SAN FRANCISCO, November 4, 2025 – Kofi Ampadu, the partner who spearheaded a16z’s Talent x Opportunity (TxO) fund and program, has departed the firm, according to an email he sent to staff. This move follows the firm’s decision months earlier to pause TxO and reduce its team.
A Shift in Focus for Tech Investment
The departure signals a potential turning point for a program designed to support underrepresented founders in the tech industry.
- The initiative aimed to provide resources and capital to overlooked entrepreneurs.
- Ampadu’s departure comes amid a broader tech industry reassessment of DEI commitments.
“During my time at the firm, I was deeply grateful for the opportunity and the trust to lead this work,” Ampadu wrote in the email, sent Friday afternoon, with the subject line “Closing My a16z Chapter.” he continued, “Identifying out-of-network entrepreneurs and supporting them as they sharpened their ideas, raised capital, and grew into confident leaders was one of the most meaningful experiences of my career.”
Ampadu had led the TxO program, which launched in 2020, for over four years, succeeding nait Jones as its leader. Following the program’s pause last November, Ampadu reportedly contributed to a16z’s speedrun accelerator.
What was the goal of the Talent x Opportunity initiative? TxO focused on bridging the gap between talent and opportunity by investing in and supporting founders often overlooked due to their backgrounds or networks. The program provided access to tech networks and investment capital through a donor-advised fund.
While some founders praised the program’s impact, others voiced concerns regarding the donor-advised fund structure. In 2024, txo also launched a grant program, allocating $50,000 to nonprofits dedicated to assisting diverse founders.
The program’s last cohort concluded in March 2025. Its indefinite pause aligns with a wider trend in the tech sector,where companies are re-evaluating or scaling back prior commitments to diversity,equity,and inclusion. Representatives from a16z and Ampadu have been contacted for further comment.
I moved to the United States three months before my 11th birthday. One month later, I started 6th grade in a school more than 5,000 miles from my home, my friends, and everything familiar.Recently, my mom reminded me that my school required me to enroll as an English-as-a-Second-Language student. my memory instantly returned to how confused I felt. Even at 10 years old,I knew it made no sense that a kid from Ghana,an English-speaking country,was being asked to learn a language he already spoke fluently.
This was a systems requirement, a blanketed assumption about what students from certain places could or could not do. That same type of systemic assumption is what we set out to challenge through the Talent x Opportunity Initiative. 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. TxO invested in and supported these overlooked founders to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity.
During my time at the firm, I was deeply grateful for the opportunity and the trust to lead this work. Identifying out-of-network entrepreneurs and supporting them as they sharpened their ideas, raised capital, and grew into confident leaders was one of the most meaningful experiences of my career.
as I move on to my next chapter, I leave with pride in what we built and gratitude for everyone who helped shape it. Thank you for the trust, the collaboration, and the belief in what is possible. There is more work to do and I am excited to keep building.
