Antler significantly increases investment for UK’s best tech founders

London, UK: 26 Aug 2025 - Antler, the world’s most active early-stage VC firm, is significantly increasing its commitment to give founders the strongest possible platform from day zero.

Starting from Antler’s UK Autumn Residency, Antler will be investing £500k into new startups based in the UK. £210k will be invested at the inception of the company (comprising £125k for 8.5% equity and £85k on a convertible note). Then up to £330k will be pre-committed to the startup’s next funding round. 

For founders building from day zero, this makes Antler’s investment the most competitive offer in the UK. 

In addition to the financial investment, founders will receive coaching and support from experienced Antler Partners and a team that brings founder, operator and investor experience. This support sees 80% of portfolio companies raise further capital within nine months, with  founders also getting access to Antler’s global founder network, major investor events in London and San Francisco and over £3M in startup perks. Antler can also continue investing up to £25M through its later stage investment vehicle, Elevate. 

Antler will start making these investment terms available to founders from October, and expects to invest in 10-15 startups in the UK before the end of the year. 

These terms will only be available to founders who are accepted to participate in Antler’s UK residency - one of the most selective founder residencies in the world. Last year, Antler invested in fewer than 1% of all founders who applied to participate in residencies across Europe. 

Adam French, Partner at Antler, comments, “We are increasing our commitment at inception to outlier founders choosing to build in the UK, offering up to £500k in inception and pre-seed funding. This gives founders the capital to focus on what matters: building. We are seeing world-class founders starting companies in the UK. If they have the grit and ambition to build a category-defining company, we are ready to back them.” 

Based on Antler’s application data, founders in the UK with technical backgrounds have increased by 4x since 2020, and founders with AI backgrounds have doubled since 2022. This matters because technical founders are statistically more likely to build unicorns and fast-growth AI companies. 

However, despite being the third-largest tech ecosystem in the world, it is taking longer for UK startups to raise investment. According to Crunchbase, ten years ago, it took startups 1.8 years to raise $1M; now, it takes 3.2 years. This is important because companies that raise >£1.5M at seed are between 2-3x more likely to hit Series A. 

By committing £500k at inception, Antler is giving new founders the best possible chance to raise early-stage venture capital at speed. 

Antler has been making investments in the UK for the last five years and has backed more than 120 startups in that time. These are companies based in London and across the UK, including Edinburgh, Manchester and Bristol. They have secured VC investment from the likes of Sequoia, Atomico, Outward VC, Concept Ventures and Fintech Collective. 

Globally, Antler invests in around 300 new startups every year. These have gone on to become tech unicorns and the fastest growing tech companies in the world such as Lovable and Airalo. 

Applications are now open to Antler’s next UK residency, which will start in October 2025.

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ENDS

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Investment terms for Antler in the UK: Standard terms for companies securing investment from Antler now includes £210k in funding, with £125k for an 8.5% equity stake and £85k on a convertible note. The full £210k is wired immediately after a positive investment decision. Additionally, up to £330k in matching funding is pre-committed for the first funding round, totalling £500k in investment. 

Photography of the Antler team is available here. 

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Contact‍

Jack Davies, Director of Marketing & PR for Europe, Antler
jack.davies@antler.co

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About

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Antler is where founders come to go further, faster.

Antler the world’s most active early-stage investor, backing exceptional people at the very start of their journey — and supporting them from inception to scale.

Across 30 cities worldwide — including New York, San Francisco, London, Berlin, Bangalore, Singapore, Seoul, and Sydney — the firm helps founders remove the barriers to building by connecting them with world-class peers, validating business models, and providing initial capital. To date, Antler has backed more than 1,500 startups globally, including Airalo, Peec.AI, Reebelo, Wrtn, and Benjamin.

For founders who go on to build breakout companies, Antler Elevate — the $285M emerging growth fund — provides follow-on investment, supporting them beyond the early stages. Elevate also invests in category leaders outside our portfolio, and is managed through offices in London, Singapore, and New York.