Entrepreneurs First (EF) Bangalore Fall 26 is an intensive, in-person program for ambitious individuals aiming to build world-class companies from scratch. As a global talent investor, EF specializes in helping exceptional people find co-founders and develop breakthrough ideas, particularly those without a team or concept yet. The program operates on the philosophy that the right founder matters more than the idea: EF selects exceptional individuals, brings them together in Bangalore, and supports them through co-founder matching, company formation, and early fundraising.
The program provides an equity-free grant during the ideation phase, followed by up to $250,000 in investment upon company formation and potential for up to $5 million in follow-on funding through Series B. Participants unlock over $600,000 in partner credits including $350,000 in Microsoft Azure credits and $250,000+ from OpenAI, Anthropic, GitHub, PostHog, Datadog, and ElevenLabs. Participants receive a dedicated advisor, nine months of Bangalore office space, expert co-founder guidance, and access to EF's global alumni network. The program culminates in an SF Demo Day pitching to 200+ VC partners, with typical raises of $1 to $7 million within weeks. EF alumni have raised from Sequoia, Lightspeed, and Andreessen Horowitz across AI, deep tech, fintech, and enterprise software.
