Antler is a Global early-stage venture capital firm and startup accelerator founded in 2017 by Magnus Grimeland and Fridtjof Berge, headquartered in Singapore. It operates the world’s most active “day zero” investment model, supporting founders from pre-idea stage through Series C. Runs 8–12 week intensive residency programmes providing co-founder matching, business model validation, mentorship from global experts, and access to a worldwide investor network. Operates both venture-building track (pre-idea founders) and direct investment track (early-stage startups with MVPs).
Antler was ranked the most active venture capital investor globally by PitchBook in 2024 with 443 deals, and it manages over US$1 billion as of 2025, sourced 70% from institutional investors, including 19 sovereign wealth funds. Operates residency programmes across 30+ cities on six continents, including Singapore, London, New York, Berlin, Nairobi, Lagos, Jakarta, Seoul, Tokyo, Sydney, Amsterdam, Munich, São Paulo, Dubai, and Riyadh. The company has a portfolio of 1,800+ startups globally as of October 2025, including 2 unicorns (Airalo and Lovable).
Antler launched Africa operations in Nairobi, Kenya, in August 2019 and expanded to Lagos, Nigeria, in March 2025. It’s East Africa Fund I closed at US$13.5 million (2022, exceeding the initial target), while the North Africa fund was announced at US$60 million (2023). More than 153 founders have been backed in Kenya since 2019, with 10+ investments and invested US$14 million across 26 East African startups.
Investment Amount
- Pre-seed/seed: US$100,000 to US$250,000 standard initial investment via SAFE agreements or convertible notes.
- Africa (Kenya/Nigeria): US$100,000 for a 10% equity stake, plus an additional US$100,000 available to match the next investor ticket and terms.
- Kenya/East Africa: US$100,000–400,000 per deal (direct investments at negotiated valuations).
- Series A onwards (via Antler Elevate): scale-up capital for growth-stage companies demonstrating product-market fit and compounding growth; average Series A US$12.2 million, average Series B US$50.5 million.
- Follow-on funding available through Series C.
Target
- Exceptional individuals at the day zero stage (before idea or team formation) with 5–15 years of work experience, looking to utilise domain expertise to build high-growth startups
- Experienced business operators, technologists, and entrepreneurs, regardless of background or geography.
- Early-stage startups with MVP or early customer validation seeking pre-seed/seed funding.
- Growth-stage companies (Series A onwards via Elevate) showing strong product-market fit, ambitious mindsets, and compounding growth.
- Solo founders seeking co-founder matches
- Pre-formed teams with identified product-market fit seeking acceleration.
- Founders from underrepresented regions and diverse backgrounds (33% female co-founders, 80+ nationalities).
- Companies requiring hands-on support from inception through scaling, including team formation, idea validation, early customer development, regulatory navigation, and market entry facilitation.
- Startups with scalable business models capable of achieving venture returns.
- Pre-idea stage individuals are determined to become entrepreneurs
- Early-product builders who haven’t raised capital;
- Teams seeking additional co-founders or early traction acceleration.
Selection prioritises founders’ resilience, adaptability, commercial acumen, and potential to identify market opportunities over fully formed ideas. Teams must be committed to relocating to programme cities for in-person residency participation (e.g., Nairobi).
Focus Areas
Sector-agnostic with a portfolio spanning 40 industries.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning, including generative AI, AI-powered automation, AI-driven recruitment, and voice bots);
- Enterprise Applications and B2B Software
- Financial Technology (fintech, including digital payments, lending platforms, purchase financing, financial inclusion, expense management)
- Consumer Technology
- Health and BioTech (telehealth, chronic disease monitoring, mental health platforms, health monitoring solutions, sexual reproductive health)
- Climate Technology and Sustainability (renewable energy, including solar, aluminium-air fuel cells
- Waste management, carbon tracking, and methane emissions monitoring)
- Deep Technology
- Education Technology (interactive learning solutions, job credentialing)
- Mobility and Transportation (driver-focused platforms, e-mobility, urban mobility)
- Agriculture Technology (agritech, agricultural value chains, climate-resilient farming)
- E-commerce and Retail (offline retail intelligence, hyperlocal marketplaces, wholesale marketplaces, fashion retail)
- Real Estate and Property Technology (proptech, property management automation);
- Food Technology (ready-to-cook solutions, food production);
- Logistics and Supply Chain; Cybersecurity; Web3/Crypto;
- Future of Work (workplace automation).
- UN Sustainable Development Goals alignment
- Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) integration through UNPRI commitments.
- Impact investing, which addresses energy access, education access, healthcare affordability, and poverty alleviation.
- Regional problem-solving with global scaling ambitions.
- AI adoption across industries, deep tech, digital media, gaming, and cloud computing.
