Neo: funding, terms & how to apply
Ali Partovi's low-dilution counterweight to YC — a $750K uncapped SAFE (no fixed equity), tiny hand-picked cohorts, and a talent network that skews heavily technical.
Investment
$750K uncapped SAFE + $450K+ in compute credits
Equity
No fixed % — dilution set by your next round's valuation
Program length
3 months
Format
In person
Deadlines
Cohort-based (12–15 startups); applications open ahead of each residency
Acceptance rate
Not published
Facts last checked 2026-08-26. Deals and dates change — the official site is always the source of truth for the current application window.
What Neo actually is
Neo's 2026 deal restructure is the most founder-friendly headline in the accelerator market: $750K on an uncapped SAFE with no fixed percentage — your dilution is set by your next round's valuation, so a strong company might give up under 1%. Cohorts are small (12–15 companies), start with a two-week Oregon bootcamp, and run from Neo's San Francisco space, with $450K+ in compute credits layered on.
Selection is correspondingly brutal and talent-led: Neo grew out of a scholarship network for exceptional CS students, and the accelerator inherits that bar. Technical founders with strong academic or engineering pedigrees — especially in AI — are its center of gravity.
What they look for
The bar you need to clear before the application is worth sending.
Exceptional technical founders — the network's roots are elite CS talent.
AI-native products or infrastructure; recent cohorts skew heavily AI.
Companies where a small cohort and senior mentor density beat a big batch.
Ambition that justifies an uncapped instrument — the deal rewards breakout trajectories.
Before you apply
Most rejections happen before the interview — in the application itself
Every question Neo asks — problem, traction, business model, team, market size — maps to work you can finish first. Build your startup profile in StartupKit, run the readiness score, and walk into the application with real answers instead of blank fields. Free, no card.
Build your startup profile freeApplication FAQ
How much equity does Neo take?
None at a fixed percentage. The $750K is an uncapped SAFE that converts at your next round's valuation — at a $15M round that's ~5%, at $100M it's under 1%.
How is Neo different from YC?
Smaller cohorts (12–15 vs hundreds), a larger check with structurally lower dilution for strong companies, and a more selective, technical-talent-first culture. YC's network breadth is unmatched; Neo competes on terms and density.
Who should apply?
Strongly technical teams — especially AI — who believe they'll raise a well-priced round and want dilution to reflect that.
Similar programs
Y Combinator
North America · 7% on the $125K; the $375K SAFE converts at your next round
The accelerator every other accelerator is measured against — $500K on founder-friendly terms, four batches a year in San Francisco, and the strongest alumni network in tech.
HF0
North America · 5% for up to $1M; aimed at repeat founders
The monastery model — a 12-week live-in residency in a San Francisco mansion for repeat founders, trading distraction-free intensity and up to $1M for 5%.
a16z Speedrun
North America · 10% for the upfront $500K; no board seat
Andreessen Horowitz's own accelerator — up to $1M for games, AI and consumer-tech startups, 12 weeks in San Francisco, and a sub-0.4% acceptance rate.