Inside a16z’s boot camp for crypto startups

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) runs the Crypto Startup Accelerator (CSX), a 10-week, Y Combinator-style program that gives participants $500,000 in funding in exchange for an undisclosed amount of equity. Jason Rosenthal, head of CSX, says the firm is betting that crypto can produce era-defining software businesses, and the cohort's 25 startups were chosen to show crypto is useful beyond scams and speculation. The article notes that many generalist VCs have shifted attention to AI since the 2022 crypto downturn, while a16z has raised more than $7.5 billion across four crypto funds.