Andy Chen

Co-founder + GP @outcastvc. Former GP @coatuemgmt @kleinerperkins @cia. Early in Figma, Distyl, Scale. Still tinkering in my garage.

[Andy Chen @andychen]

Apply by 8/2: https://t.co/t0GAGBNZT1

[Andy Chen @andychen]

Today we’re launching Catalyst 02: where founders meet their co-founders

Looking back on cohort 01, one thing stood out…

[Andy Chen @andychen]

Applications for Catalyst 02 are now open:
💰️We invest $500K
💻️60 founders (half technical, half non-technical)
☀️ 2 months in SF
🤖 $1M+ cloud & compute credits

[Andy Chen @andychen]

That’s the point of these dinners.

They’re an extension of Catalyst, our founder formation program, and designed to bring together people who would likely never cross paths otherwise.

If that’s you, or someone you know, RSVP for our 7/8 dinner: https://t.co/dzLm9BKNmq

[Andy Chen @andychen]

Join me for a private dinner in SF for founders looking to meet potential co-founders.

https://t.co/dzLm9BKNmq

[Andy Chen @andychen]

That makes co-founder selection more important, not less.

Most founders don’t deliberately choose a co-founder. They default to whoever is nearby: a friend, former coworker, or someone already in their orbit.

[Andy Chen @andychen]

Chart data in collaboration with @coatuemgmt https://t.co/xvghfnCI0H

[Andy Chen @andychen]

Yesterday's $60B Cursor acquisition means a group of exceptional builders suddenly has the freedom to leave and start companies of their own.

At @OutcastVC , we track this through The Talent Mobility Index: our framework for understanding when exceptional technical talent is locked up, when it becomes liquid, and when it becomes free to build.

[Andy Chen @andychen]

The labs haven’t become less important.

The opportunity cost of leaving has changed.
If history is any guide, the next generation of iconic AI companies won’t emerge simply because the models improved.

They’ll emerge because exceptional people are becoming available to build them.

[Andy Chen @andychen]

@heyamylin @OutcastVC Catalyst applications officially closed last night but we're accept late submissions. We can't guarantee a response by April 13 midnight but we do read every application.

https://t.co/t0GAGBNs3t

[Andy Chen @andychen]

This is the question I get asked more than any other:
I'm grabbing coffee with a potential technical co-founder. What do I ask?"

So I wrote down 100 of them: https://t.co/JRERXhCo4z

[Andy Chen @andychen]

@heyamylin @OutcastVC The hard questions most people avoid until things start breaking.

The best founding teams I've backed didn't leave this to chance. They got explicit early on risk, on ambition, on life stage, on who owns what when things get hard.

And they always get hard.