Kofi Ampadu, the a16z partner who ran the firm’s Talent x Opportunity (TxO) fund and program, has left the company, according to an email he sent to staff and obtained by TechCrunch. This happens months later the company suspended TxOs and laid off most of its staff.
“During my time at the firm, I have been deeply grateful for the opportunity and trust to lead this work,” Ampadu wrote in the email sent Friday afternoon, with the subject line “Closing my chapter a16z.”
“Identifying off-grid entrepreneurs and supporting them as they refined their ideas, raised capital, and became confident leaders was one of the most meaningful experiences of my career,” he wrote.
Ampadu led the program, launched in 2020, for more than four years until going on hiatus last November, taking over from original leader Nait Jones. Then, Ampadu seems to have worked at a16z last accelerator, Speedrun.
Ampadu’s departure perhaps marks the end of the TxO chapter. The fund and program aimed to support underserved founders by giving them access to technology networks and investment capital through a donor-advised fund. Although some founders praised the program, others criticized the controversial structure advised by donors. The program also launched a grant program in 2024 to provide $50,000 to nonprofits that help diverse founders.
Its last cohort was in March 2025, and its indefinite hiatus came as many big tech names are reframing, scaling back or eliminating their previous public commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion. We have contacted a16z and Ampadu for comment.
His full note below:
I moved to the United States three months before my 11th birthday. A month later, I started 6th grade at a school more than 5,000 miles from home, my friends, and everything familiar. Recently, my mother reminded me that my school required me to enroll as an ESL student. My memory immediately flashed back to how confused I felt. Even at 10 years old, I knew it made no sense for a child from Ghana, an English-speaking country, to be asked to learn a language he already spoke fluently.
It was a system requirement, a general assumption about what students in certain places could or could not do. It is this same type of systemic assumption that we decided to challenge through the Talent x Opportunity initiative. The venture capital ecosystem often relies on metrics like schools, networks, and prior degrees, which can mask exceptional founders who don’t follow the most common paths. TxO has invested in and supported these overlooked founders to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity.
During my tenure with the firm, I have been deeply grateful for the opportunity and trust given to lead this work. Identifying off-grid entrepreneurs and supporting them as they refined their ideas, raised capital, and became confident leaders was one of the most meaningful experiences of my career.
As I move on to my next chapter, I walk away with pride in what we’ve built and gratitude to everyone who helped shape it. Thank you for the trust, collaboration and belief in what is possible. There’s still work to do and I’m excited to keep building.
