Entrepreneur First is where outliers come together.
Ambitious individuals leave places like Google, Goldman Sachs and Stanford to join EF. Why? Because starting a startup is the highest impact thing you can do with your life.
EF is the best place to find a co-founder, build a company and access the world’s best investors. We've helped build over 140 technology companies, collectively worth over $1bn.
EF is backed by Reid Hoffman (founder of LinkedIn) and Greylock Partners, Mosaic Ventures, Founders Fund, Lakestar and some of the world's best entrepreneurs.
Read our manifesto here.
Upcoming Cohorts
EFPA1 (Paris)
Start date: 1st October 2018
Early application deadline: 31st July 2018
EFBE2 (Berlin)
Start date: 1st October 2018
EFLD11 (London)
Start date: 1st October 2018
EFSG5 (Singapore)
Start date: 29th January 2019
Application deadline: 30th November 2018
EFHK1 (Hong Kong)
Start date: 30th July 2018
Join as an individual, leave with a company.
We believe the world’s most important companies are created when smart, committed, and diverse individuals come together and form a breakthrough insight.
With each cohort at EF, we bring together extraordinary people to form companies with ambitious and unique visions for the future. EF helps these entrepreneurs — from the very beginning of their journey — to form teams, choose a problem to work on, develop a differentiated approach, and fundraise from the world's best investors.
Since 2011, we have built and funded more deep tech startups than any other investor. Magic Pony Technology was one of the largest AI exits of 2016, and the 140+ startups we have built are now worth more than $1 billion. EF is your best shot to build a globally important company.
We are backed by Reid Hoffman, Greylock Partners, Mosaic Ventures, Founders Fund, Lakestar Capital, and Deep Mind founders Demis Hassabis and Mustafa Suleyman. Read Reid Hoffman's thoughts on EF.
"Their approach to company building is unique, offering an alternative entrepreneurial career path for the best and brightest technical talent." - Reid Hoffman
How it works
EF Form: Create a team
To start a company, you need the right co-founder and a powerful insight. EF Form is a 3-month program designed specifically for individuals looking to start a company from scratch. Upon joining EF Form, you are introduced to a diverse, highly selective group of smart and insightful people — all looking to start their journey as entrepreneurs. EF has helped hundreds of individuals find co-founders with complementary skills and shared passions.
EF Form: Develop your insight
Once you find a co-founder on EF Form, you then work together to develop your company's core insight. We help you avoid common mistakes, understand your potential customers, and identify the most valuable problem you can solve based on your unique skills and experience — your ‘edge’. Companies created at EF Form span a wide set of sectors, from affordable robotics to AI-driven investment management platforms.
EF Launch: Get funded to start your business
If your team has an ambitious vision, you'll probably need funding to get customers and build a product. EF Launch accelerates this through continued guidance, an immediate investment in your company, and spot before hundreds of seed investors at Demo Day. We connect you with the right investors for your business, and help you navigate the fundraising process. EF Launch consistently helps teams raise more money on better terms.
We’ve helped over 350 individuals build 100 companies with a total valuation of over $1 billion.
A selection of our alumni
Magic Pony Technology
Magic Pony Technology’s founders, Rob Bishop and Zehan Wang, both studied at Imperial College London but didn't meet until they joined the EF3 cohort. Their research-led video compression software company was acquired by Twitter for $150m in 2016.
View more
View our alumni community
If you're an investor, here is the full list of companies in our portfolio
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