Entrepreneurs First (EF) is a unique accelerator that doesn’t wait for founders to show up with a startup—it backs exceptional individuals first, then helps them become funded founders. EF is designed for people with talent, ambition, and potential, whether they already have an idea, are exploring one, or have nothing more than the drive to build something big.
What makes EF different:
EF builds cofounding teams from scratch. Through a highly curated matching process, founders gain access to a pool of top-tier talent, meet potential cofounders at retreats and hackathons, and receive expert guidance on selecting the right partner. Many unicorn and high-growth companies—like Sonantic (acquired by Spotify)—were formed entirely through EF’s matching process.
From zero to revenue:
Founders join EF at the earliest stage, often before an idea exists. EF advisors help shape and validate concepts rapidly, with the top-performing teams generating revenue by Demo Day. Founders work closely with advisors in EF’s local offices and receive U.S.-market support from a dedicated San Francisco partner.
Elite network & global exposure:
EF provides private, off-the-record sessions with some of the world’s most iconic founders and tech leaders, including John Collison (Stripe), Adam D’Angelo (Quora), Eric Schmidt (Google), Demis Hassabis (DeepMind), Nat Friedman, Kevin Hartz, and Daniel Gross. Founders also gain access to a powerful investor base: Founders Fund, Greylock, a16z, Index, Khosla, Sequoia, Initialized, and more.
Bridge to Silicon Valley:
EF helps founders relocate, incorporate as a Delaware C Corp, build for the U.S. market, and pitch at EF’s San Francisco Demo Day, attended by 200+ VC partners. Most EF companies raise $1–7M within weeks of Demo Day, with many going on to build venture-backed businesses in AI, robotics, fintech, supply chain, and aerospace.
Founder-friendly funding & support:
Equity-free grant during ideation
Up to $250K investment once the company forms
Up to $3M in follow-on funding
Over $600K in credits (Azure, OpenAI, Anthropic, GitHub, PostHog, Datadog, ElevenLabs, and more)
Nine months of office space across London, Bangalore, and San Francisco
Track record:
Companies built through EF exceed $13B in total value, including:
Aztec (privacy infrastructure for Ethereum)
Cleo (AI financial management)
Neptune Robotics (robotic ship maintenance)
Omnea (AI supply chain)
Magdrive (satellite propulsion)
EF is ideal for ambitious individuals who’ve consistently outperformed their peers, built products or organizations before, and want to found a U.S.-focused, venture-scale startup.
San Francisco, California, United States