The Bridge Residency Winter 2027

The Bridge, built by Entrepreneurs First, is an 8-week residency in San Francisco for non-US founders at the very beginning of their company's journey. Up to 50 founders live and build together in a founder house, work on ideas or co-founder matching, talk to users and make rapid progress; most arrive pre-idea and pre-team. At the end of the residency, teams that are ready pitch to the Investment Committee, and the best teams get a $250k check and stay in San Francisco for a further 3 months of company building at the EF San Francisco office before Demo Day. The Winter 2027 residency starts in February 2027.

Key Benefits

• $250k pre-seed check for the strongest teams: $125k for 8% via an EF SAFE, plus an optional $125k MFN SAFE
• Residency costs nothing: housing, workspace, food (three meals a day from an in-house chef) and the program are covered
• Free compute and a hardware lab in the house
• Access to the Bay Area's best advisors and investors; help raising the next round at Demo Day
• Visa support from the moment you are in
• Funded teams get 3 more months of company building at the EF San Francisco office

Eligibility

• Founders at Stage 0: many arrive pre-idea or pre-team; you do not need a finished idea or a co-founder
• Founders based outside the US who want direct access to Bay Area speed, talent and capital (designed for Europe's next founders; founders already in the US or Asia are pointed to other EF programs)
• Builders (product, engineering, research) or future CEOs (commercial operators); researchers, builders, operators and students
• Hardware companies are welcome

Program Structure

• Apply by 26 October 2026
• Part 1: The Residency, 8 weeks in San Francisco starting February 2027 (co-founder matching, user discovery, shipping early versions)
• End of residency: ready teams pitch to the Investment Committee
• Part 2: Company Building, 3 months at the EF San Francisco office (funded teams only), then Demo Day