"What looked like a Hollywood soiree was, in fact, a networking night for participants and alumni of Speedrun, the relatively unknown startup accelerator run by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. The celebration in SoCal signals a new approach for Andreessen Horowitz, often called a16z. The firm has traditionally waited until startups had some traction before writing checks. With Speedrun, it's making a foray into pre-seed investing, positioning itself as a cool younger sibling to Y Combinator, the two-decade-old Silicon Valley institution that helped launch companies like Stripe Inc., Airbnb Inc. and Instacart Inc. But where Y Combinator has long been defined by overnight hackathons and scrappy nerds, Speedrun is targeting a more creative demographic."
"The brand is loud, fun, different, said Samira Behrouzan, an a16z marketing partner who was previously the head of marketing for Zedd, a German DJ. Behrouzan, who describes her role as Speedrun's vibes curator, said that to cut through in a crowded venture market, she thinks of the program more like a fashion label than a bootcamp. If people identify with that, then we want them to choose us."
About 150 people gathered in the courtyard of Paris Hilton's $63 million chateau-style mansion in Beverly Park for a Speedrun networking night. Attendees sipped cocktails, picked at poolside sushi, played poker and listened to a DJ. Speedrun is a relatively unknown startup accelerator run by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz that is making a foray into pre-seed investing. The program positions itself as a cooler, younger counterpart to Y Combinator and targets a more creative demographic rather than traditional hackathon-driven founders. Marketing partner Samira Behrouzan frames the program more like a fashion label than a bootcamp to attract founders. Other VC megafunds are also moving into pre-seed as competition intensifies and access at A or B rounds becomes harder.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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