Silicon Valley tech giants launch $42M college alternative with no degree

The Horowitz Andreessen Academy, based in San Francisco, will enroll about 50 students in its first class in September 2027. The academy is backed by $35 million from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and another $7 million from other investors.

Its founding corporate partners include Anthropic, Google, Meta, Nvidia and OpenAI, as well as Anduril, Coinbase, Palantir, Replit and Stripe.

The first class will attend a one-year program tuition-free, with each student receiving $50,000 in computing credits and a $5,000 travel budget.

The academy plans to expand into a two-year program in 2028, subject to regulatory approval, with annual tuition expected to be comparable to elite private universities, at about $60,000-$90,000, according to Fortune.

However, it is not accredited and will not award degrees. It will operate as an independent for-profit company.

It is led by Gagan Biyani, co-founder of online learning platform Udemy.

"The idea is to create an AI-native education offering so that these students can be ready for jobs at the top leading tech companies, or to start their own tech company," Biyani told The Wall Street Journal. "In the modern world, knowing how to build and ship things is even more important than it’s ever been."

Horowitz Andreessen Academy's founder Gagan Biyani (standing) with students at the newly established school. Photo courtesy of Horowitz Andreessen Academy

Students are expected to spend as much as 80% of their time on project-based learning, including developing AI models, creating products and pursuing their own ideas.

Courses are expected to cover areas including AI research, software development, aerospace, industrial systems, health, writing and culture. Students will also have access to mentors, technology executives and investors.

The academy says prominent technology leaders including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former OpenAI technology chief Mira Murati are expected to visit the campus as guest speakers.

Founding corporate partners will provide varying forms of support, including software, computing resources, curriculum advice and access to their offices. Some students may also participate in work placements, though jobs and paid internships are not guaranteed.

The academy could also give Andreessen Horowitz early access to promising founders and their ideas.

"Venture is the discovery and cultivation of talent, and that’s what universities are, too," Erik Torenberg, an Andreessen Horowitz general partner who will sit on the academy's board, told The Wall Street Journal. "I’m sure we’ll invest in some of the founders that come out."

Admissions will emphasize what the academy calls "proof of work," such as products, projects or businesses applicants have already built, according to Forbes. Applicants will still be required to submit academic transcripts and test scores, while the selection process will also include portfolios and interviews.

Biyani said the academy is not intended as a rejection of higher education. Instead, it is betting that an intensive, AI-centered and work-focused model can offer another route for young people seeking careers in technology.

The project comes as Silicon Valley increasingly experiments with alternatives to conventional university education.

Billionaire investor Peter Thiel launched the Thiel Fellowship in 2011, offering young people funding to skip or leave college to pursue companies and other projects. Palantir has also introduced a paid fellowship emphasizing practical work rather than conventional academic credentials.

However, education experts have questioned whether such highly selective programs can replicate the broader benefits of university education or expand beyond small groups of exceptional students.

John Friedman, dean of Brown University's Watson School of International and Public Affairs, said that access to industry leaders could benefit students, but traditional universities also expose them to people pursuing different careers and interests.

For some families already immersed in technology, however, the academy could compete with established universities.

Martha Martinez, whose 18-year-old son Adrian studies computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, said she might have sent him to the academy instead had it existed earlier. Adrian had participated in a developer feedback program with Meta by age 15.

"Learning doesn’t have to be limited to a classroom," she said.