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Roughly 50 graduating high school seniors could soon trade a freshman year of college for an AI-focused gap year, and it won’t cost them tuition. Andreessen Horowitz is leading a $42 million investment in the Horowitz Andreessen Academy, a for-profit San Francisco school the venture firm incubated. The new AI gap year academy aims to train young builders and future founders in artificial intelligence.
Star-Studded Backers and Leadership
Other investors include Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke and Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan. Udemy co-founder Gagan Biyani will serve as the academy’s chief executive. The first cohort is expected to arrive in September 2027 for a one-year fellowship, according to Fox Business.
The program is built around hands-on projects and lectures from leaders in the tech industry. Traditional tests and homework will take a backseat, giving students room to learn by building rather than memorizing.
Perks Worth Around $55,000
Each student will receive more than $50,000 in computing credits and other resources. They will also get $5,000 for travel and exploration, bringing the total package to roughly $55,000. For a tuition-free program, the benefits are unusually generous and designed to remove financial barriers for ambitious teens.
Founder Ben Horowitz believes the stakes are high. He says AI will be “as transformational to jobs as the Industrial Revolution” was to agrarian society, a comparison that underscores why the firm wants to cultivate talent early.
The academy also has bigger plans. It intends to seek regulatory approval for a two-year program that could begin in fall 2028. Unlike the free fellowship, that longer track would carry tuition comparable to elite private universities.
If the model succeeds, it could challenge assumptions about how the next generation of entrepreneurs and technologists should be educated, offering an alternative path in an economy increasingly shaped by AI.