Kofi Ampadu, the a16z partner who led the fund and the firm’s Talent x Opportunity (TxO) program, has left the firm, according to an email he sent to staff obtained by TechCrunch. This comes months after the company discontinued TxO and laid off most of its staff.
“During my time at the company, I was deeply grateful for the opportunity and trust to lead this work,” Ampadu wrote in the email, sent Friday afternoon, with the subject “Closing my a16z chapter.”
“Finding entrepreneurs outside the network and supporting them as they honed their ideas, raised capital and developed into confident leaders has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my career,” he wrote.
Ampadu led the program, which launched in 2020, for more than four years until it was discontinued last November, taking over from original leader Nait Jones. Next, Ampadu looks like it worked on a16z last gas, Speedrun.
Ampadu’s departure may mark the end of the TxO chapter. The fund and program focused on supporting underserved founders by providing access to technology networks and investment capital through a donor-advised fund. Although some founders spoke highly of the program, others criticized the controversial structure that advised sponsors. The program also launched a grant program in 2024 to provide $50,000 to nonprofits that help diverse founders.
Its last team was in March 2025, and its indefinite hiatus comes as many top tech names reframe, cut or scrap previous public commitments to diversity, equality and inclusion. We’ve reached out to 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 away from my home, friends, and everything familiar. Recently, my mom reminded me that my school required me to register as an ESL student. My memory flashed back to how confused I felt. Even at age 10, I knew it made no sense to ask a child from Ghana, an English-speaking country, to learn a language he was already fluent in.
This was a systems requirement, a restrained assumption about what students from certain places could or could not do. This 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 like schools, networks, and past credentials, which can hide great founders who don’t follow the most common paths. TxO invested and supported these neglected founders to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity.
During my tenure at the company, I was deeply grateful for the opportunity and trust to lead this work. Identifying offline entrepreneurs and supporting them as they honed their ideas, raised capital, and developed into confident leaders was one of the most meaningful experiences of my career.
As I move into my next chapter, I leave with pride in what we’ve built and gratitude for everyone who helped shape it. Thank you for your trust, cooperation and belief in what is possible. There’s more work to do and I’m excited to keep building.
