About this programme
Neo is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm and mentorship community founded by Ali Partovi (co-founder of LinkExchange). Its flagship program — listed on neo.com under the URL "/accelerator" but now presented on-site as "Neo Residency" — accepts a curated cohort of up to 20 technical startup teams and student teams each cycle.
The program combines direct funding with an intensive, in-person residency: participants work out of Neo's San Francisco office and spend part of the program at a multi-week bootcamp, alongside mentors who are current or former operators at companies including OpenAI, Notion, Google, and Dropbox. Backed startups from Neo's programs and seed investments include Cursor, Kalshi, and Cognition.
Neo positions the program for both incorporated startup teams and student teams who have not yet formed a company. Students are told they face "no pressure to drop out or incorporate" to take part.
Neo states diversity is a core pillar of the program: since its founding, 45% of its capital has backed female or underrepresented-minority CEOs.
How it works
For startup teams: Neo provides $750K via an uncapped, post-money SAFE (the standard YC-form SAFE, MFN-only). In exchange, Neo receives participation rights to buy up to 5% total ownership in the company's next priced equity round, on terms set out in Neo's published residency agreement. Each founder additionally receives a $10K profit share in Neo's fund carry.
For student teams: Neo provides a $40K equity-free grant per person, plus a $10K profit share of Neo fund carry per student. If a student project turns into a company, Neo says it would want to invest on the same standard terms offered to startup teams, and the team can participate in Demo Day and VC introductions.
The program runs roughly 3 months. For the 2026 cycle the published schedule was: rolling applications before June, program kick-off and start of SF office work on June 2, a two-week in-person bootcamp in Oregon (Jul 12–26, travel/housing/meals covered), and a closing trip to Arizona culminating in Demo Day and a Reunion (Sep 30–Oct 4), where teams pitch investors, operators, and the wider Neo community.
Alongside funding, teams get access to Neo mentors (weekly meetings with a primary mentor plus workshops and 1:1 office hours with domain experts), Neo's recruiting platform for hiring, and startup credits — Neo's page cites $450K+ in Azure/AWS/OpenAI-type credits for startups and $100K+ for students, plus access to the top tier of Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub.
Who can apply
Neo says it accepts startup teams and student teams based in North America.
Students do not need to have incorporated a company or to have dropped out of school to apply.
Neo's own FAQ list (rendered as an unopened accordion on the official page, so answers were not extractable at verification) indicates the program fields questions on solo founders, non-technical founders, international teams, and stage/industry/founder-age restrictions — none of which Neo's public copy answers definitively outside the accordion, so those specifics are not stated here.
How to apply
- Apply through Neo's official application page at neo.com/accelerator-apply.
- In past cycles applications ran on a rolling basis ahead of the program's stated kick-off, with Neo saying funding and support begin as soon as a team is accepted, rather than waiting for a single admit date. At verification (mid-August 2026) Neo's own page states the 2026 Neo Residency application deadline has already passed.
- Neo's site does not publish a dedicated application email; it points applicants and questions to a "contact our team" link on the program page rather than a listed address.
- Outside the formal application cycle, Neo says founders seeking pre-seed or seed funding should contact its team directly, noting it prefers warm introductions.
Frequently asked
Is "Neo Accelerator" the same program as "Neo Residency"?
On neo.com, the URL path "/accelerator" now serves a page titled "Neo Residency," describing the same funding-plus-in-person-program format. Neo's separate "/accelerator-apply" application page still carries the "Neo Accelerator" name, so the two names currently refer to the same underlying Neo program on their site.
How much funding does Neo provide?
Per Neo's current program page, startup teams get $750K via an uncapped, post-money SAFE, with Neo taking participation rights to buy up to 5% total ownership in the startup's next equity round. Student teams get a $40K equity-free grant per person. Both groups also get a $10K profit share in Neo's fund carry.
Do I need to be incorporated or drop out of school to join as a student?
No. Neo's page explicitly tells student applicants to feel no pressure to drop out or incorporate to take part.
Where does the program take place?
Teams work out of Neo's San Francisco office space for the roughly 3-month program, with an all-expenses-paid, in-person bootcamp (Neo covers travel, housing, and meals) held in Oregon, and the program closes with a trip and Demo Day.
What if I've already missed this cycle's application deadline?
As of mid-August 2026, Neo's program page itself states the 2026 Neo Residency application deadline has passed. For pre-seed or seed funding outside the program cycle, the page tells founders to contact Neo's team directly, noting Neo prefers warm introductions.
Does the program only accept US teams?
Neo's page states it accepts startup teams and student teams based in North America.
What perks beyond funding does the program include?
Neo lists mentor access (weekly 1:1s plus workshops and office hours with domain experts), a recruiting platform for hiring engineers (used alongside companies such as OpenAI, Notion, and Ramp), and startup credits it puts at $450K+ (for startups) or $100K+ (for students) from providers including Microsoft Azure, AWS, and OpenAI, plus access to the top tier of Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub.
Reviewed 2026-08-16. Programmes change — confirm current eligibility, amounts and deadlines on the official page before you apply. CapEasy is a private consultancy and is not affiliated with any government authority.