Entrepreneur First’s Singapore exit leaves big void for deeptech startupsThe question is if SG has outgrown the need for a generalist venture builder …

London-based venture builder Entrepreneur First’s (EF) decision to leave Singapore came as a shock to many. For some of its portfolio firms, the news was nothing short of “heartbreaking”.

“EF Singapore was where we started,” said Transcelestial’s Rohit Jha, who met his Iranian co-founder Mohammad Danesh at EF’s venture builder programme in 2017.