EF backs exceptional individuals before they have a company or co-founder, helping ~80% of participants find a co-founder within eight weeks. It runs a 12-week FORM program in local hubs followed by an optional 12-week LAUNCH in San Francisco, where teams can raise up to $250K. It is highly selective (~3% acceptance).
- The offer:
- $250k per company
- Location:
- London · Paris · Bangalore · San Francisco, Global
- Duration:
- 24 weeks
Why this could be a strong fit
Best for exceptional, ambitious technical individuals who want to found a company but lack a co-founder or fixed idea and are willing to relocate to build fast.
What you need to qualify
- You apply as an individual, not as a company. Cohorts are a carefully curated group of exceptional individuals who are committed to starting a company immediately, and you find your cofounder inside the program.
- You must be able to relocate twice: FORM runs in a local hub for the first 12 weeks and LAUNCH runs in San Francisco for weeks 12 to 24.
- Eligibility differs by cohort. XF2 in London is for people with 7 or more years of experience who have either founded a startup before, and The Bridge Residency in San Francisco is an 8 week program for young Europeans.
Eligibility
- Eligible stages
- All stages
- Countries
- Global, subject to the provider’s eligibility and approval
How to apply
- 1
Pick the cohort
apply.joinef.com lists the open programs with their location, start month and, where one is set, an Apply by date. Programs whose window is not open show Register Interest instead of an application link.
- 2
Submit the application for that cohort
Each cohort has its own application on apply.joinef.com. A closed cohort states "Applications for this program are closed" and sends you back to the list of upcoming programs, so check the cohort page is live before you start.
- 3
Join FORM, the first 12 weeks
FORM runs in a local hub. You work in a curated cohort to test cofounder partnerships and ideas at pace as you build a company from day one, focusing on customer development and initial traction. Early in FORM you receive an equity free Talent Investment grant to cover living costs.
- 4
Go through Investment Committee
At Investment Committee EF invests $125,000, with the opportunity to receive a further $125,000 from EF third party investment partner Transpose Platform. If you do not form a company, or EF chooses not to invest at IC, EF takes no equity.
- 5
Move to LAUNCH in San Francisco
Weeks 12 to 24 are LAUNCH. Founders typically relocate to San Francisco to access and build in the largest single market, and the stage ends in a Demo Day with major VCs and angels.