Entrepreneur First is an international Talent Investor, which supports individuals to build technology companies.

Information Technology

Entrepreneur First

Rahul brings global expertise, hands-on experience as a founder, builder, and mentor, and a deep understanding of the Indian ecosystem. He joins Entrepreneur First following six years at Swiggy, where he created and grew their private brands business from pre-idea to a business unit that scaled into tens of millions of transactions.

Rahul has assisted many startups by mentoring and coaching them through their early stage product market fit journeys. At EF, he enables ambitious entrepreneurs to unlock their potential, find the right co-founder, and apply their skills to some of the hardest problems faced today.

Prior to his founding journey, Rahul started his career on Wall Street with Barclays Investment Bank and Capital One Financial Corporation. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and is an ardent football fan with a particular interest in exploring food from many different parts of the world.

Rahul Samat

Alex Norman is a Venture Partner at [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first) in Toronto. Prior to this, they were Co-Founder of Elevate Toronto, where they helped build distribution and partnerships for the home furnishing eCommerce company. Alex also worked with N49P Ventures and [AngelList](/org/angellist) as a Partner in Canada.

Alex Norman has a MBA in Marketing from The Wharton School and a B.Comm in Finance and Management Information Systems from [McGill University](/org/mcgill-university).

They work with and Milad Alucozai - Venture Partner, Toronto. Alex Norman reports to Rachel Zimmer, Partner & GM, Toronto.

Alex Norman

Francois Le Nguyen is an entrepreneur and product manager who is currently based in Toronto. Francois has previously worked in startups and product management in Asia, and has been involved in various digital health and data analytics projects. Francois is passionate about solving complex problems in healthcare and helping people make sustainable changes for better health.

Francois Le Nguyen has an altMBA from Coda, a Bachelor's Degree from [Concordia University](/org/concordia-university) in a double major of finance and marketing, and a Bachelor's Degree from the [National University of Singapore](/org/national-university-of-singapore) in the same double major. Francois also has a D.E.C. in health sciences from Marianopolis College. In addition, they have certification in climate change from [Terra.do](/org/terra-do), AI product management from [Udacity](/org/udacity), growth from Harvard Business School Online, venture deals from Kauffman Fellows, Exponential Innovation from [Singularity University](/org/singularity-university), AI For Everyone from [Coursera](/org/coursera), predictive analytics from [Udacity](/org/udacity), podcasts from [LinkedIn](/org/linkedin), and machine learning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Francois Le Nguyen

Milad Alucozai is a Venture Partner at [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first) in Toronto. Milad previously worked as an External Advisor at [AstraZeneca](/org/astrazeneca) from September 2020 to July 2022, working on initiatives to partner more closely with startups and early stage companies. Prior to that, they were a Business Development Advisor at Absci from January 2020 to December 2021.

Milad Alucozai earned their Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from [Purdue University](/org/purdue-university) Honors Program. Milad was a Gordon and Marilyn Macklin Fellow at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Milad Alucozai then attended graduate school, earning their degree in Immunology from Maynooth University. Milad also has a Master of Public Health in Global and Public Health from Maynooth University. Milad Alucozai is currently a Visiting Scholar in Healthcare Engineering at [Purdue University](/org/purdue-university) and an RCHE/Bindley Entrepreneurship Fellow in Healthcare Engineering at [Purdue University](/org/purdue-university). Milad also holds a certification from [Purdue University](/org/purdue-university) Krannert School of Management in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Their manager is Rachel Zimmer, Partner & GM, Toronto. They are on a team with and Alex Norman - Venture Partner, Toronto.

Milad Alucozai

Philipp Herkelmann is currently a Partner and GM at [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first) in Berlin. Prior to this, they were a Program Lead at X, the moonshot factory, where they managed a pilot stage project in IoT/Predictive Analytics/Logistics/Cloud Services. Philipp has also worked as a Global Industry Manager / Account Executive - Sports & Athletic Wear at Google and as a Technical Product Manager at 21DIAMONDS GmbH. In addition, they are the founder and CEO of GiftMe and an alumni of Startupbootcamp.

Philipp Herkelmann has a Bachelor's degree in Public Management & Governance from Zeppelin University, Friedrichshafen. Philipp also has an Abitur from Neues Gymnasium Nürnberg.

They are on a team with Jonny Clifford - Partner & GM, London, Bernadette Cho - Partner & GM, Singapore, and Alice Bentinck - CPO & Co-Founder. Philipp Herkelmann reports to Matt Clifford, CEO & Co-Founder.

Philipp Herkelmann

Alice Bentinck is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first). Alice is also on the Advisory Board for Founders4Schools.

Alice has a degree in Economics from [Imperial College London](/org/imperial-college-london). After graduation, they worked as a business analyst for a management consulting firm. Alice then co-founded Code First: Girls, a non-profit that teaches young women how to code.

In 2012, Alice co-founded [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first) with Matt Clifford. [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first) is a talent investor that provides funding and mentorship to individuals with exceptional technical abilities who want to start their own companies. To date, they have invested in over 100 companies, including [DeepMind](/org/deepmind) and Magic Pony Technology, which was acquired by Twitter for $150 million.

Alice was awarded an MBE in 2016 for their services to business. In 2017, they won the Veuve Cliquot New Generation award.

Alice Bentinck went to Nottingham University Business School and studied management. After they graduated, they worked in management for a few years before becoming a business consultant.

They work with Rachel Zimmer - Partner & GM, Toronto, Coralie Chaufour - Partner & GM, Paris, and Bernadette Cho - Partner & GM, Singapore. Alice Bentinck reports to Matt Clifford, CEO & Co-Founder.

Alice Bentinck

Bernadette Cho is currently a Partner & GM of Singapore at [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first). Prior to this, they were the Chief of Staff at Funding Societies from September 2018 to October 2019. Before Funding Societies, Bernadette was with Grab as the Co-Chief of Staff to Co-Founder from August 2016 to August 2018. 

Bernadette started their professional career as the Head of Product Marketing, Talent Solutions, Asia-Pacific at [LinkedIn](/org/linkedin) from August 2013 to July 2016. Before [LinkedIn](/org/linkedin), they were with The Boston Consulting Group as an Associate from February 2012 to July 2013. Her first job out of college was with Oaktree as the Victorian Director from September 2009 to September 2011.

Bernadette Cho completed their undergraduate degree in International Relations and Affairs at the [University of Melbourne](/org/university-of-melbourne).

Teik Guan Tan - Venture Partner, Singapore, Teck Moh Phey - Venture Partner, Singapore, and Tiffany Lau - Talent Manager, Singapore report to Bernadette Cho. Bernadette Cho reports to Matt Clifford, CEO & Co-Founder. They work with Tom Shinner - COO, Rachel Zimmer - Partner & GM, Toronto, and Philipp Herkelmann - Partner & GM, Berlin.

Bernadette Cho

Prajwal Bhat is currently the Entrepreneur-In-Residence in Bangalore at [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first). Prior to this, they were the Head of Technical Operations at Achira Labs Pvt. Ltd. from September 2017 to August 2019.

At Achira, Prajwal was responsible for heading product management of USelect, a microparticle-based system for pre-processing samples in fertility treatments such as IVF and IUI. Prajwal also led the company's quality functions (QC, QA, standards such as CE and ISO 13485) and set up an ISO 13485:2016 compliant Quality Management System across Achira. Under their leadership, Achira obtained 7 point-of-care diagnostics panel approvals and certification.

Prajwal has a wide range of experience in product development and commercialization, field application activities, training, roll-out, and implementation at external sites. Prajwal also has experience in business development activities.

Prajwal Bhat completed a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Computational Biology at Royal Holloway, University of London. Prior to that, they completed a Post-graduate Diploma in Bioinformatics at [University of East Anglia](/org/university-of-east-anglia).

Prajwal Bhat

Rachel Zimmer is a Partner and GM at Entrepreneur First in Toronto. Rachel has over 8 years of experience in marketing and customer engagement. 

Rachel started their career at sgsco as VP, Global Customer Engagement, where they were responsible for shaping and delivering a customer experience that is better, faster and leaner through technology and standardization. Rachel was also the product lead for their proprietary internal tool, which involved UX Research, UI Design and collaboration with development. During their time at sgsco, Rachel created the Product Management competency for the organization by introducing human-centered design to our development function including a focus on UX Research and strategic UI. Rachel also developed a strong partnership between IT and business stakeholders through objective based research, clearly defined product goals and extensive collaboration with global teams.

In December 2018, Rachel moved to The DMZ where they took on the role of Marketing Entrepreneur In Residence. As part of their role, Rachel coached and mentored over 50 tech startups on how to scale and reach their aspired potential. Rachel provided support focused on Marketing, Sales, Leadership and Product Market Fit.

Rachel’s extensive experience in marketing and customer engagement has helped their become a successful entrepreneur. Rachel is passionate about helping startups grow and scale to be world-class tech businesses.

Rachel Zimmer graduated from [Queen's University](/org/queens-university) with a B.COMM. Rachel then attended [Chulalongkorn University](/org/chulalongkorn-university).

Some individuals on their team include Milad Alucozai - Venture Partner, Toronto, Alex Norman - Venture Partner, Toronto. Rachel Zimmer works with Coralie Chaufour - Partner & GM, Paris, Tom Shinner - COO, and Alice Bentinck - CPO & Co-Founder. Their manager is Matt Clifford, CEO & Co-Founder.

Rachel Zimmer

Teik Guan Tan is currently a Venture Partner at [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first) in Singapore. Teik has also been a PHD Graduate at the [Singapore University of Technology and Design](/org/singapore-university-of-technology-and-design) since January 2019. Prior to that, they were with VASCO Data Security as a Business Development Manager from May 2017 to January 2019. Teik was also with [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first) as a Venture Partner from October 2016 to August 2022. From February 2016 to April 2017, they were a Mentor-in-Residence at Infocomm Investments Pte Ltd. From January 2013 to January 2016, they were the VP Strategy, Financial Institutions SAJ at Gemalto. Prior to that, they were the CEO/CTO of Data Security Systems Solutions from January 2001 to December 2012. Teik was also the IT Security Manager at the Monetary Authority of Singapore from January 1997 to December 2000.

Teik Guan Tan's educational career began with a BSc / MSc in Computer Science from the [National University of Singapore](/org/national-university-of-singapore). Teik then went on to complete a Doctor of Philosophy - PhD in Cybersecurity from the [Singapore University of Technology and Design](/org/singapore-university-of-technology-and-design) (SUTD).

Some of their coworkers include Tanuja Rajah - Launch Manager, Singapore, Teck Moh Phey - Venture Partner, Singapore, and Tiffany Lau - Talent Manager, Singapore. Teik Guan Tan reports to Bernadette Cho, Partner & GM, Singapore.

Teik Guan Tan

Ashwin Chandra is a business professional with a diverse background in sales, management, and marketing. Ashwin is currently the Form, Bangalore at [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first). Prior to this, they were the Sales Manager at Elite Solar Concepts and United Energy Services, Inc. In these roles, they were responsible for training and developing sales teams as well as managing client acquisitions. Chandra also has experience working in the roofing and construction industry as a Principal Co-Founder of Super-Realtors.com and a Manager at Veeturn LLC. In addition to their work in the private sector, they have also served as a Solution Provider at Dzurenda & Associates. Chandra holds a degree in business from XYZ University.

Ashwin Chandra has a Master of Business Administration from the [University of San Francisco](/org/university-of-san-francisco) and a BA in Business Administration with an emphasis on International Business from [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college). Ashwin also attended The Hun School of Princeton and The Singapore American School.

Ashwin Chandra

Ashutosh Chouksey is a Talent Manager at [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first) in Bangalore. Ashutosh has over 12 years of experience in various roles in the retail and startup industries. 

Ashutosh started their career as a Regional Category Manager at Spencer's Retail Limited in 2008. Ashutosh was responsible for managing and expanding the company's product categories across all regions. In 2010, they left Spencer's to join MintM Inc., a startup that provides marketing solutions to small businesses. 

At MintM, Ashutosh held various roles including EVP Expansion and Ops. In this role, they were responsible for expanding the company's operations globally and overseeing the company's daily operations. Ashutosh left MintM in 2020 to join [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first) as Manager Partnerships.

Entrepreneur First is a startup accelerator that helps individuals build startups from scratch. EF has funded over 300 companies and has over 1000 alumni worldwide. The company's major exits include Magic Pony, which was acquired by Twitter for a reported $150 million only 18 months after the founders met on the EF programme.

Ashutosh Chouksey has an MBA from the Vinod Gupta School of Management at IIT Kharagpur, a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, and a certification in Key Account Management from [LinkedIn](/org/linkedin). Ashutosh also has a certification in Program Management Foundations from [LinkedIn](/org/linkedin), and a certification in Strategic Partnerships from [LinkedIn](/org/linkedin).

Ashutosh Chouksey

Jess Cheung is the Form Manager at [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first) in Singapore. Jess has held various positions in the past, including Director of Startup Next - Director (Fall 2015) at [Techstars](/org/techstars), and Director, Nest Innovation at Nest.vc. Jess has also worked as a Digital Marketing coordinator at Jamie Oliver Ltd., and as a Programme Coordinator and Marketing coordinator at [Sotheby's](/org/sothebys). In 2013, they founded Investable.vc, which they ran until 2014.

Jess Cheung would likely study BA Jess'story at UCL. Her focus would be on Jess'story of Political Thought, Early Modern British Jess'story and International Relations.

Jess Cheung

Venkat Raju

Ashutosh Vikram

Bogdan Knezevic

Coralie Chaufour is currently a Partner and GM at [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first) in Paris. Prior to this, they worked as an Engagement Manager at [McKinsey & Company](/org/mckinsey-company) for two years, overseeing a variety of projects ranging from strategic planning to organizational design to large operational transformations. Before McKinsey, Chaufour co-founded Be-Cult.com/ Manicult, an on-demand beauty services start-up, where they led sales, operations and fundraising efforts. Prior to that, they worked as an Associate in the Corporate Department at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, advising multinational companies and financial institutions on US legal aspects of debt, private equity and M&A transactions. Chaufour has also volunteered with Equal Education in their Policy, Communication & Research Department, and interned with Gide Loyrette Nouel in both their Finance/Project Finance and M&A departments. Additionally, they served as Secretary General and Consultant for Junior Consulting - [Sciences Po](/org/sciences-po).

Coralie Chaufour holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from [Harvard University](/org/harvard) with a concentration in corporate law and governance. Coralie also holds bachelor's and master's degrees in political science, economics, and business law from [Sciences Po](/org/sciences-po). Additionally, they participated in an exchange program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Coralie holds a baccalaureate diploma in science with a concentration in mathematics and highest honors from Lycée Jean-Baptiste Say.

Coralie Chaufour reports to Matt Clifford, CEO & Co-Founder. They work with Rachel Zimmer - Partner & GM, Toronto, Philipp Herkelmann - Partner & GM, Berlin, and Alice Bentinck - CPO & Co-Founder.

Coralie Chaufour

Teck Moh Phey

Tiffany Lau

Tanuja Rajah

Jonny Clifford is currently a Partner & GM at [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first) in London. Jonny has previous experience working as a VP Sales at [Team Satchel](/org/team-satchel) from November 2013 to September 2016, where they managed a team of twelve and closed business with 1 in 3 UK Secondary schools. Prior to that, they worked as a Teacher at Oasis Academy Johanna from September 2011 to October 2013.

Johnny Clifford has a PGCE in Primary from IOE - UCL's Faculty of Education and Society, as well as a BSc in Mathematics from the [University of Warwick](/org/university-of-warwick).

Jonny Clifford reports to Matt Clifford, CEO & Co-Founder. Jonny Clifford works with Rachel Zimmer - Partner & GM, Toronto, Bernadette Cho - Partner & GM, Singapore, and Tom Shinner - COO.

Jonny Clifford

Tom Shinner

Matt Clifford is the CEO and Co-Founder of [Entrepreneur First](/org/entrepreneur-first). Matt was previously the Trustee and Non-exec Director of techfortrade, and before that, they were an Associate at [McKinsey & Company](/org/mckinsey-company). Matt has also worked as a Research for the Office of US Senator Sherrod Brown.

Matt Clifford has a Master of Science in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor's Degree in Management, Theirtory from the [University of Cambridge](/org/university-of-cambridge).

Some individuals on their team include Alice Bentinck - CPO & Co-Founder, Coralie Chaufour - Partner & GM, Paris, and Jonny Clifford - Partner & GM, London.

Entrepreneur First

Org chart

Teams

Leadership Team

CEO and Executive Team

Founding Team

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