FAQ

The Bridge is a two-part program in San Francisco for exceptional non-US founders who are at the very beginning of their company's journey.

Part 1: The Residency (8 weeks) — Everyone starts with an 8-week residency in San Francisco. You live and build together in our founder house, work on ideas or co-founder matching, talk to users, and make rapid progress. This phase is about finding the right team, market, and problem space.

At the end of the residency, teams that are ready pitch to our Investment Committee. The best teams get a $250k check and stay in San Francisco for a further 3 months.

Part 2: Company Building (3 months, funded teams only) — During this phase, you build full-time from the Entrepreneurs First San Francisco office, get hands-on support from the EF team, and prepare to raise your next round at Demo Day.

The goal is to help you lay the strongest possible foundations for your company.

We want you to leave the residency with clarity on what you're building, who you're building it with, and a realistic path to building something generational. For most people, that means leaving with a) a very strong conviction on your founding team b) a very strong conviction on which market and problem space you are building in and c) far better fundraising options than they would have had otherwise.

Our alumni have raised from Sequoia, Founders Fund, a16z, Benchmark, Index, and other top funds.

The residency is intense and focused. For eight weeks, you live in San Francisco surrounded by other top builders and EF staff.

You'll spend your time meeting potential co-founders, talking to users, shipping early versions, stress-testing ideas, and getting direct feedback from people who've built companies before. There are structured sessions, 1:1 support, and a lot of unstructured time to build.

It's focused, social, and intense.

You'll live and work with other founders who are taking the same leap. Days and nights are spent building and talking to users. Founders describe the experience as one of the most intense and productive periods of their lives.

Very. EF's existing programs are already highly selective. The Bridge is even more competitive because there are only 40 spots in the residency.

The Bridge is for founders at Stage 0. Many arrive pre-idea or pre-team. Some come with an early idea or founding team. All are serious about building ambitious, venture-scale companies.

We look for various profiles. Think builder: product obsessive, engineer, researcher, hacker. Or future CEO: commercial operator who knows how to lead, build, distribute, grow or sell what people want.

Founders are based outside the US and want direct access to Bay Area speed, talent, and capital.

Yes. But if you're already in the US or Asia, check out the EF programs already running in those regions instead. The Bridge is primarily designed for founders coming from outside the main US startup ecosystem.

No. We back builders across software, robotics, and other weird tech. If you can ship, you're welcome. We also back people who can grow, sell and distribute.

Meet us at one of our events, apply for feedback, or stay in touch. If you're not ready now, we'll tell you honestly and help you understand what to work on.

Yes. The strongest teams receive a check of $250k in pre-seed funding and continue building as part of the EF program in San Francisco. We also help teams raise their next round from top US investors once they're ready.

We invest $250k on simple terms: $125k for 8% via an EF SAFE, plus an optional $125k MFN SAFE.

Nothing. We cover the residency: housing, workspace, food, the program.

Yes. We'll land you softly so you can sprint from day one. We start paperwork the moment you're in and walk you through it.