Neo's new Residency program invests $750,000 in an uncapped SAFE for startups and provides a $40,000 no-strings-attached grant for college students.

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Ali Partovi's venture firm Neo has launched Neo Residency, a new accelerator program offering unusually founder-friendly terms. Instead of taking a fixed equity stake, Neo invests $750,000 via an uncapped SAFE, meaning its ownership percentage is tied to the startup's next funding round valuation—potentially as low as 0.75% at a $100M valuation. The program accepts 12–15 startups per cohort, includes a three-month residency in San Francisco and a two-week Oregon bootcamp, and features mentorship from operators like the president of Cognition and CTO of Notion. Additionally, five to eight college students receive $40,000 no-strings-attached grants. The program is positioned as more favorable than Y Combinator's fixed 7% or a16z Speedrun's 10%, with Partovi betting that prestige and elite selection can attract top founders without requiring large equity concessions.

Ali Partovi’s Neo looks to upend the accelerator model with low-dilution terms

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