a42z - a Manifesto

Computing technical trust. At scale.

What is a42z?

In a world where anyone can fake a demo, we exist to verify what's real.

a42z is not just a brand. It’s a bet.

A bet that truth matters in an era flooded with demos, hype, and synthetic signals.

A bet that real technology should speak for itself.

We’re building the technical trust layer for the age of AI.

Where others judge projects by pitch decks, we read the code’s heartbeat.

Where others accept screenshots, we verify models in motion.

Where others see hype, we see signal.


Why “42”?

Because 42 is the answer to everything, and in our world, it’s the start of something bigger:

The quest for computable trust.

Where a16z changed how capital flows,

a42z changes how trust is earned.


a42z Product Ecosystem

Let AI judge AI. Your hackathon’s impartial, tireless, privacy-respecting technical evaluator.
  • Evaluates real code/model/API usage, not just slides
  • Multi-modal judging: git signals, system traces, documentation depth
  • Built for AI hackathons, Demo Days, and dev competitions
The secure corridor for due diligence. Founders retain control. Investors gain technical clarity.
  • No source code upload required
  • AI parses artifacts, diagrams, version history
  • Compliant, encrypted, founder-friendly
See through the pitch. Your AI-powered technical scout in the early-stage fog.
  • Spot high-signal early-stage teams
  • Track model originality, architectural boldness, velocity
  • Augments VC analysts
Turn signals into strategy. Deep, AI-powered technical market research for VCs.
  • Track trends in model frameworks, security patterns, open-source contributions
  • Compare competitors’ code depth
  • Guide investment theses with signal, not noise
The trust benchmark for technical projects. Cross-stack evaluations. Independent, interpretable, evolving.
  • Projects are scored by depth, originality, execution complexity, and signal velocity
  • Ranked across categories: LLM infra, agent orchestration, computer vision, on-device AI, etc.
  • Transparent criteria. Builder-friendly, investor-usable.

Our Mission

To build the protocol of technical trust for the age of generative hype.

In the AI century, pitch theatre must die.

Only builders should rise.

We believe:

  • Real tech has a trace.
  • Real builders leave signal.
  • And signal, if parsed right, becomes truth.

We are a42z.

We read between the lines of hype.

We are the signal engine of the AI century.