Founders at Antler are turning their visions into reality—tackling pressing problems, creating jobs, and unlocking their personal potential. As the world’s issues become more complex, founders are more needed than ever to solve them. What are you waiting for?
We’re looking for people committed to turning their ambitious ideas into game-changing businesses. We work with founders regardless of background or geography—from experienced business operators to technologists and entrepreneurs. Whether you've just started building, but haven't yet raised capital; you've got an idea and are thinking about getting started, but haven't quite made the leap; or you don't have an idea but are determined to be an entrepreneur, Antler is the right place for you to bring your idea to life.
Pre-idea and pre-team. Ambitious founders can join Antler before the inception of their company to find a co-founder(s) and receive their first cheque. We support these founders through team formation, idea validation, dedicated expert coaching, access to the world’s largest-growing community of like-minded entrepreneurs, and a clear pathway to capital.
Startups can now join Antler seeking support to scale their operations and secure early stage funding. These are typically incorporated companies with a product in market and growing customer base. We provide dedicated expert coaching, industry connections to secure subsequent funding rounds, support to scale operations, and a clear pathway to capital.
Antler's 10-week intensive program focuses on team formation, idea and product-market fit validation, and business building to maximize our founders’ chance of success.
Form your co-founding team, develop your idea, and get buy-in for your vision.
Start talking to customers, develop your MVP, refine your business model, and develop your go-to-market strategy with the support and guidance of expert coaches.
Pitch your company to Antler's Investment Committee. Approved teams will secure pre-seed investment.
We back you for the entire life cycle of your company—through follow-up funding (to Series C and beyond), tier-one VC access, and our truly global community that supports you forever.
Antler is dedicated to helping the portfolio companies scale.
It takes about 2-3 weeks to complete the entire application process. Once you apply, our scouting team will guide you through the full process and will be available to answer all your questions
It takes about 2-3 weeks to complete the entire application process. Once you apply, our scouting team will guide you through the full process and will be available to answer all your questions
It takes about 2-3 weeks to complete the entire application process. Once you apply, our scouting team will guide you through the full process and will be available to answer all your questions
There has never been a better time to innovate and build a company that solves meaningful problems. As the issues society faces become more complex, founders are more needed than ever to tackle them.
Meet the team supporting Korea's next wave of entrepreneurs
Jiho built his career working with South Korean tech giant SK Planet and ecommerce unicorn Coupang as lead product manager. Jiho is also well connected to Silicon Valley becoming the first Korean to be accepted into the 500 Startups accelerator program in 2010 and went on to co-found Soomgo, a Y-Combinator portfolio company(#153 of top YC portfolio companies) recently valued at over $200m. Jiho’s most recent venture was blockchain startup BxB which was acquired by the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange; Binance in 2020.
Gabriel was Head of Corporate Venture Capital at GS Retail, the retail subsidiary of Korean conglomerate GS Group. He has led many notable investments, including Moloco, Inc., currently valued at over USD $1.5 billion. He started his career as a consultant at Accenture Strategy, founded a WiseBros&Company, a B2B SaaS company to help universities restructure, worked at Rakuten CEO's Innovation Office helping the Japanese company expand into global markets, and led Bravestone Venture Partners where he made notable investments including seed investment in ImpriMed in the U.S.
JaeHee co-leads Antler Korea with Jiho and Gabriel. Prior to Antler, JaeHee was in 500 Global Korea Fund/Ecosystems and worked at early stage startups where she led marketing and business development. Prior to her startup experiences, she was in Cheil Worldwide, Naver, and Booz Allen Hamilton, where her work was focused on strategy and business development. With her multicultural background, she has a mission to help startups go global.
Roy previously worked at Accelerator, Corporate VC and startups. He started his career as a founding member of Chilling Kitchen, a foodtruck platform that combines content. Roy also worked at Vingle, an interest-based community platform. He served both as an investment manager and a director of co-working space, a new business area at Corporate VC after working as a Accelerator. Roy was a columnist for Korea Tourism Organisation and speaker at TEDx
Heechan worked as a network designer at Coupang, focusing on Logistics Data Analysis and Operations Excellence. He previously worked at a family business, an Asia-wide wholesale business and also served as a translator at various joint operations and occasions in ROK ARMY LOGCMD.
Min Joo (Amy) has previously worked as Product Manager at Fastcampus, where she was responsible for creating online education contents for adults and overseeing the product launch. Amy has also worked as consultant at Deloitte, where she participated in engagements such as internal control and internal audit.
Juyeop has experience founding startups in Spain and Germany. As a co-founder of Interport, he has operated B2G collaboration services in the energy sector, achieving multiple successful cross-border R&D partnerships and PR initiatives. Additionally, he served as the Korean student representative to the OECD Education Committee.
Throughout our residencies, successful entrepreneurs have shared their insights and experiences with our founders, offering valuable mentorship !
Read our latest insights and stories about our phenomenal founders.
The Antler residency is an intensive 6-month journey designed to help you build and scale a company. It begins with a 11-week period (Phase 1) focused on team formation, idea validation, and business model refinement.
Throughout Phase 1, you will receive a monthly stipend of approximately $2.2K (3M KRW) for 3 months. After 10 weeks, teams participate in the Investment Committee (IC) for a review, and around 30-50% are selected for investment.
Teams that receive funding proceed to Phase II, where they concentrate on product development, business validation, and preparing for Investor Day.
The Antler Korea residency is open to ambitious, self-driven individuals who have a clear vision for building a scalable business. We also welcome applications from existing teams, though each co-founder must apply individually. We encourage all founders to be open to collaborating with other talented individuals in the residency, as this often leads to the strongest partnerships.
Yes, full-time participation (9AM–6PM, weekdays) is a requirement for the Antler residency. Building a company from scratch, especially during the team formation stage, demands 100% dedication. It's an intensive process that can't be balanced with a full-time job or studies.
Yes. There are no restrictions on applying for multiple cohorts. However, when you re-apply, Antler expects to see tangible progress as a founder since your last application, whether in your ambition or execution.
At the Pre-Seed stage, we invest up to $110K (150M KRW). This investment is provided after you successfully complete our 11-week residency and an Investment Committee review. Our terms are non-negotiable and are the same for all teams.
We also offer a follow-on commitment of $150K–$370K (200M–500M KRW) upon securing external VC investment. Beyond capital, our portfolio companies gain access to Antler’s global VC network and extensive resources, including over $4M (5.3B KRW) worth of perks from partners like Google, Microsoft, and NVIDIA.
Founders don't have to pay a direct fee to join the residency. The fees, which cover the residency's operational costs, are paid by the Antler Korea Fund.
For teams that receive investment, Antler provides an additional capital on top of the pre-seed funding to cover this cost. No fees are charged for teams that don't receive an investment.
In all cases, founders will never bear any direct cost for participating in the residency.
The Fast-Track provides an immediate path to investment for early-stage startups that already have traction. To be eligible, teams must have at least one co-founder with a 10% or greater equity share and demonstrate market validation through existing revenue or traction.
Antler Korea provides up to $260K USD (350M KRW) per team. Selected teams receive about $110K (150M KRW) in pre-seed funding, with a follow-on commitment of about $150K–$370K (200M–500M KRW). Beyond capital, teams gain access to Antler’s global VC network and extensive resources, including over $4M (5.3B KRW) worth of perks from partners like Google, Microsoft, and NVIDIA.
Antler in Korea supports around 100 founders every program, throughout initial investments to incorporations.
About 40+ founders have successfully received Pre-Seed investment of KRW 200 million in the 1st cohort.
Get in touch with our team!
