Entrepreneurs First

Entrepreneurs First (EF) is a talent-investor model that matches unmatched founders in cohort-based programs across London, Paris, Singapore, Berlin, and other cities. EF appears in the wiki's record primarily through Achraf Adjileye's application experience, not through Mike's own involvement. The Paris cohort rejected Achraf.

Achraf's Application

Achraf applied to EF as part of his 2025 push to find cofounders and capital outside Mike's partnership. The October 2025 LinkedIn messages reference a Sacha Profeta contact in the EF ecosystem, indicating active interview or referral conversations. The application did not result in acceptance.

At an EF-adjacent hackathon described by Achraf, the winner was a peer named Hugo Le Belzic. The EF rejection, followed by a rejection from an AI startup school, fed into the April 14, 2026 conversation with Mike about leaving France.

Relevance

EF is significant to the wiki not as an institution Mike engaged with but as a negative reference point that shaped the Mike and Achraf partnership's view of French-ecosystem gatekeeping. The rejection is the event that compressed the cofounder-and-friend bond and shifted the Transfer Portal strategy toward emigration optionality.

Mike himself has not applied to EF in any entry on record. His own accelerator exposure is limited to the anomalie.space Founder in Residence program.