Scenes from SR006 Kickoff Week

Founders from 70+ startups convened in San Francisco last week for the official kickoff of SR006. Here's an inside look at what speedrun looks like from the inside.

Over 19,000 startups applied to join the latest class of a16z speedrun, and just over 70 startups were ultimately selected.

Last week, those talented founders convened in San Francisco for the official kickoff of SR006. Today we’re bringing you a behind-the-scenes look at what the program is actually like for those participating.

Day 1 kicked off with a welcome session led by a16z speedrun GM Joshua Lu.

One big challenge for founders in a program like this is just knowing how to take advantage of all the services and operating team members at their disposal. The orientation introduced founders to the whole squad, covering everything from talent, GTM, brand, people, capital networks, and more.

After that, it was off to the atrium for a quick improv session and lunch.

Day 1 was all about getting to know the other founders in the program, so we gave everyone time to introduce themselves on stage. Bragging about themselves and their cofounders was encouraged. (It’s a skill you’ll need later when dealing with investors!)

Day 2 was when the rubber hits the road. The SR006 founders squeezed into big group sessions with their cohort leads to talk more formally about needs and where they’re at with their startups. Then it was back to the main hall for a fireside chat and Q&A with Substack CEO Chris Best, hosted by a16z GP Andrew Chen.

Founders like Best have seen both the ups and downs of startup life, and the Q&A session with speedrun founders afterward focused on lessons and watchouts applicable at the early stage in particular.

In between sessions, one big draw was the photography station with the speedrun logo set up outside. Founder photos were a must.

Day 3 brought the SR founders back together for a cohort office hours session about each team’s respective Demo Day goals, which was then capped off with an excellent fireside chat with Alt Capital’s Jack Altman, hosted by speedrun investor Marcus Segal.

After that, it was swag pickup time.

Then off to Google HQ for a few hours of games, drinks, and snacks.

And that was a wrap for week one. Over the next 11 weeks we’ll bring you more deep dives and inside looks at a16z speedrun as the amazing group of founders in SR006 builds toward Demo Day in San Francisco.

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