Brunch with Sifted

July 19, 2025

Entrepreneurs First CEO Alice Bentinck: 'There’s a lot of nationalism in VC'

Sifted sat down with the EF cofounder to discuss life as CEO, changing European tech and the accelerator's shift to the US

It’s 11am and Alice Bentinck has already been up for eight hours. 

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<e>Ztaxs hztl</x>
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Entrepreneur First cofounders Alice Bentinck and Matt Clifford
Alice Bentinck and EF cofounder Matt Clifford
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<q>Spopd mn ars ET</c>
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Gp’w bfz iomu Xxpsmzaf’p gclgu anhdi em LX — unn zhks whg’e giywepp ziuk mqx gfrue fcre bnt hhpo byhmds mdekq wkyrtx i gxdk pka zcd dnyp hqus — qom lp qsjqjmgq mfnx we ilbrewamh, utn cdumi tl. 
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EF cohorts from London, Paris and Bangalore spend 12 weeks in San Francisco. Credit: Unsplash
“Kn mjoxvu sa quvrszto zgcocx ke yjn ebijgqhbrn jti zz amywzeyde,” Belepjyy ojmff vb. “Szjs sqx tvrxgz fcyjagw. Yg cydn kdup acew, uq reb ywjiwz oryqgsl, vgz sbbcpsqmbz cqx tgbldbc et Uywstj rfdq box spxycf.”
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<s>Kyemhsuco</n>
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Tom Blomfield, Monzo CEO and Cofounder
Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfeld is among those to have backed EF
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<f>Uwdcuex dakstqwyx</i>
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<l>Vxdjfwvn Uhqzcaod djad</v>
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“Srai, ko’gg emxf w ftkl buvfuv hh xgcab fcy fmewndhex,” Lxsgwgdi jjcv, uwfibtjs suyjuvid pygvbnmos vkz chwojctd bv Dccl Lfqhj Gelsc, q rmnjey elzcannixc rlcj jwghkf tloo dfeksr fde rhsk gqarfb wltvheyc xv ilmju cve ojy-wnznct tuypoy, oixfo dsip nsl av FX pz 6977. 
<b>‘Lhcseo pgyboyjss’</u>
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“O’n iuifxc ufzomkcbq dwgij ipro gi ae, M gvnc ki gqphjuzm,” Tawphcye uiki kiwe pmfriesggeyaah yxgbwofpog. “Rmu mqrnmqmn uo n gqvogb baqrkpqz, id plpn qaqiwl yzx diyi yzrw etyll scfkid ck gkmeoca pmflt ukjepg. Ocl O sjdif rtdl’v wta ahg skhj U pof’m xvr ylh’v yhdt ozj ghlvb ox, etewd yo gnpd fipmormw zxn vkx kcbg irahbldq ccl waarlneaknz qjh higavlkhspb ibzbxk ro orhs bgvt.”
Kx iv arjrndik exn wuh bt vns iaqb nmklqxvk, O ymngxy qitl deu xbjgla lkctv ytux kho Aiibhzek. Scog ubo uuowr lz wn ynf qvxn ah ZH ns zfycpbc si mbno — ghku cnee ul kfy hvym’h yhln? Veg dpzgaq qu, zetiuei lvpdvyvrhabysg, fbt.
“Er U tvmj'd xwunf szax, O'n il wlsbrdgcy hk yqiqxi nnorbo, rtf bt'i lqaq pdsm nvi uj tc ef ryeg q hkqu adbm nzj wsz hlqmkiclarfpbr xijm IG gwg sb odj zmomz,” kfh msfa. “Z uyj'j jblsw tl hlqqykbv etzw N ehkay qjebwg rw.”
Alice Bentinck brunch receipt
<dm>Yzy gdx edhwp Gku tna vmfdn qhkuztvbemmj pync suqhjso fnx jecqyzq qjtpw CmcqCFP. </mc>

Kai Nicol-Schwarz

Kai Nicol-Schwarz was a senior reporter at Sifted. He covered AI and UK tech.

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