a16z Partner Departs After Firm Pauses Fund For Underserved Founders
Andreessen Horowitz partner Kofi Ampadu has left the venture firm months after it paused Talent x Opportunity (TxO), the fund and operating program he led, TechCrunch reports.
TxO was launched in 2020 amid a wave of corporate commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion after the murder of George Floyd. The initiative was designed to expand access to capital, networks, and mentorship for founders who fall outside traditional venture pipelines.
The Talent X Opportunity Fund
In a farewell note announcing his departure, Ampadu framed TxO as a response to the venture ecosystem’s reliance on narrow proxies for talent.
“The venture ecosystem often relies on proxies such as schools, networks, and prior credentials, which can obscure exceptional founders who do not follow the most common paths,” he wrote. “TxO invested in and supported these overlooked founders to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity.”
The program offered founders a $175,000 investment through a donor-advised fund, a 16-week curriculum, and access to a16z’s network. It began with a $2.2 million fund and a matching commitment of up to $5 million from a16z co-founder Ben Horowitz and his wife, Felicia. Over five years, TxO supported nearly 100 founders across more than 60 companies.
Its donor-based structure set TxO apart from traditional venture funds but also made it more dependent on internal prioritization.
When a Fund Pauses, Leaders Absorb the Impact
In November 2025, a16z announced it would be pausing TxO indefinitely and laid off several members of the TxO team. At large multi-fund firms, pausing a program preserves flexibility without dismantling the broader platform.
For leaders like Ampadu, whose roles are tightly linked to a single initiative, pauses mean a loss of structural footing. Most recently, he seems to have worked at a16z’s Speedrun accelerator.
TechCrunch notes that Ampadu’s departure may signal the end of the TxO chapter.
Image credit: Bernarde Andre
