Young Gun-founded company creator Entrepreneur First to launch in Berlin

Entrepreneur First (EF), the London-based creator of technology start-ups, is to launch in its second international location after Singapore with expansion to Berlin in April.

Founded by Young Guns Alice Bentinck MBE and Matt Clifford in 2011, EF invests in talented individuals pre-team and pre-idea, matching them with other entrepreneurs to build tech companies from scratch.

Alice Bentinck spoke to Startups in 2017 about her mission for EF to become the biggest creator of European Unicorns.

Unlike the six-month programmes in London and Singapore, EF will run a new model in Berlin that will act as the prototype for how it scales globally. Lasting up to four months, the new programme will be support “exceptional” individuals in forming a team and a viable, scaleable idea, with a stipend of €2,000 per person for the duration.

The first three months is the part of the programme that matches participants with each other, while the second half involves supporting the new teams with the development of their business plan and to get pitch-ready.

Successful teams will be eligible for investment from EF’s existing fund and will have the opportunity to take part in its London demo day.

Zefi Hennessy Holland, who participated in the very first EF cohort in London, will lead the new Berlin office.

In a blog-post, Clifford explained why Berlin was chosen as the next start-up location: “Berlin is a thriving start-up ecosystem — with multiple unicorns and great investors. It’s a magnet for people who want to build things that change the world.

“Why? The magical combination of creative energy, a growing technical talent base and cheap rent. This makes it a natural place for the most curious and ambitious people to come together to create extraordinary things. Wherever there are people like that, EF wants to be.”