# Tom Hammer

> Tom Hammer is a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz where he leads People Practices for a16z speedrun, the firm's early-stage accelerator investing up to $1M in pre-seed startups. A veteran people operator who has scaled teams at Riot Games and Bird Rides, Tom coaches founders on talent strategy, organizational design, and building high-performance cultures from day one. He is known for his direct, founder-first approach and his belief that strong hiring is the single greatest lever a startup has.

- **Role:** Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z speedrun)
- **Organizations:** Andreessen Horowitz, a16z speedrun, Goodwill of the San Francisco Bay
- **From:** Illinois, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** MBA / MA, Ohio State University, BSBA, Ohio State University
- **Known for:** Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, one of Silicon Valley's most influential venture capital firms, Leads People Practices for a16z speedrun, which has deployed $180M+ across 150+ startups, Scaled people operations at Riot Games for a globally distributed workforce

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Caddied at Wynstone Golf Club in Illinois starting at age 11, continuing for over a decade
- **Ohio State** — Earned BSBA, MBA, and MA; served as a recruiter for Ohio State's varsity football program
- **P&G era** — Worked at Procter & Gamble as HRBP and Category Account Manager
- **Riot Games** — Built performance and development programs for Riot Games employees globally
- **Bird Rides** — Led People and Recruiting at Bird Rides through a period of rapid growth and expansion
- **2021+** — Joined Andreessen Horowitz as Partner leading People Practices for a16z speedrun
- **2024** — Marked five years at Andreessen Horowitz
- **2025** — Launched a16z speedrun Global Founders Program, investing up to $1M in international startups
- **2026** — Announced a16z speedrun cohort 007 - the program has now deployed over $180M across 150+ startups

## Achievements

- Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, one of Silicon Valley's most influential venture capital firms
- Leads People Practices for a16z speedrun, which has deployed $180M+ across 150+ startups
- Scaled people operations at Riot Games for a globally distributed workforce
- Led People and Recruiting at Bird Rides during hyper-growth phase
- Launched a16z speedrun's Global Founders Program for international startup founders
- Board of Directors member at Goodwill of the San Francisco Bay
- Served as recruiter for Ohio State's varsity football program while earning three degrees

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — a16z speedrun 007 cohort announced, applications open for July-October 2026 program in San Francisco
- **2025-11** — Tom and speedrun's Head of Talent published advice on how founders should make their first hires
- **2025-09** — Launched speedrun's Global Founders Program, offering up to $1M for international startups with full logistical support
- **2024-07** — Marked five years at Andreessen Horowitz

## Links

- Website: https://a16z.com/author/tom-hammer/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-hammer
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/tmhammer

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