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Entrepreneur First

supports engineers and computer scientists to build world-class tech companies from scratch.

We specialise in supporting people to build technically defensible companies from scratch. Companies founded on our programme solve hard problems using commercialised applications of unique and cutting-edge technology. We fund you as an individual, then help you meet your cofounder and develop an idea.

Our programmes in London and Singapore give you everything you need to have the best shot at building a world-class technology company.

We’ve helped over 350 individuals build 100 companies with a total valuation of over $500m.

We choose the world's top technical individuals

We select people at any stage of their career - from recent Computer Science graduates at the world’s top technical universities, to postdoctoral researchers and engineers working at tech firms. But we don't just go by paper credentials - the people who join EF are usually motivated by applying new technology and solving hard problems. Technologists who are resourceful, creative and relentless usually make brilliant founders.

We're looking for the best potential founders to join us. You don't need a team to apply. If you want to build something ambitious, read more about our application process.

How it works

EF is a two year programme, that begins with a six month intensive programme in our offices in London or Singapore, followed by support for a further 18 months

Meet your cofounder

You don't need a team to apply to EF. We take less than 10% of applicants, and in each carefully selected cohort you’ll find experts in technical fields: PhDs from top ranking universities, industry leaders and top engineers. We are the best place to find your co-founder.

Develop an idea

Some people bring ideas to EF (often inspired by academic work or industry experience), but often people apply without a fixed idea. We’ll help you develop the best idea for your skillset by discovering your Edge during the programme.

Build and grow

Your mentors, our Partners, will help you build something technically ambitious, find your first customers and avoid common mistakes made by first-time founders. We'll help you navigate your seed round and ensure you get access to the world's best investors. EF companies raise the largest seed rounds in Europe.

Our alumni are building groundbreaking companies

To date, our alumni have built companies with a total valuation of over $500m. We've funded 75 of the fastest growing tech startups in Europe. They are backed by the the world's most prestigious VCs including Index Ventures, Balderton Capital, Octopus Investments and Y Combinator.

Our companies span multiple sectors and cover a wide spectrum of technological applications. We love deep technology that has real-world impact.

Magic Pony Technology

Rob Bishop and Zehan Wang met at Entrepreneur First as part of our third cohort. With Zehan's PhD in Computer Vision, and Rob's Masters in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, they created Magic Pony Technology, a research-led software company developing new machine-learning based approaches to video enhancement, prediction and compression.

They raised one of Europe's largest seed rounds in 2015, and built a team of PhDs from the top machine learning groups at Cambridge, Oxford, and Imperial. 18 months from the start of their EF journey they were acquired by Twitter for a reported $150million.

Cleo

Aleksandra had spent the past five years working for Google, Capgemini, Mendeley and as a software engineer, specialising in big data platforms. Barney holds a Masters in Machine Learning from the University of Bristol, and had been a Decision Scientist at Wonga, analysing financial data.

They brought their experience together to create Cleo, an AI assistant to manage your finances, using machine learning to automatically classify transactions, deliver relative insights and give an overview of your spending. They recently raised £550,000 to build out their team.

Apply now