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The $16 billion startup factory betting on 20 ... - Business Insider
Mustafah Khan and Kelvin Cui (in the center, front row) founded Peripheral Labs in 2024 and incubated within Entrepreneurs First. Courtesy of Peripheral Labs 2026-05-01T09:04:01.294Z Entrepreneurs First invests in young founders, focusing on ambition over industry experience. EF helped Kelvin Cui, 25, and Mustafah Khan, 23, develop their startup, Peripheral Labs. Some startups have raised as much as $15 million in seed funding within the first few months. When searching for the next generation of successful founders and entrepreneurs, Alice Bentinck and her team at Entrepreneurs First look for a specific set of traits, and they're not the kind you'd find on a résumé. "We like megalomaniacs," Bentinck, CEO and cofounder of Entrepreneurs First, told Business Insider. "We like people who have a desire for power and who are looking at a way of gaining power and expressing their ambition through that power."Founded in 2011, Entrepreneurs First is a San Francisco-based talent investor that backs early-stage founders — often between 18 and 30 — and boasts a portfolio valued at more than $16 billion.The firm works with hundreds of people each year across Europe, India, and North America, helping them build startups from the ground up. Some have raised as much as $15 million in seed funding within months.Key to that success is identifying founders early — often before they have an idea for their startup. Alice Bentinck, CEO and cofounder of Entrepreneurs First. Courtesy of Entrepreneurs First "When we select people, we don't ask about ideas at all. We just want to understand them and their behavior and the way they think," Bentinck said.Some of the founders that Entrepreneurs First backs start with little more than technical experience and a set of interests they've explored deeply.Kelvin Cui and Mustafah Khan, cofounders of startup Peripheral Labs, are two of them. Cui and Khan met while building self-driving cars at the University of Toronto and entered Entrepreneurs First's program without a defined startup idea. "EF 100% helped us develop it," Cui told Business Insider.Founded in 2024, Peripheral Labs is building AI models designed to reconstruct live sports in photorealistic 3D. Their goal is to allow viewers to experience games from any angle.The traits that matter most show up earlyFor Bentinck, the qualities that define successful founders tend to emerge before a career path fully takes shape."We find that once somebody's spent two or three years w...
Top Early-Stage Investors & VC Firms for Startups (2026)
All investor lists > Early Stage Top Early-Stage Investors & Venture Capital Firms for Startups (2026) Browse OpenVC's list of top early-stage venture capital firms, angel investors, and accelerators funding startups. Find the right investors to raise your pre-seed to early Series A. Last update: May 1, 2026 List author: Harrison Faull Shortlist investors, submit pitch decks, and get replies
The Best Startup Incubators & Accelerators in 2026
Entrepreneur First backs individuals before they have a company, a co-founder, or even a defined idea. The program is structured around intense exploration, rapid experimentation, and founder pairing under tight time constraints. This model attracts technically strong operators comfortable navigating ambiguity.
Startup News, Venture Capital, & Entrepreneur Insights | Section - Fortune
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