Alice Yvonne Bentinck is a British entrepreneur. Along with Matthew Clifford, she is the co-founder of Entrepreneur First, a London-based company builder and startup accelerator. Based in London and Singapore, EF funds ambitious individuals based across Europe and Asia to create startups. In 2017, it was announced that Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and Partner at Greylock, was leading a $12.4million investment into Entrepreneur First. Bentinck and Clifford are also the founders of, an organisation offering free web programming courses for women in university. An advocate for the entry of more women to the tech field, Bentinck was named one of the Fifty Most Inspiring Women in European Tech by the Inspiring Fifty organisation in 2015.
Prior to founding EF, Bentinck interned in the office of Tony Blair in London, where she also assisted the Africa Governance Initiative. From 2009 to 2011 she was a management consultant in the London office of McKinsey & Company. Bentinck and Clifford met in 2009 while working at McKinsey. After noticing that entrepreneurship was not seen as a viable career option for talented and ambitious individuals in Europe, unlike in Silicon Valley, they decided to found Entrepreneur First in 2011. Bentinck serves as CPO while Clifford is CEO. The six-month, cohort-based program receives more than 1,500 applications per year and accepts 100. In its first four years, Entrepreneur First helped establish 75 startups valued at $450 million. Entrepreneur First's first international office was opened in Singapore in 2016, bringing the same company building model to Asia. In 2017, it was announced that Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and Partner at Greylock, was leading a $12.4million investment into Entrepreneur First. As part of his investment, Hoffman also joined the board of EF. Noticing that most individuals applying to Entrepreneur First were male, Bentinck and Clifford founded Code First: Girls in 2012. This nonprofit initiative provides free web programming courses for female university students from arts backgrounds, giving them skills to switch to the tech sector. In addition to courses, students are mentored by female industry professionals. The program is offered at Oxford, Durham, St Andrews, and Bristol universities. In its first year, Code First: Girls graduated 500 students. According to Bentinck, 70 percent of enrollees switched their career tracks to tech as a result of the courses. Since 2015, Bentinck has served on the board of Code First: Girls.
In 2015 she was named one of the Fifty Most Inspiring Women in European Tech by the Inspiring Fifty organisation. In 2014 she was named to several newspaper and magazine lists. She was named one of "The 1000 – London's Most Influential People" by the London Evening Standard, one of the "35 Women Under 35" by Management Today, and was cited as a "Rising Star" by Computer Weekly as part of their 2014 Most Influential Women in UK IT campaign. Additionally, the British Interactive Media Association included her on its BIMA Hot 100 of 2014. In 2013 she was ranked No. 19 on The Drum "30 Under 30 Women in Digital" list. She was a Top 25 finalist in the Tech CityMovers and Shakers 2013 and the Girls in Tech Ones to Watch 2013. Bentinck was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to business. In 2017, Bentinck was named by Computer Weekly as one of the most influential women in UK IT. She was again named by the London Evening Standard as one of London's most influential people in the Progress 1000: Capitalisers/ Entrepreneurs category.
Personal
Bentinck has participated in competitive carriage driving since her youth.
