# Samira Behrouzan

> Samira Behrouzan is a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) focused on Marketing and Games, and the force behind a16z speedrun - a pre-seed accelerator that has deployed over $180 million to 150+ startups at the intersection of games and technology. Before joining a16z, she led marketing at 100 Thieves and drove 20+ brand partnerships for Riot Games' Emmy-nominated Arcane series, including boundary-pushing collaborations like bringing ZEDD into VALORANT. A lifelong gamer who grew up on Sega Saturn and N64, she holds an Executive MBA from the IE Brown program and is a vocal advocate for women and underrepresented communities in gaming.

- **Role:** Partner, Marketing & Games at Andreessen Horowitz
- **Organizations:** Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), a16z speedrun, 100 Thieves, Riot Games, ZEDD Music
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Executive MBA (IE Brown Executive MBA Program), IE University & Brown University, BA, Political Science, University of California, Irvine (UCI)
- **Known for:** Led a16z speedrun to deploy $180M+ to 150+ gaming and tech startups, Drove 20+ brand partnerships for Riot Games' Emmy-nominated Arcane series, Brought ZEDD into VALORANT in a landmark music-gaming collaboration

## Career timeline

- **2010s** — Head of Marketing and Gaming at ZEDD Music, building programs with Riot Games, Aim Lab, Twitch, Discord, and Snapchat
- **2019-2022** — Senior Director of Marketing and Director of Creative Partner Marketing at 100 Thieves, a leading esports and lifestyle brand
- **2020-2022** — Led 20+ brand partnerships at Riot Games for Emmy-nominated series Arcane, including the ZEDD x VALORANT collab
- **2022** — Completed Executive MBA from IE Brown program; EMBA thesis focused on diversity and inclusion in gaming
- **2022-present** — Joined Andreessen Horowitz as Marketing Partner, leading a16z speedrun accelerator
- **2023** — a16z speedrun formally launched; commits up to $75M in pre-seed investments
- **2025** — a16z speedrun surpasses $180M deployed to 150+ startups

## Achievements

- Led a16z speedrun to deploy $180M+ to 150+ gaming and tech startups
- Drove 20+ brand partnerships for Riot Games' Emmy-nominated Arcane series
- Brought ZEDD into VALORANT in a landmark music-gaming collaboration
- Built and led marketing at 100 Thieves, one of gaming's premier lifestyle brands
- EMBA thesis on gaming diversity cited as influential work in the space
- Positioned a16z speedrun as a leading pre-seed accelerator in games and technology

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — a16z speedrun surpasses $180M deployed to 150+ startups, cementing its position as a top gaming accelerator
- **2024-04** — Brown University featured Samira's career journey in alumni spotlight on tech innovation
- **2023** — a16z speedrun formally launched with up to $75M commitment for pre-seed gaming and tech startups

## Links

- Website: https://a16z.com/author/samira-behrouzan/
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/samira-behrouzan-25b61845
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/SamiraBehrouzan
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supersamjam/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/samira-behrouzan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-08