ENTREPRENEUR-FIRST
Entrepreneur First (EF) , a scaleup investor in early stage founder talent, has raised a $158m Series C funding round from a group of veteran technology founders, including Patrick and John Collison, Reid Hoffman, Taavet Hinrikus and Matt Mullenweg.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005653/en/
Bucking the trend of mounting layoffs and diminishing venture capital volumes across the startup world, owing to fears of a looming recession, the host of successful entrepreneurs and founders are backing EF to unlock opportunities for a diverse set of new global founders.
EF’s impressive global roster of backers includes , John and Patrick Collison (co-founders of Stripe), Taavet Hinrikus (co-founder of Wise), Reid Hoffman (co-founder of LinkedIn), Matt Mullenweg (co-founder of Wordpress), Tom Blomfield (co-founder of Monzo and GoCardless), Nat Friedman (former CEO of Github), Sara Clemens (former COO of Twitch and Pandora), Matt Robinson (co-founder of Nested and GoCardless), Patrick O’Shaughnessy (Positive Sum), Demis Hassabis and Mustafa Suleyman (co-founders of Deepmind), Claire Hughes Johnson, Sten Tamkivi, Elad Gil and Lachy Groom.
Founded in 2011 by Matt Clifford and Alice Bentinck in London, EF now employs 120 around the world. It operates as an early-stage investor, helping talented people find co-founders to partner with ahead of launching startups.
“Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. The idea of taking strangers and helping them start robust and ambitious companies is no longer radical but essential to power the next stage of innovation,” said Matt Clifford, CEO and co-founder of Entrepreneur First.
“The whole EF thesis is finding individuals who otherwise might not start companies and then trying to accelerate their journey to success,” he said.
“EF is completely unique in the early-stage funding landscape. Our whole effort focuses on talent rather than typical venture capital deal flow. We don't try and win deals, we don't pick deals, we find great people. That brings big strengths. The ability to partner before there even is a company is both a relationship and an economic strength,” he added.
Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and Entrepreneur First board member said: “We are entering a new era for venture funding, with a new generation of global founders needing support to build iconic companies from scratch. I’m excited to be part of this world-class syndicate. We’re all passionate about the power of entrepreneurship to change people’s lives and to change the world. Entrepreneur First represents a new way for talented people to access that opportunity and a new way to build startup ecosystems outside Silicon Valley.”
Alice Bentinck, co-founder of Entrepreneur First, said: “As the value of EF’s portfolio companies passes $10bn, we feel we’re just getting started. We want EF to have a product to enable every ambitious individual to find their co-founder. EF is already one of the world’s great talent communities and with this new funding and these new investors, we’re looking forward to partnering with thousands of more exceptional founders in the coming years”
The cash -- raised as a funding round, rather than a ‘fund’ -- will be used to make investments into new startups as well as allow EF a capacity to experiment, and innovate on how best to fund the next generation of entrepreneurs by launching new products aimed at up-ending the typical venture capital model.
EF is also announcing today that the aggregate value of companies created through its platform now exceeds $10bn. Notable alumni include Tractable (the computer vision unicorn focused on the insurance industry, funded by Insight and Georgian Partners); Omnipresent (the employment platform for remote work, funded by Tencent and Kinnevik); Aztec Protocol (the private transaction protocol, funded by Paradigm); Cleo (the financial management app, funded by Balderton and EQT Ventures); and Permutive (the privacy-compliant advertising infrastructure platform, funded by Softbank).
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005653/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Andersen Consulting udvider sit udbud med LBC12.12.2025 11:09:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Andersen Consulting styrker sine kompetencer gennem en samarbejdsaftale med LBC, en Portugal-baseret international virksomhed kendt for sin integrerede tilgang til forretningsoptimering, digital transformation og udvikling af menneskelig kapital, der kombinerer kreativitet og menneskelig etik med ai med henblik på at accelerere værdiskabelse. LBC blev stiftet i 2001 og bistår internationale organisationer, offentlige instanser og virksomheder inden for adskillige brancher, herunder finans, energi, TMT, transport og den offentlige sektor. LBC betjener kunder i Afrika, Nord- og Sydamerika samt Europa og leverer ydelser inden for management consulting, digital transformation, kapacitetsopbygning og ai-implementering. Virksomheden er kendt for en kultur præget af innovativ transformation med fokus på vedvarende resultater og hjælper kunder med at navigere i komplekse forandringer med målbar effekt. Nylige investeringer i enterprise AI styrker virksomhedens kompetencer inden for UX/UI, auto
INNIO to Supply Technology for a Landmark Project in Texas, Reinforcing Grid Stability12.12.2025 09:59:00 CET | Press release
INNIO Group, a leading energy solution and service provider, is collaborating with the U.S. power utility Greenville Electric Utility System (GEUS) on a landmark 104-megawatt (MW) power plant. The new plant is designed to help reinforce grid stability, cover peak loads, and enable greater integration of renewable energy. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251211712708/en/ Jenbacher J920 FleXtra “This project is a milestone for Texas and for INNIO. With fast-start capability, flexibility, and sustainability, we are creating the energy infrastructure that modern grids need: reliable, growth-promoting, and supporting the expansion of renewables,” said Dr. Olaf Berlien, President and CEO of INNIO Group. Groundbreaking for the plant’s construction took place in early December, with commissioning scheduled for summer 2027. The groundbreaking marks the beginning of the largest installation to date of Jenbacher J920 FleX
Kioxia Develops Core Technology that Will Allow the Practical Implementation of High-density, Low-power 3D DRAM12.12.2025 06:24:00 CET | Press release
Showcase the technology of highly stackable oxide-semiconductor channel transistors Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced the development of highly stackable oxide-semiconductor channel transistors that will enable the practical implementation of high-density, low-power 3D DRAM. This technology was presented at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) held in San Francisco, USA, on December 10, and has the potential to reduce power consumption across a wide range of applications, including AI servers and IoT components. In the era of AI, there is growing demand for DRAM with larger capacity and lower power consumption that can process large amounts of data. Traditional DRAM technology is reaching the physical limits of memory cell size scaling, prompting research into the 3D stacking of memory cells to provide additional capacity. The use of single-crystal silicon as the channel material for transistors in stacked memory cells, as is the
Andersen Global styrker sine juridiske kapaciteter med tilføjelsen af brasiliansk medlemsfirma11.12.2025 18:49:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Andersen Global udbygger sin juridiske platform i Brasilien, da Lotti e Araújo bliver et medlemsfirma, hvilket styrker organisationens kapacitet i Latinamerika. Lotti e Araújo blev stiftet for over 20 år siden og tilbyder omfattende juridisk rådgivning til brasilianske og multinationale klienter inden for en lang række brancher. Dets tværfaglige praksis omfatter selskabsret, skatteret, arbejdsret, retssager, inkasso og inddrivelse af gæld – samt specialiseret arbejde med at identificere skjulte aktiver og inddrive anke- og retsindskud i ældre sager. Firmaet håndterer også voldgift, forvaltningsret, udenlandske investeringer, fast ejendom, intellektuel ejendomsret, databeskyttelse og virksomhedsomstrukturering og tilbyder juridisk assistance inden for selskabsdannelse og repræsentation over for tilsynsmyndigheder. Teamet rådgiver klienter om forebyggende juridiske strategier og komplekse tvister for administrative organer og domstole i Brasilien. "Hos Lotti e Araújo bygger vores praksis
BEYOND Developments Reveals a New Vision for Purposeful Living on Dubai Islands with SIORA11.12.2025 18:02:00 CET | Press release
A 2M sqft masterplan inspired by Japanese garden principles, crafted around balance, clarity, and the quiet rhythm of coastal life BEYOND Developments, the bold and design-led real estate developer shaping next-generation waterfront destinations in the UAE, today unveiled SIORA, its first beachfront masterplan on Dubai Islands and the company’s second large-scale community within a year. The launch underscores BEYOND’s accelerated growth and strong alignment with Dubai’s future urban vision. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251211014389/en/ BEYOND Developments - SIORA Masterplan at sunset - Dubai Islands (Photo: AETOSWire) Spanning over 2M square feet, SIORA is conceived as a coastal sanctuary inspired by Japanese garden philosophies, including the pursuit of Ikigai, the Japanese concept of finding purpose and fulfilment in everyday life. In this context, it reflects a philosophy of creating spaces that bring c
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom