Introducing a16z Crypto Startup School
By Chris Dixon
Historically, new models of computing have tended to emerge every 10–15 years: mainframes in the 60s, PCs in the late 70s, the internet in the early 90s, and smartphones in the 2000s. Today, a number of exciting new computing paradigms are on the cusp of going mainstream. We are particularly excited about the promise of blockchain computers such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and many more recent projects they’ve inspired.
Blockchains are new types of computers where the unique capability is trust between users, developers, and the platform itself. This trust emerges from the mathematical and game-theoretic properties of the system, without depending on the trustworthiness of individual network participants. This in turn enables the credible creation of powerful new computing primitives, such as digital money, smart contracts, and decentralized organizations.
As with any new computing movement, blockchains have endured a variety of challenges, false starts, and misconceptions. Some of the challenges are technical (e.g., scalability), some are product related (e.g., user experience), but many are due to the lack of widespread understanding of the technology’s capabilities, and the best practices required to take it mainstream.
We’ve been involved in crypto/blockchains for almost seven years now, and as a team, have had the opportunity to learn from world-class entrepreneurs and technologists on topics like product and technology design, organization development, go-to-market strategy, and legal/regulatory best practices. We think that sharing the most important lessons we’ve learned could accelerate the development of existing projects, and inspire more talented people to join the space.
This is why we are excited to announce a16z Crypto Startup School, a seven-week program that will kick off in late February 2020. The lectures will be in person in Menlo Park, Cali., and afterwards we’ll be putting videos of the event along with curriculum materials online. The program is completely free. There is no charge and we don’t take equity. The curriculum is meant to supplement—not replace—the many other excellent programs and resources that help founders learn about building tech startups.
If you are as excited about crypto as we are, and have experience building software products, we invite you to apply. You will hear from leading technologists and investors in the field, and learn the fundamentals of building a crypto startup.
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Course Outline
FEBRUARY 21
Orientation
Speaker: Jesse Walden, Program Manager, a16z Crypto Startup School
What is a Blockchain & What it's Good For
Speaker: Chris Dixon, General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
Blockchain Primitives: Cryptography & Consensus
Speaker: Dan Boneh, Professor in Residence, Andreessen Horowitz & Stanford University
Workshop
FEBRUARY 28
Applications: Today & 2025
Speaker: Balaji Srinivasan, Angel Investor & Entrepreneur, Nakamoto
Opportunities for Crypto in Gaming
Speaker: Josh Williams, Cofounder & CEO, Forte
Building a New Monetary System: From Protocol to Product
Speaker: Nitya Subramanian, Product Manager, Celo
Workshop
MARCH 6
Business Models & Value Capture
Speaker: Ali Yahya, Deal Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
Cryptoeconomics 101
Speaker: Sam Williams, Cofounder, Arweave
Workshop
MARCH 13
Building Applications: Chapters of Decentralization
Speaker: Robert Leshner, Founder, Compound
Secure Smart Contract Development
Speaker: Jutta Steiner, Founder & CEO, Parity Technologies
HR Best Practices: Managing a Distributed Workforce
Speaker: Tina Ferguson, Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
Workshop
MARCH 20
Building Crypto Companies
Speaker: Brian Armstrong, Cofounder & CEO, Coinbase
Moderator: Ben Horowitz, Cofounder & General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
Reception
MARCH 27
Developer Community Building
Speaker: Tom Preston-Werner, Cofounder, Chatterbug; Former Cofounder & CEO, Github
Regulatory Landscape
Speaker: Katie Haun, General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
Token Securities Framework & Launching a Network
Speaker: Brian Brooks, Chief Legal Office, Coinbase
Fundraising & Deal Structure
Speaker: Jesse Walden, Program Manager, a16z Crypto Startup School
APRIL 3
Project Showcase
Closing Reception
Instructors & Mentors
Top entrepreneurs, builders, investors, and experts from the crypto community will teach on a range of topics and guide participants through the process of developing a new crypto project.
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Mentor
Soona Amhaz
Cofounder & Partner, Token Daily Capital
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Instructor
Brian Armstrong
Cofounder & CEO, Coinbase
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Mentor
Morgan Beller
Head of Strategy, Calibra
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Instructor
Dan Boneh
Professor in Residence, Andreessen Horowitz and Stanford University
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Instructor
Brian Brooks
Chief Legal Office, Coinbase
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Mentor
Jill Carlson
Investor, Slow Ventures; Cofounder, Open Money Initiative
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Instructor
Chris Dixon
General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
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Instructor
Tina Ferguson
Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
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Mentor
Avichal Garg
Managing Partner & Cofounder, Electric Capital
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Mentor
Dani Grant
Analyst, Union Square Ventures
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Instructor
Katie Haun
General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
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Mentor
Jacob Horne
Product & Venture, Coinbase
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Instructor
Ben Horowitz
Cofounder and General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
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Mentor
Michael Jordan
Investments, Galaxy Digital
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Instructor
Robert Leshner
Founder, Compound
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Mentor
Spencer Noon
Investments, DTC Capital
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Mentor
Niraj Pant
Partner, Polychain Capital
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Instructor
Tom Preston-Werner
Cofounder, Chatterbug; Former Cofounder & CEO, Github
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Mentor
Alex Pruden
Deal Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
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Mentor
Haseeb Qureshi
Managing Partner, Dragonfly Capital
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Mentor
Dan Robinson
Research Partner, Paradigm
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Mentor
Arianna Simpson
Founder & Managing Director, Autonomous Partners
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Instructor
Balaji Srinivasan
Angel Investor and Entrepreneur
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Instructor
Jutta Steiner
Founder & CEO, Parity Technologies
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Instructor
Nitya Subramanian
Product Manager, Celo
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Mentor
Kartik Talwar
Investments, SV Angel
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Mentor
Nick Tomaino
Founder & General Partner, 1confirmation
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Mentor
Alok Vasudev
Cofounder, Standard Crypto
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Instructor
Jesse Walden
Program Manager, a16z Crypto Startup School
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Instructor
Josh Williams
Cofounder & CEO, Forte
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Instructor
Sam Williams
Cofounder, Arweave
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Mentor
Linda Xie
Cofounder & Managing Director, Scalar Capital
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Instructor
Ali Yahya
Deal Partner, Andreessen Horowitz