only 2 weeks left to submit your @speedrun app
we’re hosting pop-ups to meet you IRL before the deadline:
SF - wed 10/21, 5:30-8:30pm in north beach
NY - wed 10/28, 11am-2pm in soho
+++ limited edition apparel drop at both (we added more pieces)
rsvp: speedrun.a16z.com/xp
50+ launches in <90 days.
it's not about virality, it's not about doing a video even.
the best @speedrun teams launched, and launched again, and again. articles, interviews, demos, and yes, occasionally something with higher production value.
we provide a fully kitted studio space, direct connects to the best production partners, and our own distribution channels for every single company.
a massive shout to some of our partners:
@osmo_studio, @nencreative, @chrislouie_, @marquilabs, @pushrecord, @ben_aguilera, and dozens of others who aren't here on X
Applications for SR008 close Nov 1st.
If you're interested in applying, check the link below.
If you're interested in plugging in as a partner, DM me!
launch lab
50+ launches in <90 days.
it's not about virality, it's not about doing a video even.
the best @speedrun teams launched, and launched again, and again. articles, interviews, demos, and yes, occasionally something with higher production value.
we provide a fully kitted studio space, direct connects to the best production partners, and our own distribution channels for every single company.
a massive shout to some of our partners:
@osmo_studio, @nencreative, @chrislouie_, @marquilabs, @pushrecord, @ben_aguilera, and dozens of others who aren't here on X
Applications for SR008 close Nov 1st.
If you're interested in applying, check the link below.
If you're interested in plugging in as a partner, DM me!
We have an all-star in house recruiting team for Speedrun
Apply for SR008 to work directly with @justmazer, @nazzari, @thetalentcarver and @joegarciaisme!
founders: getting up to $1M in funding via @speedrun is actually the easiest part of the journey - as you start to build your product, you'll need to build your team... and I have some bad news: recruiting sucks.
Most experienced founders will tell you that they spent at least half their time in the early days trying to woo early missionaries to join their cause.
Your options at the earliest stages aren't great:
• Agencies are expensive + generally have perverse incentives
• You could do all the recruiting... but it's often too time-intensive to do effectively
• Hiring an internal recruiter doesn't make sense yet...
• Job postings... welcome to the nightmare of AI-generated apps!
I want to give you a better option. Our goal as the Speedrunun talent team: lend you our brand and hiring prowess. Not just hollow words and advice... because advice is cheap. Sourced candidates are not.
Our team of internal recruiters spends every single day cultivating relationships with world-class talent from the most heavily in-demand functional backgrounds (AI, ML, Full Stack Eng, Design Eng, Designers, etc), and then we curate and share that talent with founders across the portfolio.
We're on track this year to directly place ~150 hires into speedrun portfolio companies.
No fee.
No perverse incentives.
Just a purely aligned desire with the founders to get them exactly what they are searching for.
One day there will be a solo-founder unicorn, and all this hiring drudgery might go away. Until then, you're going to have to build your team - so let our team (@nazzari, @thetalentcarver, @joegarciaisme ) help you build yours.
APPLY TO SPEEDRUN >>> bit.ly/3UawfBA
speedrun retweeted
founders: getting up to $1M in funding via @speedrun is actually the easiest part of the journey - as you start to build your product, you'll need to build your team... and I have some bad news: recruiting sucks.
Most experienced founders will tell you that they spent at least half their time in the early days trying to woo early missionaries to join their cause.
Your options at the earliest stages aren't great:
• Agencies are expensive + generally have perverse incentives
• You could do all the recruiting... but it's often too time-intensive to do effectively
• Hiring an internal recruiter doesn't make sense yet...
• Job postings... welcome to the nightmare of AI-generated apps!
I want to give you a better option. Our goal as the Speedrunun talent team: lend you our brand and hiring prowess. Not just hollow words and advice... because advice is cheap. Sourced candidates are not.
Our team of internal recruiters spends every single day cultivating relationships with world-class talent from the most heavily in-demand functional backgrounds (AI, ML, Full Stack Eng, Design Eng, Designers, etc), and then we curate and share that talent with founders across the portfolio.
We're on track this year to directly place ~150 hires into speedrun portfolio companies.
No fee.
No perverse incentives.
Just a purely aligned desire with the founders to get them exactly what they are searching for.
One day there will be a solo-founder unicorn, and all this hiring drudgery might go away. Until then, you're going to have to build your team - so let our team (@nazzari, @thetalentcarver, @joegarciaisme ) help you build yours.
APPLY TO SPEEDRUN >>> bit.ly/3UawfBA
Mark Pincus, founder of @Zynga, on "proven, better, new," the product framework that was Zynga's religion:
1. Proven: start with what 10/10 existing users of a category already love, and don't change it.
"You do not have the right to change proven. You have not taken enough time to change proven. It is an art that we do not completely understand."
2. Better: only add what 10/10 users agree is better.
"For Zynga Poker, better was no download. That was it. Turns out you lose half your users every time you click download."
3. New: treat anything you think is better as new, and assume it fails.
"Assume all new fails. Write that on the wall... If all new worked, we'd be using new s**t all the time. But how often do you change what's on the front of your iPhone?"
"Users don't care how innovative it is. All they care about is does it feel better, and they can't even tell you why."
@markpinc w/ @JoshLu
SR008 APPS ARE OPEN. Up to $1M + $10M+ in credits. 12 weeks in SF, Feb through April. Built to help you land capital, customers and talent. Apply by Nov 1: speedrun.a16z.com/apply
Ben Horowitz on the two skills that will matter more than ever before in an AI world: creativity and relationships.
"I think those are things that are hard to get out of today's AI in a very good way. So if you don't have instincts around those things, I don't know if all the AI in the world could help you. Whereas the grind-them-out tasks, AI is already really good at."
"Do you have original ideas? Can you establish and maintain very high quality, high fidelity relationships with people off the rip? I think people don't think about that enough."
"One big advantage I think that we have is we really look for that. Many just ignore that whole thing, like it's not a thing... It's a thing."
@bhorowitz w/ @Tocelot
SR008 APPS ARE OPEN. Up to $1M + $10M+ in credits. 12 weeks in SF, Feb through April. Built to help you land capital, customers and talent. Apply by Nov 1: speedrun.a16z.com/apply
“Traction doesn’t have to be numerical.” – @tkexpress11
Takeaway: if you don’t have revenue yet, show progress. List who you’ve talked to, what you’ve learned and who’s agreed to advise.
SR008 applications close Nov 1, 11:59pm PT.
Apply: speedrun.a16z.com/apply
Full investor Q+A: speedrun.substack.com/p/what…
80 companies. A packed theater of investors + thousands watching online, then an afternoon of demos.
SR007 Demo Day was our biggest yet - from speech AI and data center robots to orbital lasers for missile defense and more.
Check out the recap 👇
speedrun.substack.com/p/80-f…
speedrun retweeted
We spent decades putting business processes into software. But what connects those systems is still a person with 20 browser tabs open, copying and pasting.
A human API.
My request for startups: computer use agents that actually finish the job. Agents that companies can trust to do real work at scale, and that work in the software companies already use.
If you're building this, we want to hear from you!
More below.
cc @a16z @speedrun
Congrats @jack__strauss & @alexpareto on their $9.8M Seed Round!
@ForgepointAI builds AI coworkers to support the back office of the 240,000+ American manufacturing firms.
Frank, their AI Sales Rep, is already streamlining the RFQ-to-PO process, increasing quotes by 30% per month and cutting quote time by over 55%
The team also hiring anyone looking to build the future of 🇺🇸 manufacturing!
🤝 @PrimaryVC













