Silicon Valley backers launch $42-million, degree-free academy as a college alternative
The San Francisco academy, funded mainly by Andreessen Horowitz, will take about 50 students tuition-free in its first year.
A new San Francisco academy backed by $35 million from venture firm Andreessen Horowitz and $7 million from other investors will enrol about 50 students in its first class in September 2027, VnExpress International reported, citing Fortune.
Founding corporate partners include Anthropic, Google, Meta, Nvidia and OpenAI, along with Anduril, Coinbase, Palantir, Replit and Stripe. The first class will attend a one-year program tuition-free, and each student will receive $50,000 in computing credits and a $5,000 travel budget.
The academy plans to expand to a two-year program in 2028, subject to regulatory approval, with annual tuition expected to be about $60,000 to $90,000. It is not accredited, will not award degrees and will operate as an independent for-profit company. It is led by Gagan Biyani.
The launch reflects a wider shift toward skills-first training in technology, where employers increasingly hire on what people can build rather than the credentials they hold.
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