talent investor and company builder · Private Equity, VC & Investment

Entrepreneur First

A talent investor that helps ambitious people with no team or idea find co-founders and start companies, with a London office.

About Entrepreneur First

Entrepreneur First, known as EF, backs individuals before they have a team or an idea. It helps them find a co-founder, develop a business and raise a first round of money. It runs programmes in Europe, India and the US, and recruits technical and entrepreneurial people, often straight from university.

EF says it matters what the world's most talented people choose to do with their lives. A March 2026 release quotes co-founder and chief executive Alice Bentinck on "identifying extraordinary individuals early and helping them build outlier companies from scratch".

The same release lists offices in London, Paris, Bangalore and San Francisco, and describes the company as San Francisco-based. It names Alice Bentinck as co-founder and chief executive and Matt Clifford as co-founder and chairman. Its London roots go back to its early years, with job listings for London roles on job boards.

EF presents itself as a place for ambitious, entrepreneurial people. We did not find a culture or values page, so judge this for yourself from its website.

There is a graduate route. An undated, expired London listing described a graduate-level analyst role (0 to 2 years of experience) helping build EF's first Graduate programme for final-year students, and we saw other London listings such as events and operations. Roles come and go, so check EF's careers page.

What they do

Key facts

Website: www.joinef.com

Start your career at Entrepreneur First

PURPOSE helps school and university students explore 62 sectors and over 1,000 entry-level careers in the UK, then connects them directly with employers.

Explore PURPOSE