An investor in people: it takes in those who have no team or idea yet, helps find a cofounder and pays a grant while you look. Past achievements and a wish to build a US company are needed. The site names no age or deadline: write to them.
Entrepreneur First· Entrepreneur First (EF) – talent investor for founders from scratch
An equity-free grant while you ideate; after you form a company, an investment of up to $250,000 and up to $5M of follow-on funding; over $600K in cloud and tool credits; office space for nine months in London, Bangalore and San Francisco
One-off
Entrepreneur First is an investor in people: it takes into the programme those who have no team or even an idea yet, helps find a co-founder and pays a no-equity grant while you look for an idea. Once a company is formed it advertises investment of up to $250,000 and up to $5 million of follow-on funding, cloud credits of more than $600,000 and an office for nine months in London, Bangalore and San Francisco. All figures are stated by the company itself.
People, not projects, are selected: by past achievement, ambition and potential; EF looks for those who have built products, organisations or startups before and want to build a company in the US. Age, deadlines and the size of the grant while you look for an idea are not on the main page, so write to them.
Checking against your answers…
Where to go and what to do, step by step
Assess whether you fit: EF takes people who have continuously outperformed their peers, built products, organisations or start-ups before and want to build a company in the US. You may have no idea yet.
Gather examples of what you have already built (projects, organisations, wins): you and your potential are what they assess.
Apply at joinef.com (“Apply here”). The page states no age or deadline: if they matter, ask EF.
If selected, you join a cohort of peers in one of EF's offices: first the search for a cofounder (matching, a weekend residential retreat), then the idea and first revenue.
Read the investment terms before signing: the page speaks of “up to $250K once you form a company” and an equity-free grant while you ideate.
Documents and materials to attach to the application.
Example (written by us): Ana describes in her application the grant-search site she built herself, the school project club she founded and a contest win; she asks EF about age and deadlines before planning a move.
An example we wrote to illustrate: it is not an official sample, replace the details with your own.
They select people rather than projects: by past achievements, ambition and potential; then they help match a cofounder.
Per the company itself: an equity-free grant while you ideate; up to $250,000 of investment once you form a company; up to $5M of follow-on funding; over $600K in cloud credits; nine months of office space. The page does not name the size of the ideation grant, nor an age or deadline.
Guide checked against the official pages: 9 October 2026. Guide written from official sources. Details may change: check them on the application page.
A letter template and a checklist to review before sending. If a local model is running on your computer, the text reads more naturally.
“EF is for individuals who have: continuously outperformed their peer group built products, organizations or startups in the past the ambition to build a company in the U.S.”
Experience from people who have already applied. These are user opinions and are not verified by the organiser.
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This information is for guidance only. Conditions change every year — check them on the provider's official website before applying.
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