WE BACK THE UK’S MOST DRIVEN FOUNDERS FROM day zero to greatness

Antler backs the world’s most driven founders from day zero to greatness. As the world’s issues become more complex, founders are more needed than ever to solve them. Gain an unfair advantage from the outset in three essential ways:

  • Access the best place on the planet to find exceptional co-founders.
  • Scale faster, backed by our global community of founders, advisors, and investors.
  • Get support for your entire journey—from day zero through the full life cycle of your company.

Join us for an ask-me-anything session with one of our partners and other upcoming events to learn more about how Antler works with founders.

* For the September residency, French founders will need to relocate to Amsterdam, Berlin, or Munich.

Join an upcoming AMA session

  • Funding for your startup in just 5 weeks
  • Get your first cheque from a global VC

Who is Antler in the UK for?

Antler gives experienced business operators, technologists, and serial entrepreneurs an unfair advantage in achieving greatness. Through unrivalled access to exceptional co-founders, a robust ecosystem, and in-house, hands-on experts, we help driven people address meaningful problems that move the world forward. With a successful track record of investing in hundreds of companies and supporting thousands of entrepreneurs, we deliver the essential ingredients to build a high-growth business from day zero. 

Residency

Individuals, Founders, and Teams

The next Antler Cohort in the UK will kick off in September, 2024. Applications are open and the formal interview process is already underway. You must be ready to commit full-time and in-person to starting your next venture, including the ten-week residency in Central London. 

Teams

Already have a dream team?

Do you already have a team and are ready to start building? Joining Antler gives you the opportunity to build alongside like-minded, ambitious founders.

Build long-lasting relationships, gain access to coaching, network resources, investor introductions, and valuable support—regardless of your idea’s stage.

What to expect once you join Antler in the UK

Antler brings together exceptional entrepreneurs in a three-month cohort dedicated to helping you find a co-founder and developing and testing a startup hypothesis. At the end of this stage, your team may pitch to our Investment Committee. Successful teams will then enter the Antler portfolio and benefit from Launch, where support focuses on helping you build your product before raising further funds. Mobilising entrepreneurship in Europe’s largest tech hub.

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Find Your Co-founder

You will be surrounded with everything you need to build at lightning speed: a community of diverse founders so you can find the right co-founder, coaching from our team of seasoned founders and advisors, a global network of talent and resources, plus perks from industry-leading partners. To extend your runway and ensure you commit fully while avoiding financial hardship, you can apply for a grant of £4,000, paid in two installments.

Build Your Company

Once you find your co-founder, you will interact with customers, develop your MVP, refine your business model, and create a go-to-market strategy with the help of experienced coaches. This hands-on approach will prepare you well for presenting your startup to Antler's Investment Committee, a straightforward process involving a single pitch and complete transparency. If your startup is selected, we will invest £120,000 in exchange for 10% equity, further boosting your entrepreneurial journey. If your pitch is unsuccessful, we will offer detailed feedback so you can learn and improve.

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Scaling and Fundraising

At Antler, we are dedicated to helping you succeed from day zero to greatness. You will identify the ideal product-market fit, assemble your dream team, and secure pre-seed funding. After being backed by Antler, founders are provided with regular check-ins to support progress in team development, product growth, customer engagement, and investor introductions. In addition, founders will have access to a global community that helps you.

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Founders in the UK that Antler backs are moving the world forward.

Antler is one of the most active early-stage investors in the UK—and globally—backing exceptional founders.

100+

investments in the UK

>75%

of founders raise further funds within 18 months of Antler’s backing

$70M+

raised by founders in Antler’s portfolio in the UK

$450M+

valuation of Antler’s portfolio of UK companies

Application process

The selection process takes about 2-3 weeks. Our scouting team will guide you through each step.

Read answers to the most frequently asked questions we receive.

Apply Today

Start your Antler journey by applying online. Share your unique insights and the drive behind your venture. We'll review your application and may request additional information through a short discovery call.

Learn more about this stage.

First Interview

Your First Interview will delve into the most critical characteristics that contribute to your success as you build your first big idea or the next big thing. We summarise this as Founder DNA, Personal Impact and Grit & Ambition.

Learn more about this stage.

Reference Check and Second Interview

Your Second Interview with a Director or Partner of Antler’s UK Fund will explore the industries, technologies, or hunches you envision yourself working on during the cohort. Antler in the UK vets thousands of applications annually, expecting high drive and clear expertise from cohort members, we also require you provide two references by the time you reach your second interview.

Learn more about this stage.

Outcomes

Roughly 80 exceptional entrepreneurs will receive an offer to join our cohort. In this offer, you will receive feedback observed throughout the selection process. We will then issue Antler's Founder Agreement and Investment Terms for your signature (click to read). Upon acceptance, we will commence onboarding, and soon, you'll meet with your fellow cohort members in person and online.

Learn more about this stage.

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Application process

The selection process takes about 2-3 weeks. Our scouting team will guide you through each step.

Read answers to the most frequently asked questions we receive.

Apply Today

Start your Antler journey by applying online. Share your unique insights and the drive behind your venture. We'll review your application and may request additional information through a short discovery call.

Learn more about this stage.

First Interview

Your First Interview will delve into the most critical characteristics that contribute to your success as you build your first big idea or the next big thing. We summarise this as Founder DNA, Personal Impact and Grit & Ambition.

Learn more about this stage.

Reference Check and Second Interview

Your Second Interview with a Director or Partner of Antler’s UK Fund will explore the industries, technologies, or hunches you envision yourself working on during the cohort. Antler in the UK vets thousands of applications annually, expecting high drive and clear expertise from cohort members, we also require you provide two references by the time you reach your second interview.

Learn more about this stage.

Outcomes

Roughly 80 exceptional entrepreneurs will receive an offer to join our cohort. In this offer, you will receive feedback observed throughout the selection process. We will then issue Antler's Founder Agreement and Investment Terms for your signature (click to read). Upon acceptance, we will commence onboarding, and soon, you'll meet with your fellow cohort members in person and online.

Learn more about this stage.

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Application process

The selection process takes about 2-3 weeks. Our scouting team will guide you through each step.

Read answers to the most frequently asked questions we receive.

Apply Today

Start your Antler journey by applying online. Share your unique insights and the drive behind your venture. We'll review your application and may request additional information through a short discovery call.

Learn more about this stage.

First Interview

Your First Interview will delve into the most critical characteristics that contribute to your success as you build your first big idea or the next big thing. We summarise this as Founder DNA, Personal Impact and Grit & Ambition.

Learn more about this stage.

Reference Check and Second Interview

Your Second Interview with a Director or Partner of Antler’s UK Fund will explore the industries, technologies, or hunches you envision yourself working on during the cohort. Antler in the UK vets thousands of applications annually, expecting high drive and clear expertise from cohort members, we also require you provide two references by the time you reach your second interview.

Learn more about this stage.

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Antler-funded founders go on to raise capital from other leading VCs.

Founder testimonials

Don't just take it from us. Hear from phenomenal people who joined Antler in the UK to launch their company.

Charlie Newman

Shaka

It's been a whirlwind since joining Antler in the UK, 70 aspiring entrepreneurs teamed up, ideated, pitched, and persevered. Thanks to Antler's support, we've embarked on the exciting journey of bringing shaka to life, shaking up the legacy telco industry and going on to secure a $1 million investment from visionary backers.

Lara Stallbaum

Twirl

With Antler, we received the perfect balance of support and independence. Their team was always there for us in both good and challenging times. The remarkable individuals I met, and the friendships I formed have created a lasting network I still rely on years later

Julian Schoemig

Diesta

Starting your entrepreneurial journey involves solving multiple, fragmented challenges, ranging from finding your co-founder to securing early financial support. Antler integrates all these elements into one seamless journey.

George Robinson

Gladys

Coming to Antler as a former Barrister with a hunch and limited entrepreneurial experience, I was confident to take a leap and launch a new chapter in my career. Antler’s residency guided me through identifying my motivations, refining my ideas, and launching my first business. Their support, contact book for fundraising, and long-term accessibility have given Gladys an unrivalled advantage.

Russell Elfenbein

CloudCycle

Antler’s continuous support, global network, and accessible advisors have been pivotal for Cloud Cycle. Its blend of capital, right guidance, and invaluable connections have fast-tracked our journey to product-market fit.

Ewa Moskwiak

PlanningHub

When I joined Antler, I had a business idea, but Antler encouraged me to think bigger. They helped reframe my original idea to address a major problem that impacts many people. That’s how PlanningHub was born.

Enrico Faccioli

seedata.io

Antler has been there since the beginning, offering support as we got Seedata off the ground. But that was just the start. Despite juggling a huge portfolio of companies globally, what stands out about Antler is how accessible the team remains. They are a reliable resource we can always tap into.

It’s the best time in history to build a business

There has never been a better time to innovate and build a company that solves a meaningful problem. As society's issues become more complex, founders are more needed than ever to tackle them.

Entrepass Partner

Meet our team

Adam French
Partner

Adam is a Partner at Antler, co-leading the UK fund. Additionally, he is a Founding Partner and Chair of Houghton Street Ventures, a pre-seed and seed fund investing in the alumni of the LSE. He has been with Antler since 2023.Adam previously was Co-Founder and CEO of Scalable Capital (BlackRock, Tencent, Hedosophia), which is a fintech unicorn valued at $1.4B. Also previously an Executive Director of Trading at Goldman Sachs.

Jed Rose
Partner

Jed Rose is a Partner at Antler and brings operator, advisor, and investor experience from Seed to Series C rounds. He was the GM of EMEA with Airwallex, a B2B fintech payments unicorn that is backed by investors such as Sequoia and DST Global. Prior to Antler and Airwallex, Jed was CEO at Paymentsense, where he led the fintech startup through a period of rapid growth with EBITDA growing from breakeven to £24m in just three years and to an exit. Prior to Paymentsense, Jed did product management for Microsoft Windows for six years where he focused on B2C, international expansion, and product pilots. Jed received a B.Sc. with Honours in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of Cambridge.

Sarah Finegan
Senior Investment Director

Sarah is a Senior Director at Antler. Having previously worked with Antler in Berlin, where she was a key part of Antler's operations in DACH and Eastern Europe, Sarah now leads supporting Antler's growing portfolio in the UK. Sarah brings experience from her previous roles in finance, early-stage technology companies, and venture capital, and she is an avid sports fan and world traveller.

Darren Murphy
Senior Investment Director

Darren is a Senior Director at Antler’s London office and oversees our scouting and residency. Darren has over seven years of experience working with tech startups, helping them go to market and secure investment. He previously worked as Head of Innovation at Unbound, connecting 100s of startups with global corporations at events such as Unbound London, FinTech Abu Dhabi and Innovfest Unbound in Singapore. Darren has also worked at the UK’s leading advanced digital technology innovation centre, Digital Catapult, where he helped establish their first accelerators.

Richard Baillie
Senior Investment Manager

Richard is a Senior Investment Manager in the UK, leading on sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities. Prior to joining Antler, Richard was helping Israeli startups raise Series A funding from UK and US investors. He has also spent time at an investment bank and five years as an actuarial consultant. Richard has an MBA from Bayes Business School and an MSci in Mathematics from the University of Glasgow.

David Houghton
Senior Investment Manager

David’s career began in the GTM team at UK fintech Seedrs/Republic, where he played a pivotal role in driving growth from Seed to Series B. Transitioning to the investor side, he led deals from Pre-seed to Series A across Climate, DeepTech, and AI at the European Institute of Technology before joining Houghton Street Ventures. Currently, David’s focus lies at the intersection of AI, healthcare, B2B SaaS, and climate initiatives. He passionately advocates for social mobility in UK tech, having founded 93% Ventures, a community-led initiative to support operators, founders, and investors from lower socioeconomic communities.‍

Maria Schipa
Manager

Maria is Head of Scouting in the UK. Prior to joining Antler, Maria worked as a recruitment consultant for early-stage SaaS startups in the Netherlands. She is a graduate in Clinical & Forensic Psychology and holds and MSc in Organisational Psychology.

Rakesh Sah
Finance Manager

Rakesh is Finance Manager at Antler, supporting investment and capital teams to drive investments, and founders during and after the investment process. He has previously worked as Finance manager for a PE backed multinational company, helping their European segment double its turnover to £50m in three years. Rakesh has an MBA from the City, University of London and an ACCA qualification.

Sophia Draper
Visiting Analyst

Sophia spent 2+ years as a Founders Associate at Volteras, a startup specialising in electric vehicle software. She joined at inception, assisted through a pivot focusing on GTM and early traction and helped to raise a $2.9m Seed led by Long Journey Ventures and Exor (Techcrunch).
Before this, Sophia spent 3+ years in Equity and Commodity Derivatives after her Graduate role in Data Analytics at Morgan Stanley. She graduated from The London School of Economics with an MSc in Information Systems and holds a BA in Geography from the University of York. She is Code First: Girls and Baby VC alumni.

Sophia Draper
Visiting Analyst

Sophia spent 2+ years as a Founders Associate at Volteras, a startup specialising in electric vehicle software. She joined at inception, assisted through a pivot focusing on GTM and early traction and helped to raise a $2.9m Seed led by Long Journey Ventures and Exor (Techcrunch).
Before this, Sophia spent 3+ years in Equity and Commodity Derivatives after her Graduate role in Data Analytics at Morgan Stanley. She graduated from The London School of Economics with an MSc in Information Systems and holds a BA in Geography from the University of York. She is Code First: Girls and Baby VC alumni.

Antler in the UK
Antler in the UK

London was one of Antler's first European locations. Since its opening, Antler has become one of the most active early-stage investors in the UK, backing more than 30 startups a year.

Rakesh Sah
Finance Manager

Rakesh is Finance Manager at Antler, supporting investment and capital teams to drive investments, and founders during and after the investment process. He has previously worked as Finance manager for a PE backed multinational company, helping their European segment double its turnover to £50m in three years. Rakesh has an MBA from the City, University of London and an ACCA qualification.

Zina Alfa
Marketing & Investment Events, Lead

Zina Alfa, leads the the vibrant ecosystem at Antler through events, communications, partnerships, PR and marketing. This masterfully blends her robust experience in the creative and tech industry encompassing roles in production, editorial, and marketing across international news, entertainment and technology. Prior to Antler, Zina founded 'ub hair,' a pioneering b2b2c beauty tech & e-commerce platform. At Antler, she orchestrates compelling events and strategic communications, ensuring our ventures and partners enjoy a thriving, interconnected environment where ideas and businesses blossom.

Veronika Patkai
Associate Partner

Veronika is an Associate Partner, based in our London office and responsible for the end-to-end design and execution of our Antler UK platform. Prior to joining Antler, Veronika worked as an early-stage advisor, dedicated start-up coach and angel investor. She has an MBA from INSEAD and focused on Private Equity advisory / M&A in the the earlier stages of her career.

Tabitha Luxmoore-Styles
Head of Partnership

Tabitha is Head of Partnerships at Antler UK, where she engages with corporate partners, government and large institutions to help build the success of Antler & portfolio companies in the UK and globally. Prior to Antler, Tabitha has worked in 3 start-ups in (foodtech & fintech) and a tech accelerator. More recently she has moved from Tilney Smith & Williamson, a financial services firm, where she worked in the Entrepreneurial Services team and ran the Female Founder & Investor program. She currently sits on the board of CONCAT Tech (refugee & women developers from countries of conflict) and is supporting work from the Dept of International Trade with under represented founders.

Richard Baillie
Senior Investment Manager

Richard is a Senior Investment Manager in the UK, leading on sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities. Prior to joining Antler, Richard was helping Israeli startups raise Series A funding from UK and US investors. He has also spent time at an investment bank and five years as an actuarial consultant. Richard has an MBA from Bayes Business School and an MSci in Mathematics from the University of Glasgow.

Ollie Purdue
Partner

Ollie is a partner in Antler’s London office, where he shares the overall responsibility for Antler’s operations in London. Prior to Antler, Ollie was the CPO of Bó, RBS’ Digital bank. Before joining Bó, Ollie founded Loot, a VC backed digital banking service which helped over 200,000 customers do more with their money.

Mehdi Doghri
Venture Partner

Mehdi is an experienced tech entrepreneur who started his career as solution architect for blue chip companies before joining a mobile agency as CTO, delivering 20+ apps. For the last 4 years, he has been leading a digital innovation team at Barclays driving new digital products for the SME market. He’s now the Co-Founder & CTO of Save your wardrobe, a Fashion Tech start-up changing the way we manage our clothes post-purchase.

Maria Schipa
Manager

Maria is Head of Scouting in the UK. Prior to joining Antler, Maria worked as a recruitment consultant for early-stage SaaS startups in the Netherlands. She is a graduate in Clinical & Forensic Psychology and holds and MSc in Organisational Psychology.

Lars Kvaalen
Venture Partner

Lars is one of Antler UK's Venture Partners. Lars spent more than 6 years in McKinsey & Company, supporting some of the largest telecoms and banks. At McKinsey, Lars implemented advanced analytics to drive data driven decision making in marketing and sales. Further Lars has been focusing on technology, M&A and corporate finance.

Jed Rose
Partner

Jed Rose is a Partner at Antler and brings operator, advisor, and investor experience from Seed to Series C rounds. He was the GM of EMEA with Airwallex, a B2B fintech payments unicorn that is backed by investors such as Sequoia and DST Global. Prior to Antler and Airwallex, Jed was CEO at Paymentsense, where he led the fintech startup through a period of rapid growth with EBITDA growing from breakeven to £24m in just three years and to an exit. Prior to Paymentsense, Jed did product management for Microsoft Windows for six years where he focused on B2C, international expansion, and product pilots. Jed received a B.Sc. with Honours in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of Cambridge.

Gary Dolman
Venture Partner

Gary is Venture Partner at Antler London. Gary is the co-founder and CFO of Monzo, one of UK's largest challenger banks, and he has recently established his own consulting business to the start up industry. He is a qualified chartered accountant who has had a long career in banking having worked as a CFO and COO at Starling Bank, ABN AMRO and Mizuho Securities.

Darren Murphy
Senior Investment Director

Darren is a Senior Director at Antler’s London office and oversees our scouting and residency. Darren has over seven years of experience working with tech startups, helping them go to market and secure investment. He previously worked as Head of Innovation at Unbound, connecting 100s of startups with global corporations at events such as Unbound London, FinTech Abu Dhabi and Innovfest Unbound in Singapore. Darren has also worked at the UK’s leading advanced digital technology innovation centre, Digital Catapult, where he helped establish their first accelerators.

Charlotte Mason
Venture Partner

Charlotte has helped 1000s of companies raise seed capital and grown her own portfolio of 30 investments. She has >10-years of start-up experience, holds many start-up advisor/board positions, and is INSEAD’s Start-up Bootcamp Director, delivering world-leading start-up training. She is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at INSEAD and also designs, leads, and supports Corporate Innovation Programmes for Fortune, FTSE, and SME clients. Charlotte is Co-Chair of INSEAD Alumni UK Business Angels and Entrepreneurship Group and holds an MBA from INSEAD.

Andy Hunt
Venture Partner

Andy is a Venture Partner at Antler. He is an experienced business coach frequently hired by founders and senior business leaders to support them through periods of sustained growth and transformation. Previously, Andy had a career in banking with NatWest and spent 12 years at VMware establishing the US enterprise software company in EMEA and shepherding it from start-up through to $2bn+ in revenue. Andy has a passion for driving success through people

Altan Tutar
Entrepreneur-in-residence

Altan is an entrepreneur-in-residence at Antler, one of the fastest-growing global early-stage venture capital firms. He's also an active participant and leader of Antler's web3 initiatives. Before Antler, he was a mMaster's student at Imperial College London, specializing in computing and it's applications in robotics via deep learning methods. Prior to Imperial College London, Altan was an undergraduate at Davidson College, where he double-majored in computer science (honors) and mathematics, published award-winning research in virtual reality and mathematics and worked at early-stage startups such as Lucid Drone Technologies (YC S'19).

Beatrice Zatorska
Co-founder and CEO
Karolina Szweda
Head of Growth Marketing
Ollie Forsyth
Head of Operators and Advisors Network

Ollie leads our advisors and operators network with a focus on making Antler the best ecosystem for founders building from day zero. He was previously at Molten Ventures (formerly known as Draper Esprit). In his spare time, he loves traveling and meeting new people. Contact him at ollie.forsyth@antler.co.

Josie Stoker
Assistant Manager
Chris Brooke
Advisor
Katie Thorpe
Marketing and Social Media Intern

Connect on LinkedIn

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Building a startup is your best opportunity to positively impact the world

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