The tight bottleneck during HIV-1 transmission generally results in only a single virus variant being transmitted. Investigation of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) can identify vulnerabilities of transmitting viruses that can be targeted by vaccines designed to elicit protection against global HIV-1. This study generated an HIV-1 subtype C consensus transmitted and early founder virus Env (Env
FVC
) after detailed sequence analysis of 1,894
env
genes obtained from 80 acutely infected individuals from South Africa, Malawi, and Zambia. The inferred Env
FVC
sequence incorporates characteristics of transmitted and early founder viruses and results in the expression of a functional and conformationally intact Env. Overall, the “subtype-based” or “region-based” Env
FVC
described here can be used in the development of a useful immunogen for novel vaccine design.