a16z is challenging Silicon Valley’s love for drop-outs by launching a school

This academy for promising high school grads is somewhere between a trade school, Y Combinator, and Peter Thiel's Fellowship Program. Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is launching a school called The Horowitz Andreessen Academy aimed at aspiring founders who have just graduated high school and have not yet attended college. The academy is aiming to train these high school grads with hands-on coursework on a variety of topics ranging from the technical (such as “AI Research and Models”) to life philosophy (such as “The Geometry of Luck,” which promises to teach students “about arranging a life so good fortune flows through it.”) Students will also work on personal projects. The school’s main pitch is that it promises to provide students with mentors who are big names in tech.

The school is currently accepting applications for its first year, which will be a one-year program that charges no tuition, and is open to about 50 students, “chosen on proof of work: what they have built, shipped, or earned,” according to the school’s FAQ. The academy is located in San Francisco and students will be responsible for their own housing (although the school is working to help them find it and match them with other student roommates). One item to note: The academy is currently not an accredited school, so participants will