Hustler Words – January 30, 2026 – A significant leadership change has rocked prominent venture capital firm a16z, as Kofi Ampadu, the partner instrumental in spearheading its Talent x Opportunity (TxO) fund and program, has officially exited the company. This departure, confirmed by an internal email from Ampadu obtained by Hustler Words, follows months after the TxO initiative was put on an indefinite hiatus and saw most of its dedicated staff laid off.
Ampadu, who had been at the helm of TxO for over four years since its inception in 2020, expressed profound gratitude for his tenure in an email titled "Closing My a16z Chapter," sent to colleagues on a recent Friday afternoon. "During my time at the firm, I was deeply grateful for the opportunity and the trust to lead this work," he penned, reflecting on his impactful journey.
The TxO program was conceived with a mission to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity, specifically targeting "out-of-network" entrepreneurs often overlooked by traditional venture capital channels. Ampadu articulated the profound personal satisfaction derived from 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." After TxO’s pause last November, Ampadu reportedly transitioned to working with a16z’s latest accelerator, Speedrun, before his ultimate departure.
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Ampadu’s exit potentially marks the definitive end of the TxO chapter. The fund and program were designed to empower underserved founders by granting them access to crucial tech networks and investment capital, primarily through a donor-advised fund structure. While many founders lauded the program’s support, the controversial donor-advised model drew criticism from some quarters. In a further commitment to its mission, TxO had also launched a grant program in 2024, allocating $50,000 to non-profits dedicated to assisting diverse founders.
The program’s final cohort concluded in March 2025, with its subsequent pause occurring amidst a broader industry trend. Many leading technology companies are currently re-evaluating, scaling back, or entirely discontinuing previous public commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Hustler Words has reached out to both a16z and Ampadu for further comment regarding this development.
In his farewell note, Ampadu shared a personal anecdote that underscored his commitment to TxO’s mission. Recalling his childhood move to the U.S. from Ghana, an English-speaking country, he recounted being mistakenly enrolled as an English-as-a-Second-Language student. This experience, he explained, highlighted "systemic assumptions about what students from certain places could or could not do." He drew a direct parallel to the venture ecosystem, which often relies on "proxies such as schools, networks, and prior credentials," inadvertently obscuring exceptional founders who deviate from conventional paths. TxO, he stated, was built to challenge these very assumptions.
Ampadu concluded his message with a forward-looking statement: "As I move on to my next chapter, I leave with pride in what we built and gratitude for everyone who helped shape it… There is more work to do and I am excited to keep building." His departure leaves a significant void in a16z’s diversity leadership, prompting questions about the future direction of its inclusion efforts.
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