Cory Levy is Founder of Z Fellows, a one-week startup accelerator that offers technical founders $10,000 in funding and mentorship to fast-track into Silicon Valley. He is also founder of First Text and an angel investor in over 20 startups.

Cory studied Computer Science at the University of Illinois before dropping out to co-found After School, an anonymous teen social network that reached over 20 million users and raised $1 million in venture capital when he was 19.

Cory was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in both Consumer Technology and Dorm Room Founders categories in 2017. He also served on the Board of Directors of DoSomething.org and created Internapalooza, an annual conference connecting Silicon Valley interns with entrepreneurs.

Z Fellows has supported over 500 founders across multiple cohorts, with alumni raising over $15 million from top investors including General Catalyst, Founders Fund, and SV Angel. The program brings together 10 builders per cohort with mentors including founders from Tinder, Figma, AngelList, and Netflix.

Z Fellows portfolio companies have raised over $15 million in follow-on funding, with multiple companies achieving seed rounds led by General Catalyst and other top-tier VCs. The program has become a key entry point for ambitious technical founders looking to enter the Silicon Valley ecosystem.