2022 ADE & Antler Startup Competition

Amsterdam Dance Event and Antler announced that the five-day long electronic music conference and festival and the early-stage venture capital investor have teamed up for the 2022 ADE & Antler Startup Competition.

antler

Antler

The investor backing the world's most driven founders, from day zero to greatness. Enabling thousands of founders every year to launch and scale companies that move the world forward.

Does your company innovate on the cutting edge of music and technology? ADE and Antler are calling for applications from startups with an innovative idea, product or service related in any way to the music & entertainment industry. After a screening process, selected teams will be invited for a number of interviews. Upon passing the interviews, the finalist teams will pitch to Antler’s Investment Committee (IC) and receive hands-on support from ADE and Antler to best prepare for the final pitches.

The final round of the competition will take place live on the main stage during ADE Pro in Amsterdam, where the final contestants will present their ideas live on stage to compete for the grand prize of (at least) €100K investment, access to Antler’s global network of founders, investors and industry experts, as well as coaching by Antler’s leadership and the possibility to receive further investment all the way through to Series C.

There are four main factors that determine who wins. Namely, the team, the market, the progress, and the idea. When it comes to the team, the jury will pay attention to the completeness and the track record of the team. When it comes to the market, it is important that the idea or the startup focuses on the music & entertainment industry, the total addressable market size, and the go-to-market strategy. It is further taken into consideration what the team has achieved so far compared to the time they have spent on validating and scaling their startup. A great idea exemplifies an outstanding problem and solution articulation, a differentiation versus competition and the use of technology.

"The winner will receive an investment of at least €100K. With its global set-up in 17 locations across 5 continents, Antler focuses on enabling and investing in exceptional founders from day zero at any time of the year by building complementary co-founder teams, supporting the teams with deep business model validation, and providing a global platform for scaling. At Antler we are extremely proud to have built a global community of 2,000+ founders. The winner will not only be able to tap into that, but also get access to investors, customers and expert partners in our close-knitted network and will have the chance to make use of office hours with Antler's team and 500+ advisors globally."

The winner will receive an investment of at least €100K. With its global set-up in 17 locations across 5 continents, Antler focuses on enabling and investing in exceptional founders from day zero at any time of the year by building complementary co-founder teams, supporting the teams with deep business model validation, and providing a global platform for scaling. At Antler we are extremely proud to have built a global community of 2,000+ founders. The winner will not only be able to tap into that, but also get access to investors, customers and expert partners in our close-knitted network and will have the chance to make use of office hours with Antler's team and 500+ advisors globally.

— YOURI DOELEMAN, PARTNER ANTLER NETHERLANDS

About ADE Pro

ADE Pro is the ultimate business and inspiration platform for the global electronic music industry, featuring dedicated programming for music professionals, aspiring DJs/producers and musicians, tech start-ups, brand- and marketing managers and much more.

Ready to compete? Enter the ADE & Antler Startup Competition here.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get the latest news and views from Antler’s global community

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Must-read articles from Antler

Browse our collection of founder stories, industry insights and latest startup successes from Antler Australia

See articles
Insights
5 min read
The UK’s early-stage growth opportunity: How leading VCs see the future

What are the trends and who are the people defining the future of UK tech? Antler in the UK and Google hosted The UK’s Early-Stage Growth Opportunity, a dynamic event exploring the trends and growth opportunities in UK and European early-stage investing over the next 10 years.

Insights
5 min read
From around the world to MENAP: Antler's first Riyadh residency

The startup ecosystem in the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan (MENAP) is bursting with potential. With a young, tech-savvy, and increasingly urban population of 600 million and governments evaluating ways to diversify and modernize their economies, vast opportunities await founders building in the region. Antler is thrilled to support the next generation of standout founders from across the region—and the world—through the launch of our inaugural residency in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Learn more about the 92 exceptional founders who joined our first cohort.

Insights
5 min read
How to stand out to investors heading into 2024

In a fundraising environment that has been challenging for startups of all stages, how can you set yourself apart from the pack when approaching investors? Antler partner Tyler Norwood, Antler venture partner Robbie Crabtree, and post-investment platform co-founder Mike Preuss discuss the best ways to become a top-decile startup with investors.

Insights
5 min read
Unleashing sustainability for founders

The businesses that go the distance are the ones that embed sustainable practices in their operations from day zero. But many founders lack the knowledge and resources to do that. That's why we created our online education platform, the Antler Sustainability Toolkit—exclusively for founders.

Insights
5 min read
The new generation of Nordic founders

The Nordics have produced some of the most successful tech unicorns in Europe—and the world—with Spotify and Klarna securing some of the highest valuations ever achieved by European tech founders. As the tech flywheel spins faster and faster in the region, Antler is excited to publish the largest study of tech founders in the Nordics ever conducted.

Founder Stories
5 min read
Manuel Schönfeld: The management consultant determined to save companies millions

Meet Manuel Schönfeld, founder and CEO of PowerX, who's helping businesses save energy and money while combatting "the largest threat to our planet since the meteor wiped out dinosaurs.”

Insights
5 min read
Build your transformational AI company with Antler

As AI technologies evolve at a breathtaking speed, founders have an unprecedented opportunity to leverage those tools to solve complex, meaningful, and pervasive problems. Antler is looking for the next wave of visionary founders committed to using AI to disrupt industries and improve how we live, work, and thrive as individuals, organizations, and economies.

Insights
5 min read
Under the hood: How Antler sources and assesses great founders

Our Window into Progress digital event series continues with "Under the Hood"—a deep dive into the rigor and scale that makes Antler unique as we source and assess tens of thousands of founders across six continents.