Antler’s Post

🚀 "Every single Series A to Series B investor was introduced to me by Antler, says Ahmet Bahadir Ozdemir, CEO of Airalo, the world's first eSIM store, serving over 10 million customers. Thrilled to have been part of Airalo’s journey since the founders met during our residency in Singapore in 2019. Our investment out of our emerging growth fund, Antler Elevate, reflects our belief in their remarkable performance and potential. Read the whole story behind how Ahmet Bahadir Ozdemir and Abraham Burak met and founded Airalo 👇 Jussi Salovaara Winnie Khoo Martell Hardenberg Dr. Jonathan Doerr Romain (رومان) Assunção #StartupSuccess #VentureCapital #TechInvestment #Entrepreneurship #StartupJourney #eSIM #TechInnovation #BusinessGrowth #Antler #Airalo #FounderStory #GlobalStartup #EmergingTech #ResidencyProgram #InvestmentJourney #InnovationHub #StartupSupport #ScaleUp #EntrepreneurialSpirit

A few highlights from Antler's regions this week: 🇯🇵 Antler Japan's Tomoko Takasaki, Jordan Fisher and Yumiko Oka shared Antler’s vision with the Japanese startup community at #IVS2024Kyoto: ”Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not.”—https://lnkd.in/d9ikHTDu 🇸🇬Some insights from Antler Co-Founder Jussi Salovaara how to arrive at product-market fit—https://lnkd.in/dH98p6RM 🇫🇷 Antler France brought together Antler’s portfolio founders and the startup community for an evening of networking overlooking the Eiffel Tower—https://lnkd.in/dQ_4_5NE 🇸🇪 Antler founder Maisa Korhonen quoted an article in Forbes, sharing her experience of shattering ageism in entrepreneurship through valuing experience at Brinna—https://lnkd.in/dH4zhgme 🇮🇩 Agung Bezharie Hadinegoro highlighted AssetFindr by Sugih Sutjiono and Benediktus S., centralizing asset maintenance on an IoT-integrated platform starting with trucks and buses in Indonesia, 80% of which are company-owned. The founders met at the Antler residency in Indonesia, and their experience and drive throughout have won the Antler team over to back their idea—https://lnkd.in/dKVxWiuR More updates to follow. #startups #entrepreneurship #innovation #AntlerGlobal

Should you have a Plan B when you start a company? Antler founder and CEO, Magnus Grimeland joined Kevin Follonier on the When Shift Happens podcast to answer this and more. He emphasized that while people make the mistake of not giving their venture 100%, it can dilute your determination to make your business successful. One of the concepts discussed was ‘frontloading’—investing significant time and effort early on to build a dedicated and effective team. In the initial stages, the founders and their core team are the primary drivers of the business. Their combined effort is critical in creating the momentum needed to get the venture off the ground. This intense focus and dedication in the first year or two can be the make-or-break factor for a startup's success. At Antler, our approach is to support you from day zero, providing the resources, network, and guidance needed to overcome challenges and scale your business. Follow the link in the comments to listen to the full episode.

At Antler, we back founders with the tenacity and vision to tackle the world’s biggest challenges. Join us to validate your idea, build your team, and access capital to launch and scale your company. Ankit Acharya’s journey in India’s mobility sector—from interning at Bounce to leading marketing at Namma Yatri revealed critical safety and accountability challenges. As ride numbers surged in 2023, it became clear that existing solutions fell short. This inspired Ankit and his co-founder Pranjal Nadhani to create Cautio, a pioneering stand-alone dashcam designed for real-time monitoring. Joining the Antler Residency helped Ankit and Pranjal transform Cautio from a hardware-focused brand to an AI-powered data platform aimed at revolutionizing road safety, a shift that allowed Cautio to expand market reach and refine their business model. Cautio now leads the charge in smart mobility with an extensive order book and plans to roll out the innovative dashcams nationwide. By utilizing intelligent data, they aim to reduce accidents, improve accountability, and pave the way for autonomous vehicles. Applications are open year-round for early teams, and the next cohort at Antler in India starts in August 2024. Follow the link in the comments to read more about Cautio’s journey with Antler.

Campden Wealth interviewed TC Høiseth on representation as a cornerstone of modern asset management: 🔹How Antler supports diverse and complementary perspectives to build stronger, more successful companies. 🔹 Visionary founders recognizing the importance of integrating sustainability-linked principles into their companies 🔹 Antler's approach importance of being industry-agnostic to support impactful companies Read the story in the link below 👇

Antler locations everywhere have been bustling with activity. Here are a few of the highlights from this week: 🇰🇷Antler in Korea: Introducing 'Second Ocean' Meet 두 번째 바다 (Second Ocean),' the startup coming out of Antler in Korea’s 4th cohort. Having secured investment for their innovative indoor seaweed farming system, they share why they chose Antler and more about their journey here: https://lnkd.in/dXBdYTA5 Antler in Korea is now accepting applications for the 5th cohort to start in October 2024, find more information here: https://lnkd.in/dw6C3-tr Antler Japan: "Dialogue with Top Entrepreneurs in Japan" Last Friday, Antler in Japan hosted a session with Venture Partner Jordan Fisher, who shared his founder journey and discussed the value of the Antler Japan Residency with a global pool of MBA students. https://lnkd.in/dDU2TAFZ 🏆Public Choice Award: Hypertype Congratulations to Hypertype for winning the Public Choice Award at the Techarenan challenge. Hypetype streamlines your CS operations with an AI that drafts Gmail replies and Intercom Live Chats for knowledge-heavy products. https://lnkd.in/d63CsdmJ The Swedish startup ecosystem continues to grow, and this lively gathering of businesses and policymakers at Almedalsveckan showcases the collaborative efforts driving this expansion. More updates to follow. #startups #entrepreneurship #innovation #AntlerGlobal

Why hasn’t Europe ever produced a truly global tech giant? Our latest report dives deep into this question and reveals a critical factor: Europe has historically lacked enough technical founders. 💡But that’s changing. The rise of technical founders across Europe, driven by layoffs and emerging technologies like AI, is creating unprecedented opportunities. These founders are solving complex problems and building the next generation of tech giants. We analyzed over 1,000 unicorn founders and 60,000 aspiring founders, mapping the rise of Europe’s new tech visionaries. The data shows that startups with technical founders achieve higher valuations and raise more funding. The future looks promising, and we can support this new wave of technical talent and watch Europe build its first true tech giant. Follow the link in the comments to find out more. #startups #Founders #EuropeanTech

“We can support incredible founders to truly grow globally… a lot of our portfolio companies or most of them are not looking to just deliver in one country but win in the region or win globally.” 🌍 On May 29th, Antler investors from 20 countries gathered in Seoul to connect with Korean startup founders and investors at the Antler Innovation Forum 2024. Our fund managers from North America, Europe, Southeast Asia and beyond conducted regional workshops, offering founders and local investors insights into their respective startup ecosystems. A big thank you to everyone who participated in the Innovation Forum. If you're ready to build your business, reach out to your local Antler team to kickstart your entrepreneurial journey. You can find all our cohort start dates here: https://lnkd.in/d6ee9u4b

"I invest in maniacs," says Jeff Becker, a Partner at Antler in the US—which earned him a spot on Business Insider's list of "11 VC firms investing in the creator economy’s next phase."

News about a decline in investment activity are dominating headlines. The truth is more complex—and less remarkable," writes James McClure Partner at Antler in Fortune.