a16z launches SAIF, a $25M nonprofit bringing AI cyber defense to small US cities
a16z Newsletter · rss · 2026-10-15
- Securing America's Infrastructure Foundation (SAIF) is a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit, led initially by Ben Horowitz and backed by $25M in committed funding, to deliver AI and cybersecurity tools, hands-on support, and training to under-resourced US public institutions — small municipalities, school districts, and the nation's 1,800 rural hospitals.
- The model is "forward-deployed engineering" rather than grants: free software, on-the-ground training, and cyber incident response, starting with ransomware defense and AI-assisted vulnerability finding in devices like MRI machines.
- Plan: pilot in two small cities, scaling to 5–10 anchor cities over five years.
- Board includes security veterans from Southern California Edison, Yahoo, Goldman Sachs/Google Cloud, Harvard, and Columbia.
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