Cursor’s First Backer: How to Spot Genius Before the Evidence

Before Cursor was Cursor, Ali Partovi was giving its founders biweekly pep talks in their dorm years. Before Kalshi was legal, he backed the two founders calling 40 law firms. His fund, Neo, is built on one skill: identifying exceptional people before they have a track record.

Oct 15, 2026FeaturedLibrary of Minds

Listen to the episode on Delphi

It’s a superpower he decided to build at 24, after watching Mike Moritz size up candidates in 10 minutes. In this conversation, he puts words to the instinct: what magnetism means, why he worries about people who are too good at hype, and the mistakes with Steve Jobs and Jerry Yang that taught him the difference between bold and dishonest.

He also just launched his own podcast, Confession, where leaders like Satya Nadella share their most painful lessons.