Entrepreneurs First (EF)

Before you apply

EF backs people, not companies, so you do not need a cofounder, a pitch deck or even a fully formed idea before applying. What matters is your own track record and drive.

How applications work

• Apply through apply.joinef.com, not by email.
• The first step only asks for your name, email, phone number and LinkedIn profile.
• Verify your email, then a link is sent to complete the rest of the application.
• Reviews happen on a rolling basis, and a single cohort runs multiple selection rounds, so applying a little later than the early deadline does not rule you out.
• If you're applying to the Bangalore programme, be ready to relocate to Bangalore for the programme itself, and to San Francisco later only if your company goes on to raise EF's second, optional investment.

What EF says it looks for

• Ambition: a drive to build something at real scale, not a small or incremental idea.
• Founder aptitude: leadership qualities, a bias toward action, and strong problem-solving under uncertainty.
• EF evaluates you as an individual first — you are not expected to arrive with a cofounder or an idea already validated.

Practical points

• The programme is full-time and in person; remote participation is not offered.
• EF does not handle visas itself, though it may offer some support depending on your situation — sort your visa before the programme start date.
• If you're not selected or don't go on to raise investment, EF says you keep access to its alumni community.

Entrepreneurs First is a talent investor founded by Alice Bentinck and Matt Clifford. It backs individual people before they have a cofounder or a startup idea, and currently runs offices in London, Paris, Bangalore and San Francisco. Its Bangalore programme is based in HSR Layout.

What they support

EF's model is unusual among incubators: it invests in the person, not a company or an idea. Applicants are assessed as individuals, on ambition and founder aptitude, before they have a cofounder or anything to pitch. The programme is full-time and in person, and EF says most participants find a cofounder within the first weeks. Anyone can apply from anywhere, but selected founders relocate to join the programme in person; EF does not arrange visas itself, though it may offer support depending on circumstance, and a visa must be sorted before attending.

Programmes

The Bangalore programme runs a FORM stage in the Bangalore office followed by a LAUNCH stage in San Francisco for teams that go on to raise investment. During FORM, participants get a Talent Investment described as equity-free, meant to cover living costs while they find a cofounder and shape an idea. If a team forms a company and is approved by EF's Investment Committee, it can take further investment and move to LAUNCH in San Francisco; this second step is optional and requires incorporating a Delaware C-corp. Teams that do not form a company, or are not invested in, keep access to EF's alumni community. EF's own pages give two different lengths for the Bangalore programme cycle, so treat the exact week count as approximate. EF also runs comparable cohorts in London, Paris and San Francisco, plus an experienced-founders track and a fellowship residency for young Europeans based in San Francisco.

Facilities and support

During FORM, participants get a desk in EF's Bangalore office and a dedicated local advisor. EF also gives every participant access to its team of talent investors and a global advisor network, and pairs participants with potential cofounders from the cohort. Founders who go on to LAUNCH in San Francisco get office space there too, along with support preparing for fundraising and a Demo Day where they pitch to investors.

Track record

Across its full portfolio, EF says the companies it has backed are collectively worth more than eleven figures in dollars, including a number of unicorns; portfolio backers named on its site include Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, SoftBank Vision Fund and Khosla Ventures. Two of its portfolio companies, Sonantic and Credit Kudos, were acquired by Spotify and Apple respectively. EF's Bangalore office is led by Rahul Samat as Partner and General Manager, who the company says has built companies at EF that went on to raise from major US venture firms.

Who runs it

EF was cofounded by Alice Bentinck, who is CEO, and Matt Clifford, who chairs the company. Its leadership includes partners for each hub: Rahul Samat leads Bangalore, Jonny Clifford leads London, and Joe Ros leads North America, alongside a chief operating officer and a deputy chief product officer. EF lists open roles for its own staff, mainly for a role it calls Talent Investor, on a careers page on its site.

Locations

EF's Bangalore office is at Urban Vault 65, 11th Main Road, Sector 6, HSR Layout, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560102. Its other hubs are in London, at Shoreditch Exchange, and in San Francisco, at 501 Folsom Street.

How to apply

Applications go through EF's own portal, apply.joinef.com. The form starts with basic contact details and an email verification step, followed by further questions sent by email once verified, and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. EF says it is looking for people who stand out on two traits: ambition to build something at scale, and founder aptitude, meaning leadership, a bias to action and strong problem-solving. A cohort for Bangalore was open for applications at the time of this research, with an early-round deadline in the first week of October; EF runs several selection rounds for each cohort, so later applicants can still be considered in later rounds. An earlier Bangalore cohort, for a fall intake, has already closed.