Ali Partovi
AcceleratorFounder & CEO, Neo
Neo founder backing exceptional technical founders early
Background
Ali Partovi is the Founder and CEO of Neo, a mentorship community and venture fund he established around 2017. He is an Iranian-born Harvard graduate who co-founded LinkExchange (acquired by Microsoft in 1998 for $265M) and iLike (acquired by MySpace in 2009). Along with his twin brother Hadi, he was an early investor in Facebook, Airbnb, and Dropbox. Neo closed a $320 million Fund IV in April 2025 and focuses on identifying exceptional technical founders — often while still in college — through coding evaluations and mentorship. Notable portfolio companies include Cursor (Anysphere), Cognition, Bluesky, Kalshi, and Pika Labs.
Investment Thesis
Identifies exceptional individuals — especially technically strong college students — before they've founded companies, backing them with mentorship and capital at the earliest stages.
Investment Focus
Stages
Typical check: $750K (Neo Residency); larger seed investments via fund
Sectors
Based in: Global, headquartered in San Francisco, CA (North America)