# Alice Bentinck

> Alice Bentinck is the British cofounder and CEO of Entrepreneurs First, which invests in individuals before they have a company, cofounder or idea. Based in San Francisco, she also cofounded Code First Girls, serves on its board and coauthored How to Be a Founder with Matt Clifford.

- **Role:** Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer at Entrepreneurs First
- **Organizations:** Entrepreneurs First, Code First Girls, McKinsey & Company, Prime Minister’s Business Council (appointed 2022)
- **From:** New Forest, United Kingdom
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** BA in Management Studies, first-class honours, Nottingham University Business School, University of Nottingham, Godolphin School, Salisbury
- **Known for:** Cofounded Entrepreneurs First in 2011 and became CEO in December 2023., Cofounded Code First Girls and continues to serve on its board., Awarded an MBE for services to business in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

## Career timeline

- **2009-2011** — Worked as a management consultant at McKinsey in London, where she met Matt Clifford.
- **2011** — Cofounded Entrepreneurs First with Matt Clifford after declining a Google job offer.
- **2012** — Cofounded Code First Girls with Matt Clifford.
- **2013** — The first Code First Girls summer programme taught web development to 28 young women.
- **2016** — Received an MBE for services to business; EF opened its first international office in Singapore.
- **2017** — Reid Hoffman led a $12.4 million investment in EF.
- **2022** — Joined the Prime Minister’s Business Council and coauthored How to Be a Founder.
- **2023** — How to Be a Founder won the Startup/Scaleup Business Book Award; Bentinck became EF CEO in December.
- **2024** — Announced EF’s permanent San Francisco hub in January.
- **2025** — Announced The Bridge residency and published advice on fundraising in the US.
- **2026** — EF announced $200 million in fresh capital in March.

## Achievements

- Cofounded Entrepreneurs First in 2011 and became CEO in December 2023.
- Cofounded Code First Girls and continues to serve on its board.
- Awarded an MBE for services to business in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
- Selected for the Prime Minister’s Business Council in 2022.
- Coauthored How to Be a Founder, winner of the 2023 Startup/Scaleup Business Book Award.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — EF announced $200 million in fresh capital on 11 March, with companies built through EF valued collectively at more than $16 billion.
- **2025-10** — Announced The Bridge, an eight-week Bay Area residency for European founders, with its first cohort scheduled for April 2026.
- **2025-10** — Published Fundraising in the U.S. on 9 October, reporting that she had helped more than 200 European founders raise money in San Francisco over the previous year.

## Links

- Website: https://www.alicebentinck.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicebentinck/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Alicebentinck

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/alice-bentinck
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-09