Quick take:
- The funds will be invested over the next 45 days Andrew Chen, said in an X post on April 1.
- Each startup will receive $750,000 while also gaining access to mentorship from leading gaming advisers and investors.
- This is the third cohort of projects in the $75 million accelerator.
Andreessen Horowitz Gaming and Technology investment unit A16z Games has opened applications for the third cohort of its $75 million SPEEDRUN Accelerator program.
Announcing the criteria for selecting and backing projects via a post on X, Andrew Chen, general partner at A16z, who oversees Games Fund One, said the program will invest $30 million over the next 45 days in early-stage gaming startups including AI/infra, 3D tools, VR/AR, Web3 games, gamified consumer apps, and much more.
“For AI and B2B startups, there’s a huge advantage in being able to meet startups in your space as potential customers, and when you are working out product/market fit,” Chen said.
According to the announcement, each startup that joins the third cohort of the SPEEDRUN accelerator will receive $750,000 while also gaining access to mentorship from leading gaming advisers and investors.
Chen also highlighted the competition the program attracts noting that in the previous cohort, only 1% of the applicants were selected. “Participants are supported not just with capital, but also by a highly curated set of industry coaches, mentors, and a community of ambitious founders.”
He also spotlighted some of the advantages of joining the program, adding that “80% of companies from SPEEDRUN’s first cohort secured [follow-on] funding from investors.”
In the most recent cohort, participants also benefited from mentorship and interactions with leading industry experts including speakers Mark Pincus – cofounder of Zynga, Emily Greer – co-founder of Kongregate, Eros Resmini – cofounder of the social media platform renowned for gaming communities Discord, and Kevin Lin of gaming streaming platform Twitch.
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