Entrepreneur First (EF), known as the world's first “talent investor,” has opened a new office in San Francisco's South Park. Its aim is to foster connections between top entrepreneurship from around the world and the strong funding ecosystem available in the city.
As part of this initiative, five Indian companies incubated through EF's Bangalore program will receive an invitation to relocate to San Francisco after preliminary evaluation by EF's Seed Investment Committee.
EF's new San Francisco hub will help Indian startups access US investors and markets. The first group consists of 33 global teams working on diverse projects. EF also enhanced investment terms for selected teams, offering a $125,000 investment and pre-seed advances of up to $5,000 per founder.
This immersive program follows the graduate program launched in India in March 2023. Successful teams received tools, advice support, and funding to launch their startups. EF India mentored his 30 individuals and prepared them to create value for a global customer base from its inception.
Alice Bentinck, co-founder and CEO of EF, highlights the importance of SF Hub for providing access to top investors and fostering an ecosystem that supports EF founders did.
Rahul Samat, Partner and Head of India at EF, highlighted the program's role in helping Indian founders build global companies from the ground up. He praised the growth of participating startups and their potential to make a significant impact on the global startup ecosystem.
EF's post-funding support includes matching founders with Silicon Valley advisors, weekly discussions with industry experts, and pitching to top investors at in-person demo days hosted by Reid Hoffman . EF India's successful startups include Fello, a gamified investment platform with over 1 million users and over $4 million in funding, and an AI-powered platform that helps content creators compose original soundtracks. Beatoven, which spans a variety of fields.
Founded in 2011 by Matt Clifford and Alice Bentinck, Entrepreneur First is a pioneering investor in entrepreneurial talent. Their portfolio companies, backed by investors such as Sequoia and Andreessen Horowitz, are now valued at more than $10 billion.
EF has offices in London, Paris, Bangalore and San Francisco. They focus on funding early-career tech founders before they even have a team or an idea yet, with backing from industry giants like Reid Hoffman and Taavet Hinrichs. .
Image source: Economic Times
