ABOUT ENTREPRENEUR FIRST
Entrepreneur First is the best place in the world to find your co-founder and build a startup from scratch. Every six months, we bring together and fund high-potential individuals to help them meet their co-founder, develop an idea and raise money from leading investors - as fast as possible. We call this Talent Investing. See how it works here.
The companies built at EF are now worth over $10bn. They include Tractable (a computer vision unicorn), Cleo, Omnipresent, Aztec, Airbank, Transcelestial and many more*. The portfolio is fast growing, with its companies having increased in value by more than 70% in the past year.
EF is funded and backed by some of the world's best tech founders and company builders, including Patrick and John Collison (Stripe); Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn), Tom Blomfield (GoCardless and Monzo), Sara Clemens (Pandora and Twitch); Nat Friedman (GitHub); and Matt Mullenweg (Wordpress).
Having raised our Series C round of investment at the end of last year, we are well-capitalised out to 2026, and have ambitious plans to further scale our impact over the coming years.
The Role
The Senior Legal Counsel position is an exciting opportunity in our global Legal Team (with team members based in London and Singapore). The EF Legal Team is responsible for running investments in EF’s portfolio companies across the globe, as well as looking after internal matters such as fundraising and corporate governance as and when they arise. We are a fast growing, global and highly ambitious company and in this role you’ll work directly on an extremely broad and varied range of matters in relation to our investments, fundraising, expansion and day-to-day business. This role will be based in Singapore and will report into our General Counsel. As well as the Legal and Compliance Team, you’ll work closely with all teams across Entrepreneur First - including the EF Executive Committee, General Managers of each site, the EF programme teams in London, Paris, Berlin and Toronto and EF’s other operational teams, Finance, People and Fund Operations.
The scope of the role is extremely broad and you’ll get exposure to a wide range of work streams including:
Fund Formation and Administration
You will work closely with the General Counsel on work arising from EF’s existing funds - fund restructuring matters and potential fundraisings as well as new fund formation matters, if applicable. In the process, you will gain exposure on operational aspects of the funds from working closely with the fund manager and fund administrator. You’ll also be involved in the administration of incentive schemes, including carried interest vehicles, and a large part of our key corporate restructuring projects.
Programme Delivery (Asia)
Working closely with the local Talent, Form and Launch teams in Singapore and Bangalore, you will be responsible for reviewing and amending EF’s Offer letter on a cyclical cohort basis. You’ll be required to present to each cohort on EF’s investment terms and will be the first contact for legal related cohort questions.
Pre-Seed Investment Cycle (Asia)
You will be expected to manage and administer EF’s pre-seed investment cycles in Singapore and Bangalore. You will work closely with the General Counsel and external legal partners to update EF’s investment documents from time to time and alongside our external service providers to manage the execution process.
Follow-on Investments (Asia)
You will be expected to manage the inbound deal flow when EF’s portfolio companies in Singapore and Bangalore raise capital subsequent to EF’s initial pre-seed investments. You will review investment documents and advise EF’s fund manager on the deal terms. You should expect to work closely with the local General Managers and Fundraising Managers on such follow-on deal flow.
EF’s Expansion
EF is growing and you’ll be responsible for working with external counsel to draft the legal documents necessary to start operating in new markets. You’ll be involved in the commercial strategy discussions behind key market specific investment structures. You will also be expected to work closely with the strategy/commercial team and support them with the implementation of any new investment strategies and experiments.
Commercial Contracts & IP
You will be expected to advise the business on commercial contracts and key strategic partnerships. You’ll also be responsible for managing EF’s IP portfolio with the help of our external legal partners.
What You’ll Need
5-8 years of experience as a qualified solicitor with a solid background in corporate law and, preferably, funds and venture capital. Proven track record in drafting and reviewing of investment documents, client and stakeholder management and delivery of a premium legal service to an extensive client base. Experience in international legal, tax and regulatory issues will be advantageous. Excellent at project management and running with key strategic projects. A love of fast-paced environments and working in an international team. A commercial, inquisitive and proactive approach to work. Ability to thrive independently and give sound legal advice, while taking into account commercial interests of stakeholders. A keen interest in startups, venture capital and a passion for the mission of EF. A love of learning and adapting to changing needs or circumstances.About You
To do the role well, you'll need to be a leader. Ideally, you: are a strong, clear communicator; think strategically and can communicate your strategy across the company; give and absorb direct, honest feedback; are someone people want to work for and with; both strategic and operational; have a passion for getting things done, and an appreciation for details; believe in continual process improvement; are able to set the direction for the Legal team, ensuring that the team’s processes can scale efficiently and effectively with the growing business; believe that technology can shape the future; want to be a part of that change by helping to build a world-class institution; want to set big goals and push yourself and others to greatness.What We Offer
A competitive salary plus generous performance based bonus and the opportunity to participate in our equity programme; A buzzing space full of technical founders creating globally impactful businesses; Collaboration with a growth minded, diverse team in Europe, Asia and Canada; Generous holidays: in addition to 23 days holiday, we also close the office down for around two weeks over Christmas and New Year; An annual Learning & Development allowance to purchase any product or service that will contribute to your personal or professional development; An annual Wellness allowance to spend on things enhancing your health and wellbeing, e.g. gym membership, yoga classes, Vitality, subscription to Headspace etc; Enhanced parental leave, plus broader leave policies. We care about our team and enabling the right balance between home and working life.EF champions diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment in which a wide variety of backgrounds thrive. We do not tolerate discrimination of any nature, including but not limited to: discriminating on the basis of race, colour, religion, culture, nationality, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, disability, or marital status.