Andrew Chen

More info
- Newsletter: http://andrewchen.substack.com
- Book: http://coldstart.com

General Partner, GAMES FUND ONE

a16z Speedrun Alpha, for pre-idea/pre-team/pre-everything founders

it's time to bet on yourself, and figure out your startup idea. 2026 is well underway, crazy stuff happening in AI, and you're building agents/apps/whatever every night+weekend. You want to start a startup but you're working or still going to school.

what if you're pre-idea, pre-product, pre-launch, and even a solo founder? You need time to cook

The Alpha Fellowship is for you.
https://lnkd.in/g6eG4jKA

details:
- $20K equity-free upfront to start building
- up to $250K investment when you finalize
- automatic final interview for a16z speedrun, with up to $1M investment
- 8-week, in-person experience with a kickoff retreat, founder AMAs, and small-group dinners alongside the a16z speedrun community
- targeted to early-career highly technical founders 
- deadline to apply is March 6

We ALSO have a "startup track" for the Alpha Fellowship where you can get more founder experience by working for a portfolio company if you're not quite ready to found something.

The Alpha Fellowship places top early-career engineers into full-time roles at fast-growing a16z speedrun and Andreessen Horowitz portfolio companies. For future founders, we provide capital before a team or idea even exists.

We're looking for highly technical students and recent grads who don't want to wait to start building. Fellows take full-time roles at fast-growing portfolio companies - or, if you're ready to build now, receive capital to start your own company - kicking off with a two-month in-person fellowship. Fellows also have access to the a16z speedrun and EO Ventures communities and events.

...

If this is you, want to meet you. If you have people to introduce us to, that would be amazing too.

will have more to say, and lots of ideas coming up here. But excited to get this out! Excited to host y'all soon.

Open article: Alpha by a16z speedrun by alpha.a16zspeedrun.com

SF feels designed in a lab to make startups:

- nothing really to do (except code)
- dinner convos become pitch practice
- more dogs than kids
- social status determined by funding amounts
- bars close at 10pm (but GitHub is 24x7)
- “what are you working on?” instead of “how’s the family?”
- nice weather but not too nice
- gender ratio imbalance (odds are good but..)
- only city in the world where it’s a flex to have a mattress on the ground
- pro tizz anti rizz

what's the current best approach on an AI that can help me handle my email inbox?

seems like a big opportunity for folks playing with openclaw. For all of us who are drowning in email, this seems like a tier one problem that would be amazing to solve. (And I think I would pay $150k/year to have this product? I bet I'm not the only one)

what I want is:
- watch my inbox and process emails as they come in
- score each message to see if it seems important (look at the sender, the topic/body, if its addressed to me or a big list, if I've ever replied to the sender before, etc etc)
- read the email and reference a vast DB of knowledge that's been assembled already (based on my work, meeting notes, what I've replied on, etc), and decide what to do
- reply with a draft note. For now, don't send, so that I can review the email -- but in the future maybe there's a YOLO option (but it would probably disclose that it's my assistant writing)
- if less important, label it and file away. Eventually gather summaries for all of these less important emails and send me a summary of all of them with links to get back to it
- or archive if it seems unimportant
- or unsubscribe / mark spam / block if random marketing
- if critical send me a notification right away so I can take a look

I've played around with a bunch of the current AI tools and nothing quite works like this. There's a lot of blockers:
- first, it needs 1000x more context about each problem, which it could get by crawling all my projects/notes/emails/slides/meetings/etc
- This system should be designed to take action rather than simply just prioritizing messages. We've had prioritized inboxes for a long time but they're fine, not great
- then someone has to put this entire UX together to be cohesive. In the future, we may not even really have an email inbox, but instead an interaction that feels more like I'm talking to an assistant who has a few questions for me. But otherwise just wants to provide a few quick updates and get some yes/nos. And otherwise filter all the noise -- just give me the most important messages

It seems like with the excitement of OpenClaw we have the architecture to integrate a lot of different data sources and to take actions across multiple different channels. And it's built with one sort of monolithic memory and context, so that you're able to interact with it in such a way where it feels like it can try to replicate your actions more closely than the relatively stateless and memoryless LLM chats that we've gotten accustomed to. 

If someone is working on this -- I would be both a customer and an investor!

AI will make teenage billionaires a thing

why? People have long argued that we'll see more 1-person unicorns from AI, as the tools allow a singular visionary to scale themselves. That's obvious.

But it also follows that AI software will be created and run mostly by young people, and billions will be made in the process

AI also makes coding and product building as easy as making videos or posting a photo. The data says that the time rich (rather than money rich) dominate internet usage -- after all, they have more time to consume, and more time to create. Because the time rich are mostly composed of kids and teenagers, it means that software will mostly be built and used by young people. Think social media, Roblox, chat, etc, but coded by teenagers for teenagers

we're approaching a timeline where instead of going to school, getting a job, getting married, and having kids -- the linear form of life we've had for 100+ years -- we will see kids go start to building products and starting companies from a young age. This means huge disruption for universities and society, but also that we will see people build build build. A good thing IMHO.

The future will be built by young people, for young people, and billions will be made as a result

EarlyGame Group

Building the #1 brand, platform & network in esports, gaming and pop-culture.

Currently EarlyGame Group reaches over 150 million gamers worldwide - monthly. We own and operate 5 editorial websites and 18 social media channels, organize gaming events and tournaments as well as manage and work with talented creators in the gaming, esports and pop culture space.

Co-Founder & MD

EarlyGame Awards in favor of Laureus Sport for Good

The EarlyGame Awards in favor of Laureus Sport for Good are Germany's largest community-based gaming, streaming and esports awards.

Everything for the good cause of Laureus Sport for Good (https://www.laureus.de) with 5-digit donations until today.

Initiator & Awards Mentor

kicker Ventures

We invest in exceptional founders in the areas of Sports, Media, Tech & Gaming.

Venture Partner

fanbloc

Next Level Streamer X Fan Engagement leveraging web3 tech

Co-Founder & CEO

eSports.com

CEO / CFO

Advisor

 ProSiebenSat.1 Sports // esports.com

MD Joint Venture 7Sports & eSports.com

Stern Stewart & Co.

Senior Associate

Associate

F.A.C. Sports

Vision: 
Building a Youth Academy in China with the Know-How of and in Partnership with a Top-Tier European Football Club

Co-Founder

UniCredit, PwC, SMP & Stern Stewart

Various Internships: Banking, Consulting, Real Estate

I am Co-Founder and MD of the EarlyGame Group. Previously, I launched and advised selective other (sport and digital) ventures as well as worked as strategy consultant. 

EarlyGame is a media agency and content network with a global reach of over 200 million gamers – monthly. 🎮

EarlyGame owns and operates 5 editorial news platforms and 25 social channels, manages different creators and influencers, hosts online and offline tournaments, as well as acts as strategic gaming agency for many brands entering gaming and esports.

One of my personal highlight projects that we initiated are the EarlyGame Awards in favor of Laureus Sport for Good. The awards are Germany’s largest community-based influencer, gaming and esports awards for the good cause. 

At EarlyGame Group I am responsible for Partnerships, Sales, Tech and Content.

Overall, I believe in independent-thinking and is passionate about creating, building, and growing (digital) brands, platforms and communities – both as founder and advisor. 
I have a healthy appetite for risk-taking and strongly believe in team involvement in both tactical as well as strategic decision making 💡

Key areas of expertise are in media, sports, gaming, digitization, sales as well as real estate. ✅

Fabian Philip Furch

Welcome to the team, Lisa! 🙌

I am delighted to welcome Lisa Weber as a new colleague to my team.

Lisa is joining us as an HR generalist and will play a key role in developing CUJU further in the coming year, not only structurally, but also culturally.

Her focus will be on the following topics, among others:
👉 HR structures & processes
👉 Recruiting & employer branding
👉 An attractive and clear career pyramid
👉 Support in communication & alignment

Especially in a growing organization, these topics are crucial for long-term success, for the company and for the people behind it.

It's great to have you here, Lisa.
I'm really looking forward to our journey together and everything we will build together. 🚀

Founder | Sports, Tech & Gaming | LinkedIn Top Voice | Advisor & Investor

One year after selling the shares in my company...how does it feel?

I've asked myself this question a lot over the last few days.
And to be honest, it's not that easy to answer.

After five intense years, it was clear that it was the right time to leave.
A decision out of conviction.
For me and also for the company.

New ideas, new people, and new perspectives are good for companies.
And yes, saying goodbye was emotional.
But what meant a lot to me was that my colleagues understood my decision—and even agreed that it made sense at this particular moment. I vividly remember the messages/ words from besides others Henri Metzger, Max Papenburg or Ignacio. Even though it wasn't easy, of course.

And how does the new role feel?

Different. But good.

In my own company, my focus was strongly on strategy, sales, and partnerships.
Today, I'm in a completely different phase:
👉 from start-up to scale-up
👉 lots of organization, communication, and strategy shaping
👉 Sales will come later, I'm looking forward to that in 2026/27

Of course, there's a difference between working for your own company and working for one you didn't found yourself.
But one thing is important to me:
I don't feel like an “employee.”

I'm just as passionate about it,
because of soccer,
because of my great colleagues,
and because of an idea that has the potential to change the lives of millions of talented people worldwide.

What remains is this feeling with two perspectives:
👁️ One tearful eye looking back
👁️ One smiling eye looking forward

I have discovered new incentives, been welcomed with open arms, and am working with people from whom I learn every day.

And in the end, I still believe:
👉 Entrepreneurship is not a title.
👉 It is an attitude.

You bring it with you, no matter what role you play.

Time will tell.
But as of today: It feels right.

If even a Gen Z–optimized football product can’t break through in Germany, what does that say about the rest of the industry?

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Baller League’s decision to pause operations in Germany.

On paper, it had everything: Creators at the center. A social-first format. Indoor football. Fast-paced. Modern rules and so on.... Basically, all the ingredients we associate with “what Gen Z wants.”

And yet… it didn’t stick.
Not deep enough.
Not long enough.
Not where it really counts.

And that says more than most press releases ever could. That’s a wake-up call.
Not just for the Baller League, for the entire football and sports industry in Germany. 😅

Because if even the “cool format” can’t stay alive, how are traditional clubs, federations, and sponsors supposed to stay relevant?

Maybe we’ve all overestimated what “young target groups” really want.

It’s not just short-form content.
It’s not just creators.
And it’s definitely not just loud marketing.

What’s missing is real connection.
A reason to care.
Ans a sense that this isn’t just hype, but something that belongs to them.

In my opinion, that’s what most formats, leagues, and brands still get wrong.

They build the product for young people, but they don’t build it with them.
They expect reach to turn into loyalty.
But they forget: loyalty needs meaning.

And when that’s missing, you can be as “Gen Z” as you want.
It still won’t work.

So what’s next?

How do we reach the “unreachables” in football?

📉 Clubs tried esports, semi-okay.
🧢 NFTs? Mostly a hype-fueled crash.
⚽️ Baller League? Great concept. But didn’t land in Germany.

(Though the U.S. might be more open, thanks to prediction markets, betting, and more risk-friendly formats.)

So what’s next?
Opinions?

She shouldn’t have raced.
Too risky. Too reckless. Her fault.

That’s what many said when Lindsey Vonn competed at the Olympics despite injury, yesterday.

Too risky.
Too dangerous.
Too much to lose.

But I don’t see recklessness.
I see mindset. 🤔 This wasn’t a mistake. It was a decision.

One that shows what it means to truly want something.
To know your body. Your sport. Your limits and still say:
“I’m going.”

👉 To trust your preparation more than public opinion.
👉 To enter the arena, when others would step away.
👉 To bet on yourself, even when the odds say don’t.

That’s not ego.
That’s GOAT mindset.

Tiger Woods walked 72 holes on a leg that barely held.
Kobe Bryant shot free throws with a torn Achilles.
Lindsey Vonn pushed out of the start gate in pain.

Because true champions don’t just chase medals. They chase the edge of what they’re capable of.

And I think about this a lot outside of sport.

In startups.
In leadership.
In life.

Sometimes you launch when it’s not perfect.
Sometimes you lead when things are unclear.
Sometimes you show up. not because it’s safe, but because it matters.

The question isn’t: “What if it goes wrong?”
The real question is: “What if I never try?”

And let’s be honest:
If she had won, everyone would’ve called it legendary.

She didn’t and suddenly it’s “her fault”?
That says more about us than about her.

#SportsOnLinkedIn #Milan

Building teams is harder than building products.

You can optimize a product.
You can adjust a strategy.

But the wrong people in your team?
That costs you years and many grey hairs 😅

At CUJU, we’re building a SportsTech startup and we feel this every day.

It’s not about hiring “more people.”
It’s about finding people who want ownership.

People who don’t ask:
“What exactly is my task?”

But instead:
“What does the company need right now and how do I solve it?”

And honestly?
Keeping great talent is even harder than finding it.

People don’t stay because of perks.
They stay because they grow.
Because they get responsibility.
Because they feel real impact.

Team members at CUJU embody exactly that mindset - ownership, drive, and the willingness to build, not just execute.

That’s the culture we want to continue building.

BTW:
We’re currently hiring:
... (Junior) Growth & Project Manager (m/f/d)
... Marketing Operations Manager (m/f/d)

If you want to build - not just work - let’s talk.
Or send this to someone who thinks like that.

My first startup wasn’t a tech company.
It was a football team. ⚽

Back in high school, I founded my own team: Bambini Football.
We competed in 5v5 and 7v7 tournaments across the region and nationwide.

And to be honest, the idea came from a simple observation:
Teams paid entry fees. Winners walked away with several hundred or sometimes thousand euros.

I thought: why not build a team that takes this seriously?
So I did and I started organizing.

I approached strong players from different clubs and asked if they wanted to join.
I arranged sponsors - Modehaus Jung became our outfit provider, and a local bakery supported us with food on match days.
I scheduled training sessions around Abitur. prep, regular 11v11 league matches, tournaments and travel
I handled funding and entry fees. Set tactics. Defined line-ups.
And played myself until my knees got hurt three years in a row.

We became city champions. We won tournaments beyond our region.
Sometimes we lost early. Sometimes we fought our way through.

But looking back at this time, I recognize something different.

At 17, I wasn’t “just playing football.”

I was recruiting.
Negotiating sponsors.
Managing operations.
Allocating resources.
Building a brand.
Managing performance.

It was entrepreneurship before I even knew the word.
Bambini Football was probably my first real startup.

Maybe that’s where the shift started for me, from just playing the game to thinking about how to build something around it.

Same mindset today.
Different scale.
Bigger field.

Funny how some paths into management don’t start in business school.
They start on a small football pitch.

We’re still selling sports rights like it’s 2014.
Package it. Sell it. Wait three years.
Then hope visibility turns into value.

But let’s be honest, Fans don’t consume like that anymore.

They scroll. They skip. They swipe.
They want immediacy, relevance, and identity and not airtime.
And yet… we’re still selling “visibility packages”? 😅

That world doesn’t exist anymore.

I see it everywhere, in conversations with clubs, leagues, brands:
Everyone knows things are shifting.
But most are still holding on to a model that’s long expired.

BCG’s latest report said it clearly: The era of “appointment viewing” is over.
Welcome to the age of Unified Fan Identity.

And if you look at what’s happening around us, it’s obvious:

This isn’t about media anymore.
It’s about infrastructure.

→ Revolut wants to own the full fan journey: ticket, travel, payments.
→ Tether isn’t just sponsoring clubs, they’re buying in.
→ Apple and Amazon don’t care about views, they care about churn.

This is no longer about content.
It’s about who can build an ecosystem around it.

Meanwhile, most rights holders are still selling like it’s 2010.
But the next big deal won’t go to the highest bidder.
It’ll go to the partner who can integrate and stay relevant.

So maybe the question isn’t:
“How much is your content worth?”

But rather:
“How deep is your fan connection?”

Because rights alone won’t carry you forward.

So all over that, my option is clear; future belongs to those who build systems,
not just those who sell screen time.

Who’s already doing it right and why?

16 athletes. 13 nations.
One coach. Benoît Richaud.

Benoît Richaud is coaching athletes from 13 different countries at the Winter Games, switching jackets between performances to match the right team.

It looks chaotic.

It’s not.

It’s a preview of how high-performance systems actually work today.

Excellence is no longer confined to national structures.
It moves where value is created.

The best coaches, analysts, and talent developers operate across borders. They don’t belong to one ecosystem. They connect ecosystems.

That changes the equation.

Competitive advantage is no longer built by owning talent.
It’s built by identifying it earlier, developing it smarter, and integrating it into the right environment faster than everyone else.

Richaud changes jackets.
But the real constant is performance.

And that’s what modern talent systems are ultimately about

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