Antler Australia's program structure: A comprehensive guide for aspiring founders

Becoming an entrepreneur can be daunting and often full of risk and unknowns. Founders can experience a wide array of problems including finding the right co-founder, validating their idea, or a clear pathway to capital. Antler Australia’s pre-launch program provides founders with a structured program, de-risking the entrepreneurial journey. 

Here is the rundown of Antler’s Pre-Lunch program structure and what founders can expect at each stage of the program.

1. Pre-Program 

In this initial stage, founders are introduced to others in their cohort of whom they will be building businesses alongside. This provides founders with the opportunity to network, share ideas as well as getting to know each other before the official commencement of the cohort.

2. Formation and Validation

Once the program starts, founders enter into the formation and validation stage. This is where ideas are born and validated through design sprints and market research, as well as choosing the right co-founder to build a business with. The collaboration amongst founders allows everyone to observe working styles and provides alignments to values, fostering team formation.‍

3. Trackout: Pitching Your Idea

Once a team has been formed and an idea has been validated, teams will “trackout.” This is where founders pitch their idea and the co-founding team to Antler and receive feedback on their idea. If teams pass this stage, they will progress into Due Diligence. If not, teams will return to Formation and Validation with specific feedback to be addressed before they track out again.

4. Due Diligence

Once founders reach this stage, they will be paired with a dedicated coach who will support them for the next 5 weeks until their final pitch at an investment committee. In this stage, founders will be given specific feedback and traction that they need to gain for the best chance at securing investment. 

‍5. Investment Committee: The Final Pitch

The official Pre-Launch program ends with a final pitch to the investment committee. Founders pitch their business to Antler and a network of investors to secure pre-seed investment from Antler. Successful pitches will receive an investment from Antler and become an Antler portfolio company, unlocking opportunity for further investment, ongoing support and a global network in which founders can leverage.

Antler’s Pre-Launch program is often the best pathway for founders to start their entrepreneurial journey, given the structured approach to business building the long-lasting relationships that will form during the program.

If you are looking for a VC backed program to launch your startup journey, then apply for our next cohort intake here!

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