Entrepreneurs First invests in exceptional individuals to build startups from scratch.
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The $115m first close of our Global Fund will allow us to back 2200+ individuals to build global deep tech companies. To celebrate, we're publishing the stories of 6 remarkable individuals who we've already funded on this thread - starting now...
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From now on, when you join an EF program in Europe, India or the US, we’ll help you relocate to San Francisco to raise your seed round. Startups relocating to SF can expect to:
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EF are proud to announce a $12.4m funding round led by Greylock Partners' Reid Hoffman
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We’re excited to announce the launch of a dedicated platform for founders to create the future of the decentralised web: Entrepreneur First Web3 (London), in collaboration with @TezosFoundation.
tcrn.ch/3CgWZ4B
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Almost half of the pitches we saw today were delivered by some of the most talented women in the world. This is Talent Investing at its best. #EntrepreneurFirst
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We’re launching a new hub in San Francisco. From now on, startups across our global sites will be invited to relocate to San Francisco after funding from our Investment Committee. Read more here: joinef.com/posts/launching-o…
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3 weeks ago some of the most talented technologists from Europe, India and North America relocated to our new San Francisco office. In just 3 weeks time, they’ll be launching their startups at Demo Day.
But who are they? 🧵
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We're thrilled to announce EF Berlin: the next step in our mission to make EF accessible to every ambitious individual in the world techcrunch.com/2018/01/17/ef… . Apply now: bit.ly/2mSeGG1 #EFBerlin2018 #EFscalewithReid
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"In Silicon Valley, we joke that we should start Z Combinator, by taking everyone who failed at Y Combinator and giving them money"
Here's what @withfries2 of @a16z had to say on the value of the learning that comes with failure and how it's viewed in the Valley #vc #tech
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We're thrilled to welcome @benedictevans to our team as a Venture Partner:
techcrunch.com/2020/05/19/be…
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Today, we’re launching our office in South Park in San Francisco, welcoming founders from across our global sites. Cofounder and CEO of EF @Alicebentinck spoke to @CarolineHydeTV on @BloombergTV about how our SF office will give founders who have built their companies from scratch with EF in London, Paris, Bangalore and New York the opportunity to become part of the most ambitious startup ecosystem in the world.
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This is it.
60+ founders, 30+ pitches, 200+ investors.
Kicking off with a fireside chat between @Alicebentinck and @vkhosla, founder of Khosla Ventures.
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We are announcing an update to our Pre-Seed investment. Every company who we fund in 2024 out of our hubs in the US, Europe and India will now get up to $250k on founder-friendly, transparent terms.
Read more here: joinef.com/posts/updating-ou…
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We're delighted to announce that EF8 Alum Alex Appelbe @pelby and Bashir Beikzadeh of @Metis_labs have raised a €1 Million Seed Round to continue their mission to transform the manufacturing industry #manufacturing #ef bit.ly/2v6PRaj
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The countdown is over. @reidhoffman, @Alicebentinck, and @matthewclifford are kicking off our W‘23 Demo Day in San Francisco 👇
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What it’s like to join the Entrepreneur First programme?
We asked the people who have been through it.
More videos via: bit.ly/3oIIQab
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As Talent Investors, we identify and fund great founders before they start a company. But the best founders don't come neatly labelled.
Through working with thousands of founders, we've identified what sets the best apart, and who is on a trajectory for global success (thread)
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"If we had stood on the roof of the building throwing over $100 bills we wouldn't have been spending money as fast."
It was great to hear some of @linkedin co founder @reidhoffman's old war stories from his @PayPal days when he visited us in London
#blitzscaling
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Yesterday we ran our first Demo Day in San Francisco where our latest batch pitched to >100 of Silicon Valley’s top Partner-level investors.
Today, you can learn more about these companies on our W’23 online Demo Day Portal. Check it out here: bit.ly/49bZVQl
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We just launched >30 startups at our first Demo Day in San Francisco, check it out here 🧵
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We’ve raised a $158M Series C from today’s most successful founders to build the world’s best platform for building co-founding teams.
Read more: tech.eu/2022/06/29/a-whos-wh…
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We are excited to welcome @ArlanWasHere to the EF offices tomorrow. Arlan will be speaking to our cohort about her journey into VC and her progress in backing seed stage companies | @AndysHVC
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Fantastic to see @UnitaryAI (LD12) announce their £1.3M raise today: techcrunch.com/2020/03/12/un…
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Excited to win Best Accelerator @TheEuropas! Thank you to our amazing team & the 350 founders we have worked with
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The @join_ef programme is intellectually challenging and, at times, emotionally intense.
But you're not doing it alone.
Your cohort will live it with you, the EF team will support you, and our 2000-strong global community will become your most valuable network.
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It’s just under a week until @reidhoffman and EF's cofounders, @Alicebentinck and @matthewclifford, host our first Demo Day in San Francisco. The countdown is on. piped.video/LSthMcYXP8A
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Do you have what it takes to build your own start-up in the future?
Find out during a selective, week-long boot camp for individuals with outsized ambition.
Apply to the FIND beta in Bangalore: go.joinef.com/dm-find-progra…
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We’ve just kicked off our Defensive AI fireside chat featuring our cofounder, @matthewclifford, and @reidhoffman, cofounder of @LinkedIn and @inflectionAI. Matt and Reid are discussing the latest developments, geopolitics, and opportunities in AI.
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Next week our W’23 batch will be pitching at our first Demo Day in San Francisco.
Check out who they are and follow them for updates on their progress 🧵
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"If you feel that what you are working on today has to exist five years from today, with or without you, then you should keep doing it." Thank you to @ArlanWasHere for wise words to our cohort around her drive and motivation. | @AndysHVC
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Proud to have won best accelerator at #TheEuropas. A testament to EF cohorts 1-6 & the EF team!
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"I feel I've done more here in 2 months than I've done during all my years in academia" - this is what Joanne Kanaan from our first cohort had to say about her experience with EF so far #startups #entrepreneurship #efparis
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Take a look at the first ten startups from our latest batch pitching at Demo Day in San Francisco 🧵
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We're looking for the founders of the future - and we're committed to making that future diverse.
We want to speak with talented women with the potential to found global tech companies.
Tell us which #FutureFemaleFounders we should be speaking to here: bit.ly/3gttVwv
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AccuRx, Calipsa, OpenCosmos, PassFort, Xihelm, Neurofenix all on Public 100 list of UK startups who are transforming public services
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A brilliant @FinancialTimes podcast with @join_ef co-founder @AliceBentinck, including why she decided to found Entrepreneur First instead of joining Google. on.ft.com/2kCwuor
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Introducing the smartest, most ambitious individuals from across Europe.
With @stripe cofounder @patrickc helping @Alicebentinck kick Demo Day off in Dogpatch, San Francisco.
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Just over 6 months ago, our Talent Investors selected an exceptional set of future founders for our W’23 batch. They were all pre-team and pre-idea. Why did we invest? We believe in the founder potential of these individuals to build generation-defining companies. They are outliers and have outperformed their peers since childhood in interesting and non-obvious ways. In less than 2 weeks, they’ll pitch their companies to investors at Demo Day in San Francisco.
Take a look at who they are and follow them to keep up to date with their progress 🧵
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Tractable, led by Alex Dalyac and Razvan Ranca, has become the first company founded through Entrepreneur First to be valued at over $1 billion.
Read more in @TechCrunch: tcrn.ch/3vGDbo5
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Excited to be partnering with @GreylockVC as the most ambitious technologists build the world's most important companies
Turning exceptional individuals into exceptional founders. @reidhoffman announces our investment in @efLDN. ow.ly/lTKJ30f4gPq
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‘How to be a Founder’ by @alicebentinck and @matthewclifford is out today.
Gain the insights, advice and lessons you need to lay the foundation for a globally successful company.
Here’s how to get your copy: howtobeafounder.com
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We’ve officially started EFSG4. An immensely talented and diverse group of over a 100 who’ve joined EF to build the world’s most important companies.
#efsg4 #entrepreneur
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From June 28 - 30, we’re bringing together a curated group of ambitious technologists curious about building a defense tech startup in collaboration with @inflectionxyz in Munich. The hackathon will be supported by leading defense tech companies, including @HelsingAI and @auterion.
If you want to develop a prototype and validate ideas around defensive and life-preserving technology, then this is for you
Apply now: lu.ma/a2dyx0h8
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Doing your PhD in Oxford? Or interested in tech entrepreneurship? Come along to our PhD to Startup event, 5.30pm on Wednesday 28th @ The Oxford Foundry. Hear Ross Harper, PhD and EF Alum, talk about his journey from academia to entrepreneurship. Open to all students.
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Tonight we are hosting an Introduction to Entrepreneur First Paris. We are thrilled to welcome @join_ef alumni Marc Sloan, co-founder and CEO @ContextScout and Dave Hunter, co-founder and CEO Optimal Labs for a fireside chat with Paris' future founders.
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Do you want to see what’s possible when you bring together a cohort of exceptional people to build in some of the world’s most ambitious industries? Meet the startups pitching at EF’s Summer ‘23 Demo Day today 🧵
Read more: bit.ly/3PU484O
piped.video/RraD9zQOKME?feature…
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Proud to have won @GPBullhound #investorallstars Exit of the Year for Magic Pony with @OctopusVentures 🍾✨🐴
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🎙️LIVE in San Francisco: @AnthropicAI cofounder @jackclarkSF joins @Alicebentinck to open EF Demo Day.
Anthropic may be < five years old, but it’s already one of the world’s most exciting AI companies.
Before our founders take to the stage, Jack shares what it takes to build on the frontier of science innovation, AI policy, and ambition.
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Thrilled for @Rob_Bishop @zehanwang & MPT team after news of @Twitter acquisition. Proud to be part of your journey
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It matters what the most ambitious choose to do with their lives. Start a company in 2016. Apply today to join EF at joinef.com/apply
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#EFSG1 starts in 4 days, with great female founders. @AnneMarieDroste presented them at #womenintech @SlushHQ today
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We’re proud to announce our April Demo Day for the latest cohort of founders.
Over the past 12 weeks, these exceptional individuals from around the world have been busy building in SF.
It’s now time to LAUNCH.
Further details to follow.
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We're very proud to see the co-founders of @AimBrainHQ (EF3 cohort) as part of Forbes #30under30Technology, as well as @dhruvghulati (EF alum) and @Ishaan_trussle (EF portfolio). Congratulations all forbes.com/30-under-30-europ…
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@philpfef and @mjhirn (Michael) are enabling Excel-based SMBs with an easy-to-customize ERP. Phil is a top Stanford Electrical Engineering and Computer Science graduate who experienced the ERP nightmare first hand whilst manufacturing Google X robots and Capella Space satellites. His cofounder Michael is a repeat SaaS founder with 17 years of commercial coding experience, and has already built the precursor of their product whilst running ops at the VC he previously helped found.
Meet the founders on LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/in/phil-pfeffer
linkedin.com/in/meetmichaelh…
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Incredible to see the energy in the room this weekend as we brought together builders, experts, founders and investors in defense tech to participate in the El Segundo defense tech hackathon we co-hosted with @8VC and @apollo_defense 🧵
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In collaboration with @huggingface and @StartinSaclay, we’re bringing together talented technologists for a hands-on hackathon in Paris from April 25 - 26.
If you’re interested in using AI to solve problems in traditional industries and climate change, or want to build an ethical AI solution, then this is for you.
Apply now: lu.ma/xoe0mknk
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"EF is spreading across the globe like wildfire" - @zoejerv of @eqtventures on our expansion this year and the quality of companies at our recent EUR10 demo day, featuring companies from London and Berlin #eur10 #demoday
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Just over 24 hours ago, 32 of our teams pitched to over 100 of the Bay Area’s top investors at our first Demo Day in San Francisco. Before EF, some of these founders:
👉 raced on India’s national sprint team
👉 won a NeurIPS competition at just 18
👉 relocated from Colombia to the UK alone at 16 for a better education
Check out what they're building here 🧵
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This week we announced a new $115M fund that we're using to support talented individuals to realise their ambitions. If you have what it takes to launch a startup, we'll support you to find a cofounder, develop an idea and start a company. Visit joinef.com to apply.
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We took incoming W23 US founders for 48h to San Francisco to meet with investors at @sequoia and @8vc, get insights from founders @t_blom, @collision, @rob_bishop, as well as hosting an AI Hackathon. Read on for the details 👉🧵
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Our founders are solving some of the world's most important problems, from the decarbonisation of the textiles industry, to agricultural robots to feed the future. Check out the next wave of startups launched from our latest batch...🧵
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Open Cosmos signs with the ESA to be the agency’s first Space Mission Provider @Open_Cosmos @wendytanwhite goo.gl/Y5Fjhf
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Congratulations to our cofounder @matthewclifford on being awarded a CBE for services to AI 👏
Great honour to be awarded a CBE by the King today for services to AI. Getting the Summit and AI Safety Institute off the ground has been a huge collective effort; I’m so grateful to the incredible team that made them happen (and congrats to @demishassabis and @soundboy!)
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1/ Today we’re announcing that our cofounders, @alicebentinck and @matthewclifford are changing their roles at Entrepreneur First. Alice becomes our CEO, while Matt is going to work full-time on funding and advising AI founders and companies
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Today has been a huge day for some of our portfolio companies, with nearly $70M in funding collectively announced.
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"It’s the belief that you are not like other people. You are different and can achieve what others can’t" @Alicebentinck on why Personal Exceptionalism matters for a founder medium.com/@Alicebentinck/wh…
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Tonight we are delighted to host Frank Chen @withfries2, Partner @a16z in conversation with @bartdessaint, Partner @Mosaic_VC and @matthewclifford, co-founder and CEO @join_ef
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Congratulations @AndysHVC and @anisahob - we're very excited to follow your progress at @Backstage_Cap
🗣 Listen up, London! Meet your new #BackstageAccelerator team. The incredible @AndysHVC + @anisahob! 🎉
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"Entrepreneur First has more investments in AI startups than any other European investor" @Alicebentinck at the @AIBE_Summit
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We're hosting N26 Co-Founder @MTayenthal at Factory Berlin on August 9th. Maximilian will discuss building N26 from scratch and why startups offer an important career path for the world’s most ambitious people. Limited spaces available - sign up now
buff.ly/2JTGL65
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Amber Hill was one of two @join_ef alumni to be named in the Top 100 Women in Engineering in the @FinancialTimes today. We caught up on @AmberMichelleH’s journey to becoming an entrepreneur, from multitasking to tattoos: joinef.com/amber-hill-engine…
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🧵 ⬇️ This week, a new cohort of founders joined Entrepreneur First sites across the world as we launched a fresh look for the future of EF. Read more from our cofounders @Alicebentinck and @matthewclifford on the blog now ➡️ bit.ly/46izPKp
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“Builders, Scientists, Technologists - you are not an asset that can be milked”
Matt Clifford gave an exclusive interview with the @etnshow boys yesterday following his viral speech at Looking For Growth. They talked about backing builders to deliver economic growth in Britain and the benefits of spending time in Silicon Valley.
If you’re a founder thinking about starting a company remember:
You don’t need a perfect idea. You need an obsession.
Starting a company is more like buying an option than a lottery ticket. You’re buying the right to find out whether you could build something big. The upside is huge, and the downside is limited.
For talented, ambitious people early in their careers, this option is wildly underpriced. So LFG.
Substack article and full interview in comments below
cc @Ronanchamberss @lukeknight Lawrence Newport
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Team @efLDN opening the London Stock Exchange for International Women's Day! @Alicebentinck @savitritan @zoejerv #IWD #Beboldforchange
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“I wanted to do something in health but I didn’t want to be a doctor” says @Jack_O_Meara (co-founder, @OchreBio).
@OchreBio is tackling chronic liver disease, and is now on target to nominate its first drug candidate for clinical testing next year. businesspost.ie/news-focus/i…
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We’re running a Defensive AI program for a curated group of exceptional technologists interested in building defensive solutions to technological risk, starting in July.
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"You don't have to be In Silicon Valley to become a world class founder" - here's what EF Co-Founder @Alicebentinck had to say at our first multi-site Demo Day, bringing teams together from our tenth London cohort and our first Berlin Cohort #entrepreneurfirst #eur10 #demoday
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👉 3 months ago, we backed individuals based purely on founder potential, investing in the top performing companies in their batch
👉 6 weeks ago, these companies relocated to San Francisco to continue building in the most important startup ecosystem in the world
👉 3 days to go until they pitch to some of the world’s best investors at our first Demo Day in San Francisco, hosted by @reidhoffman, and EF’s cofounders, @Alicebentinck and @matthewclifford
What are they building? Stay tuned to find out.
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Congratulations to @TeamOmnipresent, founded by Matthew Wilson and Guenther Eisinger, who have raised $120M in Series B funding - just over 2 years on from being founded at Entrepreneur First.
Read more in @Bloomberg: bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
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Thinking about starting a company? Apply to EF's next cohort in London by midnight GMT on 31 Dec - bit.ly/2BXmc62
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EF are proud to announce that Alex Diaz will be joining our London team as our Company Building Lead tcrn.ch/2t9gxYD
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If you’re building a moonshot company, how do you know when you’re really on track to make the impossible happen - or when you’re deluding yourself?
Psychologist Dr @Gena_I_Gorlin shares her top 3 tips for being radically honest with yourself: joinef.com/stories/how-to-be…
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Join our live stream this Friday and see what our EF8 cohort have built over the last 6 months.
bit.ly/2xYhcvb
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Last week we cohosted the Privacy-Preserving AI Hackathon with @zama_fhe & @huggingface. Over 50 devs met from across Europe to implement Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) in real-world applications. Their solutions prioritized both innovation and data privacy, with teams receiving guidance from expert mentors from Zama and Hugging Face.
See below for a highlight of the top 3 teams:
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Want to learn more about how EF builds world-class companies from scratch? Then check out this first episode of our new podcast with EF Co Founder @matthewclifford on Scaling Your Ambition bit.ly/2G5VCN5 #ScalingAmbition #StartupStories
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Entrepreneur First is excited to announce that it is opening an office in Hong Kong. Why Hong Kong? Because of its “leading universities, its burgeoning venture ecosystem and its unmatched business environment” @matthewclifford . Our first cohort will begin in July.
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We've just launched Three and a Half Founders, a podcast featuring roundtable discussions with four EF cohort members. Here's a sneak peek from episode 1...
LISTEN NOW
Apple Podcasts - apple.co/2UMhXCL
Spotify - spoti.fi/2PyXDnn
Stitcher - bit.ly/threeandahalf
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EF's first podcast series '21st Century Alchemy' premieres next week featuring @RashMansoor and @Phoebe in Episode 1 and 2.
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Living in an AI World: How Startups are Shaping Tomorrow - Come and be part of the conversation. July 19 at EF HQ with Chris Mairs CBE, @devamratia of nPlan, @gosialoj of @AIGlobalGov, author @jamiesusskind and our very own @Alicebentinck. Sign up buff.ly/2l4TPvo.
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When music industry professional @hazelsavage met data scientist Aron Pettersson at Entrepreneur First in 2018, they began building an AI startup for music.
Today, their company @Musiio has been acquired by @SoundCloud.
Read more in @TechCrunch: techcrunch.com/2022/05/03/so…
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Did we mention it's Demo Day today?
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Huge congratulations to @efldn co-founder @Alicebentinck for winning the @VeuveClicquot new generation award! #bwa2017
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We're thrilled to see @VineHealth_ (EUR11) raise a seed round of £1.2m to revolutionise cancer care.
Georgina and I are delighted to announce our £1.2m seed round, led by Playfair Capital. Thanks to all who've supported us in getting here!
#announcement #investment #vc #founders #femalefounders #startupstories #health #cancer #technology
medium.com/vine-health/femal…
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Great to see team and cohort members marching for equality and women’s rights, from London to Boston. #womensmarch
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We are very proud to host Klaus Hommels tonight in an incredibly packed room at @FactoryBerlin #EFxKlaus
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New podcast ‘The Founder’s Mindset’ is now live.
Psychologist @Gena_I_Gorlin joins @Alicebentinck and a series of entrepreneurs to explore the mindsets and behaviours that can supercharge or sabotage a founder’s journey. Listen now: bit.ly/3taVR0Y
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Want to know what @ArlanWasHere of @Backstage_Cap looks for in a founder? Here's what she told us when she visited us in London earlier this year #vc #founders #entrepreneurship
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