Launch, build, and scale your startup - with Antler in India
Further Faster
Antler founders are solving the world’s biggest challenges. Whether you're pioneering AI models, reimagining commerce, or solving critical health challenges, we provide the capital, platform, and deep expertise to help you scale from first build to global breakout.
Launch, build, and scale your startup - with Antler in India
Further Faster
Antler founders are solving the world’s biggest challenges. Whether you're pioneering AI models, reimagining commerce, or solving critical health challenges, we provide the capital, platform, and deep expertise to help you scale from first build to global breakout.
Get early backing with Pre-Seed investment (INR 4 Cr / ~$470K) and ongoing support through follow-on funding up to Series C ($285M global continuity fund).
100+ investments across India and 1500+ globally. Leverage Antler's global presence across 30 locations to access international markets, customers, and investors & be part of one of India’s largest pre-seed platforms.
Get hands-on mentorship from Antler Partners, experienced founders and operators who’ve built and scaled successful startups.
Join a curated community of ambitious founders with complementary skills and shared values. Find the perfect co-founder match in a proven environment.
Antler India Residency:
The Best Place to Startup
Whether you’re at pre-launch, pre-product, or pre-revenue stage, Antler will back you from day zero to greatness. We connect individuals with other driven founders to co-create and build from scratch, while startups with established teams can fast-track their growth with funding, mentorship, and a global network.
For founding teams building at the cutting edge of Artificial Intelligence
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Antler is the most active AI investor globally, and the leading backer of AI startups in India. Our growing portfolio of companies are creating era-defining businesses — transforming industries and reshaping the future. If you’re looking to build the next great paradigm-shifting company for the AI-era, there’s no better place to pursue your ambition. We are launching the AI Residency — to support the next generation of AI companies emerging from the region.
Duration: Starting on August 21, 2025 for up to 4 weeks
Last Date to Apply: August 13, 2025
- Significant Capital, Deployed Fast:
We endeavour to back 60%+ of the startups from this cohort with capital designed for scale:
- INR 4Cr (~$470K) in total investment with potential $30M in Follow-On Capital
- $235K for 9% equity
- $235K on an uncapped SAFE with MFN
- Funding decisions made in 4 weeks
- Founder-friendly terms designed to support future rounds
- Perks: Over $1M in AI-Relevant Perks and upto $4M in total perks
- Who Should Apply? The program targets exceptional founding teams building promising AI solutions. Ideal candidates are:
- Strong teams committed full-time; actively experimenting with users to sharpen MVP clarity
- Available to join full-time in Bangalore from August 21 to September 5 for an intensive 2.5-week program designed to help you across all fronts including the AI Build-out, GTM, iterating with customers and institution building
For exceptional teams building defining companies across sectors
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For ambitious founders and founding teams tackling opportunities across spaces beyond AI — Consumer, Fintech, DPI, Health, DeepTech and more. Whether you’re targeting Bharat, crafting the next consumer breakout, reimagining fintech, or unlocking untapped enterprise value, build from scratch or accelerate your company with Antler’s capital, deep sector expertise, and a global platform designed to help you scale faster.
Starting: October 2025
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Community
Before Day Zero is an invite-only community for India’s top talent preparing to launch their next big venture. If you’re a solo founder actively looking for a co-founder and/or are 3-6 months away from starting up — whether chasing a billion-dollar opportunity or tackling an overlooked problem in a bold new way — this is the perfect space for you. Connect with like-minded peers, spark meaningful conversations, and build a powerful network to fuel your entrepreneurial journey.
Meet an Antler partner Thursday at 1PM CET
Join us for an open session with one of our partners to discuss how we work with founders and what to expect
How Antler in MENAP Works
Learn what to expect at Antler - from our application process to our 10-week residencies, held twice a year.
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FAQs
By helping thousands of founders launch and scale the next generation of great companies that address some of the most pressing challenges of our time, we move society forward and make progress a certainty.
Teams at the pre-launch, pre-product, or pre-revenue stage.
The AI Track is designed for founders building at the cutting edge of AI - from infrastructure to applied AI products. The General Track supports founders building across other sectors, beyond AI, such as: Consumer, DPI, Fintech, Health, DeepTech and more.
Antler commits up to ~$470K (~INR 4 crores) per startup. This includes $235K for 9% equity and an additional $235K via an uncapped SAFE with MFN.
Designed for exceptional founding teams:
- Benefit from weekly office hours with Antler's GPs as well as a dedicated team, designed to rigorously stress-test venture scalability and validate your idea
- 2.5 Weeks of intense programming on topics ranging from institutional building to AI build-out to GTM and more
- Get access to an exclusive Bengaluru office space
- Perks: $1M in AI-Relevant Perks; Up to $4M in Total Perks
- Receive an investment decision in 2 to 4 weeks
No, our Residency takes place in-person in Bengaluru only for the first 2.5 weeks. It provides invaluable in-person access to mentorship, networking, and collaborative sessions with other founders. Founders are supported with a one-time INR 2L grant to cover expenses, complimentary office space, and access to over $650K worth of founder perks.
Founding teams looking to raise their first institutional round can secure an investment decision within 4 weeks.
Aspiring founders, experienced operators, and domain experts thinking seriously about launching a company in the near future.
Dedicated support around helping you find a co-founder, curated social and professional events, small group discussions, and access to resources that help you navigate the early steps of your startup journey.
No. This is an Antler-backed initiative designed to support founders before they take the plunge.
While investment isn’t guaranteed, we endeavour to invest in 50–75% of the teams that join.
Build your AI company with Antler in India
As the most active AI investor globally, and the leading backer of AI startups in India, Antler is launching the AI Residency — to support the next generation of AI companies emerging from the region.
We’ve helped put hundreds of founders on a pathway to global success
Fuelled by a passion that goes beyond traditional investing, we exist to increase our founders’ speed and maximise their success rate in solving important problems.
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Pathzero
Figr
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Antler portfolio companies raise capital from other leading VCs
We are empowering Antler founders through strategic partnerships with leading institutions across the region
The Antler India Team
Mike is a Partner at Antler Australia and co-leads the Australia operations. He's a seasoned operator and investor who kickstarted his career in equity capital markets and mergers and acquisitions.Mike's journey with Uber began as the second employee in Asia and the 121st globally. As the Head of Operations for Australia and New Zealand, he played a pivotal role in building a thriving multi-billion-dollar business locally. Over the course of six years, he witnessed the local team's remarkable growth, scaling it from just three members to a formidable team of over 500. This experience gave him invaluable insights into scaling businesses and driving growth in challenging markets.Following his time at Uber, Mike co-founded and led Kaddy, a B2B marketplace. Under his leadership as CEO, Kaddy was acquired for $34 million within three years. Mike also brings over 20 years of investment experience, including numerous direct and indirect angel investments. His diverse background and extensive experience have made him a sought-after advisor and mentor, offering valuable insights to early stage businesses.
Rajiv is a Partner in the Antler Bangalore office. He co-founded Urban Ladder (UL), India's top omni-channel furniture brand. Over ~8 years, UL raised over $100Mn in venture capital from top Indian VCs and changed the way Indians shop for furniture online. Prior to Urban Ladder, he served as a Senior Product Manager with Yahoo. He has been featured on GQ Influential Young Indians and repeatedly on the Fortune 40 Under 40 India list. Rajiv loves working with early-stage entrepreneurs on product, culture and brand to build scalable companies.
Nitin brings 12+ years of experience in global venture capital, having invested in 100+ tech startups across stages, from being the first believer all the way to pre-IPO. Nitin learnt the ropes of the VC business in the US at NEA (one of the world’s largest funds) and was also an early executive at EverFi (acq. by Blackbaud for $750M). Nitin was part of the founding team at Lightbox Ventures, one of India’s leading funds (now $400M AUM). He then created his own micro-VC (FirstPrinciples) as a thesis-driven, early believer in 40+ startups, and was the first VC in India to focus on Web3. A Wharton graduate, Nitin has served on advisory boards/groups for the USC Viterbi School, NITI Aayog, AngelList India and TheBetterIndia.
Gowri Shankar leads the portfolio function at Antler. Prior to Antler, Gowri has a decade of deep experience in building and scaling internet businesses in India. He co-founded AllChemist (one of India’s first e-Pharmacy players), RoofandFloor (end-to-end real estate commerce platform) and STEP (English language testing platform) from scratch. He was part of the executive leadership team that scaled InMobi (largest independent Mobile advertising platform) and Medlife/Pharmeasy (e-Health market leader). He also transformed Cleartax’s (India’s largest SaaS platform) Enterprise/ B2B Business and set it up for scale.
Gowri received an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru where he was awarded the Chairman’s Gold Medal.
Afroz is the Head of Finance & Legal at Antler India. He brings over 18 years of experience across venture capital, start-ups, and global corporates, with a strong track record in building high-performing teams, driving operational excellence, and partnering with founders to scale businesses. Prior to joining Antler India, Afroz was with Z47 (formerly Matrix Partners India), where he managed complex cross-border fund structures and led fund operations, investor relations, and regulatory compliance, while spearheading fundraises and key exit transactions - from M&As to IPOs. Earlier, he led finance growth initiatives at Fork Media, built FP&A and market-entry frameworks at Nielsen, and advised global clients on cross-border tax at KPMG. Afroz is a Chartered Accountant with an All India Rank and a CFA Level III pass-out.
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Jasnoor Gill is Director Investments at Antler India, focusing on AI, SaaS and DeepTech. A seasoned operator, he has over 14 years of Product Management experience in the enterprise software space. In his last full-time role, Jasnoor was the global product lead for Nutanix’s second biggest product line, a $X00M+ ARR business. Prior to Nutanix, he was the Product lead at Calm.io, a devops automation platform (acquired by Nutanix), and also held Product Management roles at Zynga and Aryaka Networks. He began his career as a developer at BMC Software, working on Disaster Recovery for databases across multiple flavors of Unix.
A strong advocate for building global businesses from India, Jasnoor is an alumnus of Indian School of Business, Hyderabad and Army Institute of Technology, Pune.
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Raghav is a Senior Manager at Antler India. He focuses on Investments & Portfolio in Consumer, Health and Brands with an added focus on AI.
Previously, he's been an AI engineer with Rapido & Avaamo, funded founder with an exit, and an investor at EF, a London based fund. He sold his startup, Habbit, to Alippo, backed by Blume Ventures. He's done his Bachelors in CS and Masters in Economics from BITS Pilani, Goa.
Raghav loves everything health, sports and travel. Outside work, you can find him playing padel, diving in the ocean or enjoying an ice bath.
Sankalp works as an Investment Manager with Antler India. He focuses on building our founder network and identifying super passionate founders building for the future. Prior to this, he spent 5 years working with LocoNav in multiple leadership roles across Operations and Strategy. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata.
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Raghav works as an Investment Associate at Antler India, focusing on the AI, SaaS, and DeepTech verticals. He brings 4 years of operator experience across AgriTech and Defence Tech startups, having worked in product, marketing, and business development roles through the 0-1 journey. He holds an MBA from HKUST Business School.
Dravisha is the Community Lead at Antler India. Her strength lies in the cusp of growth, marketing, and community. She has led growth and marketing for community-led startups such as Basis and leap.club previously. She's also helped founders build successful startups in the 0 to 1 phase across SaaS, EdTech, MediaTech, and DeepTech in the past 5 years.
Divita is an Associate at Antler India. Previously, Divita was a founder at 73 Boston, India’s first wine & spirits brand created specifically for the Indian taste palate. She studied Economics at Ashoka University and got her MBA from Masters’ Union. Divita is also a passionate writer and a published author of two books. Her latest non-fiction book was a documentation of the COVID-19 pandemic and was appreciated by literary veterans like Dr Shashi Tharoor.
Vignesh works as a Finance Associate at Antler India. Prior to joining Antler, Vignesh worked as an Analyst at Goldman Sachs. He is a qualified ACCA Affiliate, having obtained multiple global ranks in the process. He holds a Bachelor's degree from St. Joseph's College of Commerce, Bangalore specialising in International Accounting and Finance.
Samarth is an Investment Analyst at Antler India, where he focuses on scouting, investments, and supporting our FinTech, Mobility, and B2B portfolio. He brings diverse experience across consulting (Accenture Strategy), startups (Hubler), and venture capital (Titan Capital). Samarth holds an Engineering Degree from IIT Roorkee.
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Renu is Executive Assistant to the Leadership at Antler India, supporting operations and leadership workflows. With extensive experience across United Breweries, HolidayIQ, Ascend Telecom and Reliance Infocomm she has worked closely with CXOs to manage high-stakes communication, board coordination, and cross-functional execution. She’s known for being the force behind the scenes - ensuring things move with speed, clarity, and precision.
Meet our Antler in MENAP Venture Partners & Advisors
Mike is a Partner at Antler Australia and co-leads the Australia operations. He's a seasoned operator and investor who kickstarted his career in equity capital markets and mergers and acquisitions.Mike's journey with Uber began as the second employee in Asia and the 121st globally. As the Head of Operations for Australia and New Zealand, he played a pivotal role in building a thriving multi-billion-dollar business locally. Over the course of six years, he witnessed the local team's remarkable growth, scaling it from just three members to a formidable team of over 500. This experience gave him invaluable insights into scaling businesses and driving growth in challenging markets.Following his time at Uber, Mike co-founded and led Kaddy, a B2B marketplace. Under his leadership as CEO, Kaddy was acquired for $34 million within three years. Mike also brings over 20 years of investment experience, including numerous direct and indirect angel investments. His diverse background and extensive experience have made him a sought-after advisor and mentor, offering valuable insights to early stage businesses.
FAQs
By helping thousands of founders launch and scale the next generation of great companies that address some of the most pressing challenges of our time, we move society forward and make progress a certainty.
Teams at the pre-launch, pre-product, or pre-revenue stage.
The AI Track is designed for founders building at the cutting edge of AI - from infrastructure to applied AI products. The General Track supports founders building across other sectors, beyond AI, such as: Consumer, DPI, Fintech, Health, DeepTech and more.
Antler commits up to ~$470K (~INR 4 crores) per startup. This includes $235K for 9% equity and an additional $235K via an uncapped SAFE with MFN.
Designed for exceptional founding teams:
- Benefit from weekly office hours with Antler's GPs as well as a dedicated team, designed to rigorously stress-test venture scalability and validate your idea
- 2.5 Weeks of intense programming on topics ranging from institutional building to AI build-out to GTM and more
- Get access to an exclusive Bengaluru office space
- Perks: $1M in AI-Relevant Perks; Up to $4M in Total Perks
- Receive an investment decision in 2 to 4 weeks
No, our Residency takes place in-person in Bengaluru only for the first 2.5 weeks. It provides invaluable in-person access to mentorship, networking, and collaborative sessions with other founders. Founders are supported with a one-time INR 2L grant to cover expenses, complimentary office space, and access to over $650K worth of founder perks.
Founding teams looking to raise their first institutional round can secure an investment decision within 4 weeks.
Aspiring founders, experienced operators, and domain experts thinking seriously about launching a company in the near future.
Dedicated support around helping you find a co-founder, curated social and professional events, small group discussions, and access to resources that help you navigate the early steps of your startup journey.
No. This is an Antler-backed initiative designed to support founders before they take the plunge.
While investment isn’t guaranteed, we endeavour to invest in 50–75% of the teams that join.
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