-time software engineering role with salary and equity at a fast-growing portfolio company.
- Founder Track: Up to $250,000 initial investment, including an initial $20k grant upon starting full-time on the idea.
- Founder Track: Automatic final interview for a16z speedrun with up to $1M in total investment available.
- An 8-week, in-person fellowship experience including a kickoff retreat, founder AMAs, and small-group dinners alongside the a16z speedrun and EO Ventures communities.
- Access to curated programming and networking with engineering leaders, portfolio founders, and investors from early June through mid-August.
Who can apply?
- Open to exceptional students and recent graduates up to three years out of school.
- Exclusively for software engineers and technical builders with a software background.
- Applicants must have valid authorization to work full time in the United States.
- Must be able to relocate to be near the a16z office for the duration of the in-person program.
- Students applying to join a startup must be prepared to leave school and take on a full-time role if matched; Founder Track participants must work on their idea full-time.
When to apply
- Cohort 1 applications have closed.
- Cohort 2 applications open in September 2026.
- Early applicants receive priority review.
How to apply
- Submit your application online for early consideration ahead of Cohort 2 opening.
- If applying to the Founder Track with a team, each member must apply separately and note who they are building with.
- Selected applicants complete a technical assessment and live interviews.
- For the Startup Track, candidates and companies rank preferences and matches are made based on mutual fit before direct hiring.
Additional information
- Alpha is built by a16z speedrun in partnership with EO Ventures (Equal Opportunity Ventures).
- Fellows pursuing the company placement path are employed directly by the portfolio companies, not by a16z.
- Applicants can apply to both tracks if unsure of the right path.
Our Take on This Opportunity
This section reflects Open Opportunities’ own analysis of the opportunity from an applicant’s perspective.
You may be a strong fit if…
- Recent graduates or students (up to 3 years post-grad) with a strong software engineering background.
- Technical builders interested in the fast-paced environment of a16z speedrun portfolio companies.
- Aspiring founders who are pre-idea or pre-team but possess high technical capability.
What should you think carefully about?
- Applicants must be able to relocate to be near the a16z office for the 8-week program.
- Those choosing the Startup Track must be prepared to leave school to work full-time if matched.
- Founder Track participants are required to commit to their idea full-time.
How could this fit your current goals and plans?
This is an ideal opportunity for someone looking to transition from academia to the startup ecosystem. Whether your goal is to secure a high-equity engineering role or obtain pre-seed funding to build your own product, this fellowship provides the necessary capital, mentorship, and networking with a16z portfolio founders.
Our take
Highly recommended for early-career technical builders who want to either launch their own venture or jumpstart their career at a high-growth startup.
Ready to apply?
Review the opportunity on the official website before applying.
Official-source verified
