a16z Games has announced its Speedrun 2024 Accelerator Program, committing to invest up to $75 million into pre-seed startups that prove the most promising.

Focusing on the intersection between gaming and technology, next year’s Speedrun has now been confirmed following the conclusion of its 2023 iteration. The program - an eight week-long training course - aims to support the best gaming founders as they begin their development journeys.

Speeding ahead

The first event saw stiff competition for places, with more than 1,600 applications, 200 interviews, and ultimately 32 participating companies. All 32 ended up receiving investments through the Speedrun to a total value of $20 million, and over 80% of them received further financial support after June’s Speedrun Demo Day, where figures from Krafton, Twitch, Unity, Activision, Tencent and more were present.

Mentors included members of King, Riot Games, Take Two and Supercell.

Game development studios represented the majority of new companies at 57%, but tool creators (36%) and platform developers (32%) made up their fair share, covering fields from gaming to biohealth to Web3.

Now, with the announcement of Speedrun 2024, the pool of funding has expanded significantly, with the total potential for investments being as high as $75 million. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, the event will include an in-person kickoff, live speakers, panels, mixers, and another invite-only Demo Day.

Applications are open from now to 30 September, with final interviews expected on 15 October. The Speedrun event itself will then take place early next year, starting 22 January 2024 and concluding at GDC in March.
"a16z Games is committed to building the future of the games industry with world-class founders, supporting startups from Phase Zero through Launch, and beyond," a16z said in its blog post.

Finding and helping the creators of tomorrow

"Ultimately, Speedrun is not just about showcases during a demo day; it’s about changing the way we think about games, technology, and the types of founders who create them. Games are rapidly becoming the greatest drivers of entertainment, the nexus for social media, and cultural landmarks. We believe that innovation and entrepreneurship should be at the heart of this wave."

Remote-first studio Battlebound secured a $4.8 million investment led by a16z last year, with the latter launching a $600 million games VC fund shortly thereafter.

FInd out more about Speedrun 2024 here. And apply for your place here.

Tencent, Supercell and others involved in the last Speedrun event also featured in our Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2022 list. The 2023 list is coming soon...