# Joseph Ros

> Joseph Ros is US Partner and General Manager at Entrepreneurs First (EF), the global talent-first investor that backs exceptional individuals before they have a co-founder or company. An EF alum himself - he founded edtech startup HowCloud during EF's third London cohort - Ros joined the team in late 2017, led expansion into Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangalore, deployed over $20M via EF's Seed SPV, and now runs EF's North American operations from San Francisco, identifying and investing in the country's most ambitious founders from day zero.

- **Role:** US Partner & General Manager at Entrepreneurs First
- **Organizations:** Entrepreneurs First, HowCloud, Of Course Learning, Autio
- **From:** London, United Kingdom
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** Philosophy, Economics and Politics, University of Warwick
- **Known for:** Deployed over $20M in capital via EF's Seed SPV into high-potential early-stage companies, Led EF's expansion into three new Asian markets: Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangalore, Built and scaled EF's North America presence from San Francisco

## Career timeline

- **~2000s** — Began building online ventures at age 12 - started with text-based role-playing games and a sports goods company selling to the US
- **2011-2014** — Studied Philosophy, Economics and Politics at University of Warwick; ran an online games network of virtual pet sites with ~200,000 users generating ~$100K/year to fund his studies
- **2014** — Turned down a full-time offer from a major bank to pursue HowCloud, his edtech startup
- **2014-2015** — Founded HowCloud as a member of Entrepreneurs First's third London cohort - an online tutoring platform connecting students with teachers in real-time; served ~6,000 students aged 11-23
- **2015-2017** — Worked as founder, software engineer, and early-stage startup employee across online games, edtech, and legaltech
- **2017** — Joined Entrepreneurs First team in late 2017 as Asia Launch Lead
- **2017-2019** — Led creation and expansion of EF's company-building programs in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangalore
- **2019** — Took responsibility for EF's Seed SPV - deployed $20M+ capital into EF portfolio companies including FarmLend, Scarlet, Seppure, Green Li-ion, Fello, Drip.ai, and Neptune Robotics
- **2020+** — Became US Partner and General Manager, relocating to San Francisco to lead EF North America operations
- **2024-2026** — Continues to run EF's North America program, identifying and investing in exceptional individual talent before company formation

## Achievements

- Deployed over $20M in capital via EF's Seed SPV into high-potential early-stage companies
- Led EF's expansion into three new Asian markets: Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangalore
- Built and scaled EF's North America presence from San Francisco
- Backed portfolio companies now supported by Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, SoftBank, and Khosla Ventures
- EF alumni companies collectively exceed $16B in portfolio value including multiple unicorns
- As a student entrepreneur, ran a virtual pet gaming network with ~200,000 users generating ~$100K/year
- Founded HowCloud, signing up 1,200 local students in Coventry during early trials and registering 1,000 GCSE Maths students for summer classes
- Portfolio companies include Seppure, Green Li-ion, Neptune Robotics, Drip.ai, Fello, FarmLend, and Scarlet

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Entrepreneurs First closed latest funding round with $200M raised, supporting continued global expansion including North America operations
- **2025** — Continued building EF's North America cohort programs from San Francisco, working with founders across AI, energy technology, healthcare, and fintech

## Links

- Website: https://joinef.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephros
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/joinef

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/joseph-ros
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-18