Entrepreneur First

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by Entrepreneur First

World's leading talent investor — invests in founders before idea. $200M raised, portfolio companies worth $16B+. Backed by founders of Stripe, LinkedIn, Google.

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Funding Model

Talent-first pre-company accelerator investing

Typical Check

Up to ~$250K at formation + up to $5M follow-on

Equity Terms

EF formation investment terms

Duration

6 months

Cohort Cadence

Multiple cohorts/year (London, SF, Bangalore, Singapore)

Application Cycle

Rolling by location

Deadline

Location-specific (London Fall: May 10, Bangalore Fall: May 1)

HQ Region

United Kingdom

Geographic Scope

Global

Last Verified

4/2/2026

AI Deep Tech Enterprise Biotech

Summary

Entrepreneur First is the world's leading talent investor, backing exceptional individuals before they even have a co-founder or idea. In March 2026, EF raised $200M in fresh capital — companies built through EF are now worth $16B+. The program provides up to ~$250K at company formation, $600K+ in cloud credits (OpenAI, Anthropic, GitHub), and up to $5M in follow-on funding.

EF's SF Demo Day brings 200+ top VCs including Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and Founders Fund. Companies regularly raise $1M–$7M within weeks of Demo Day. The program is backed by founders of Stripe (John & Patrick Collison), Eric Schmidt, and investors from Greylock.

EF operates globally across the US, UK, Singapore, and Bangalore, with multiple program tracks including XF2 for experienced founders (7+ years) and The Bridge residency for Europeans building in the US.