Entrepreneur First offers $115m to invest in entrepreneurs

Entrepreneur First (EF), the global talent investor, recently announced the $115m first close of their latest fund. This is a global fund to invest in 2,200 of the world’s most ambitious tech entrepreneurs across six international markets, including London, Berlin and Singapore.

The investment was led by some top institutional investors across Europe, the US and Asia. Alongside them many successful entrepreneurs also invested, including Taavet Hinrikus, founder of TransferWise, Alex Chesterman, founder of Zoopla, not to mention EF alumnus Rob Bishop, the co-founded of Magic Pony Technology, recently bought by Twitter for $150m.

Founded in 2011 by Matt Clifford and Alice Bentinck, London based EF aims to help top-level talent build world-class tech startups.

This fresh fund will allow EF to invest in over 2,200 individuals across the globe. Boasting one of the largest pre-seed funds ever raised, EF plans to invest in in exceptional individuals, to join their cohorts in Bangalore, Berlin, Hong Kong, London, Singapore and Paris. The company’s tailored programme invests time and money, supporting these individuals in finding co-founders and build high-growth technology companies from scratch.

The fund is predicted to result in the building of 300+ venture backed companies over the next three years. It is expected to stimulate increased startup formation across all locations. This expected 300+ will be three times the number of VC-backed companies that EF has created to date.

EF co-founder and CEO, Matt Clifford, said: “What the most ambitious people choose to do with their lives has a profound impact on society, the economy and culture. Our ambition at Entrepreneur First will always be to identify and enable the most extraordinary individuals to build globally important companies.”

Today, EF has aided more than 1200 individuals create over 200 technology companies, collectively worth an impressive $1.5bn.