Entrepreneurs First announced it has raised $200 million in fresh capital from a group of prominent technology founders and investors, strengthening its mission of identifying exceptional individuals and helping them build startups from the ground up.
The San Francisco-based company builder and talent investor secured backing from figures including John and Patrick Collison, Eric Schmidt, Claire Hughes Johnson, Charlie Songhurst, Sara Clemens, Danny Rimer, and Matt Cohler, alongside institutional investors such as Greylock.
Entrepreneurs First backs individuals before they have a team or even a startup idea, helping them find co-founders, develop concepts, and raise their first round of funding. The company recruits top technical and entrepreneurial talent globally, often directly from leading universities, and guides them through an intensive program designed to create new technology companies.
The firm said its portfolio companies are now collectively valued at more than $16 billion, up from $3 billion when it last raised capital in 2021. Entrepreneurs First’s model is often described informally as the “CAA for startups,” reflecting its approach of identifying high-potential individuals early and helping them launch companies.
Entrepreneurs First maintains talent scouts across major universities including Stanford, MIT, Berkeley, Yale, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, and the University of Texas at Austin, as well as leading institutions in Europe and India. Selected participants join company-building programs in Europe, India, and the United States.
Startups that emerge from the program receive pre-seed funding from Entrepreneurs First and relocate to the Bay Area to raise additional capital and scale their businesses. The firm said all of its companies now incorporate in the United States and are expected to build from San Francisco beginning at the pre-seed stage.
Entrepreneurs First companies have secured backing from venture capital firms including Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, Benchmark, Founders Fund, and Index Ventures. Notable companies that originated through the program include Cleo, Aztec, Gensyn, and PolyAI.
The organization said that since relocating pre-seed-funded startups to the Bay Area in 2024, founders have experienced faster fundraising timelines and stronger valuations. According to Entrepreneurs First, the average time required to raise funding has been cut in half while valuations have doubled.
With the newly raised $200 million, Entrepreneurs First plans to expand its efforts to identify and support promising founders earlier in their careers, providing peer networks, mentorship, and early capital designed to help them build globally significant companies.
KEY QUOTES
“We have raised this capital to double down on what we do best: identifying extraordinary individuals early and helping them build outlier companies from scratch. Once we have identified the talent, our role is to create the environments, peer groups and standards that push exceptional people to operate at the edge of their capabilities. The Bay Area program is not just about proximity to capital. It changes the ambition gradient. Founders move faster, think bigger and compete on a global stage from day one.”
Alice Bentinck, Co-Founder And CEO Of Entrepreneurs First
“Once we have identified the talent, our role is to create the environments, peer groups and standards that push exceptional people to operate at the edge of their capabilities.”
Matt Clifford, Co-Founder And Chairman Of Entrepreneurs First
