Entrepreneur First — ZHC Institute

Description

Entrepreneur First (EF) is a global talent investor that builds founding teams from scratch, providing intensive support, funding, and access to Silicon Valley's elite ecosystem. EF invests in exceptional individuals first—before they have a company or even a cofounder—and helps them build category-defining startups.

The program offers up to $250K in pre-seed investment ($125K from EF at 8% equity, plus optional $125K from Transpose Platform for founders relocating to San Francisco), equity-free grants during ideation, 6-9 months of office space, and direct access to world-class advisors including founders from Stripe, DeepMind, LinkedIn, and OpenAI board members.

EF companies have built >$13B in value and raised $1-7M within weeks of Demo Day from top VCs including Founders Fund, Sequoia, a16z, and Index Ventures. For ZHC builders, EF provides rapid cofounder matching, validation acceleration, and a structured path to U.S. market entry through their San Francisco Launch program.

Eligibility

Who EF Invests In

EF targets exceptional individuals who:

Continuously outperform their peer group
Have built products, organizations, or startups previously
Possess deep technical or domain expertise
Have ambition to build a U.S.-focused company
Are willing to commit full-time for 6-9 months

Program Structure

Phase 1: Cofounder Matching (Months 1-3)

Access pool of exceptional, pre-screened cofounders
Weekend residential retreat to kickstart journey
Expert advice on team formation and testing
Cohort-based work at global offices (London, Bangalore, SF)
Community events: Build Retreats, Hackathons
Equity-free talent investment during ideation

Phase 2: Company Building (Months 3-6)

Dedicated local advisor for idea development
San Francisco-based partner for U.S. market strategy
Access to fireside chats with elite founders:
- John Collison (Stripe), Adam D'Angelo (Quora/OpenAI Board)
- Eric Schmidt (ex-Google CEO), Demis Hassabis (DeepMind)
- Daniel Gross (Safe Superintelligence)
- Nat Friedman (ex-GitHub CEO)
Product development to first revenue
Investment Committee evaluation

Phase 3: SF Launch & Fundraising (Months 6-9)

3 months office space in central San Francisco
Delaware C Corp incorporation support
Pitch deck and fundraising materials preparation
Demo Day: 200+ partner-level VCs attend
Bespoke introductions to top investors
U.S. market customer development workshops

Investment Terms (Updated 2024)

Pre-Company Formation:

Equity-free grant during ideation phase
No equity taken if you don't form a company
No repayment if EF doesn't invest further

Post-Investment Committee:

$125K from EF via SAFE (8% fully diluted)
$125K optional from Transpose Platform (MFN SAFE)
Total: Up to $250K pre-seed investment
Up to $5M follow-on funding through Series B
Founder-friendly, transparent terms

Additional Value ($600K+):

$350K in Azure credits
$250K+ from OpenAI, Anthropic, GitHub, PostHog, Datadog, ElevenLabs
9 months office space (London, Bangalore, SF)

ZHC-Specific Fit

✅ Excellent for:

First-time founders seeking cofounders
Technical experts ready to start a company
Rapid validation and customer development needs
U.S. market entry and Silicon Valley access
Network building with elite founders and VCs
Individuals without existing cofounder

❌ Poor fit if:

Already well-funded (>$500K raised)
Not willing to relocate to program locations
Late-stage company in scaling mode
Unable to commit full-time for 6-9 months
Strong existing cofounder team already formed

Application Process

Application & Selection

Step	Timeline	Details
Online application	Rolling	Written responses + video pitch
Initial screening	1-2 weeks	Application review
Interviews	2-3 weeks	Multiple rounds, team fit assessment
Acceptance decision	1-2 weeks	Program invitation
Program start	Batch dates	London, Bangalore, or SF cohort
Cofounder matching	Months 1-3	Team formation phase
Investment Committee	Month 3-4	Pitch for $250K funding
SF Launch	Months 6-9	Relocation to San Francisco
Demo Day	Month 9	Pitch to 200+ top VCs

Global Cohorts (2026)

London:

Spring 2026: Applications open
Fall 2026: Applications open

Bangalore:

Spring 2026: Apply by Feb 16, 2026
Fall 2026: Apply by March 16, 2026

San Francisco:

Rolling cohorts throughout 2026

Typical Timeline

Months 1-3: Cofounder matching, idea validation
Months 3-6: Product development, first customers
Month 6: Investment Committee decision
Months 6-9: SF Launch, fundraising prep
Month 9: Demo Day pitch to VCs
Post-Demo: $1-7M seed rounds within weeks

Success Metrics

Portfolio value: >$13B
Typical seed raise: $1-7M post-Demo Day
Demo Day attendance: 200+ partner-level VCs
Notable investors: Founders Fund, Sequoia, a16z, Index, Khosla, Greylock

Notable Portfolio Companies

Aztec: Privacy layer for Ethereum (a16z)
Cleo: AI financial platform (Sofina)
Neptune Robotics: Underwater robotics (Sequoia)
Omnea: AI supply chain (First Round)
Magdrive: Satellite propulsion (Founders Fund)
Opply: AI supply chain (Index Ventures)
Permutive: Data platform (SoftBank)
Sonantic: Voice AI (acquired by Spotify)

Contact

Office Locations

London: Central office, 9 months space
Bangalore: Central office, 9 months space
San Francisco: Central office, 3 months space

Recent Demo Days

April 2024 - Fireside with Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn)
October 2024 - Fireside with Patrick Collison (Stripe)
April 2025 - Fireside with Vinod Khosla (Khosla Ventures)
October 2025 - Fireside with Jack Clark (Anthropic)

Elite Backers & Investors

Founders Fund, Greylock, John Collison (Stripe), Patrick Collison (Stripe), Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn), Demis Hassabis (DeepMind), Mustafa Suleyman (DeepMind/Microsoft AI), Taavet Hinrikus (Wise), Matt Mullenweg (WordPress), Charlie Songhurst (Meta Board), Christa Davies (Stripe Board), Lachy Groom (Physical Intelligence)