Tokyo

Launch your startup, get funded in 10 weeks —with Antler in Japan

We are a global VC backing founders from day zero. Join us in Tokyo’s thriving tech hub as we bring together top talent from around the world to build the next generation of impactful companies.

Launch your startup, get funded in 10 weeks —with Antler in Japan

We are a global VC backing founders from day zero. Join us in Tokyo’s thriving tech hub as we bring together top talent from around the world to build the next generation of impactful companies.

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Find your co-founder

We support co-founder matching, idea validation and business building

Receive dedicated coaching

We provide coaching and access to a network of founders and experts

Kickstart your VC funding

We invest Pre-Seed and provide follow-on funding up to Series C

Partner with a global leader

We are a global partner for future expansion with 30 locations worldwide

Who is Antler for?

Whether you’re an individual looking for a co-founder or a startup with an existing team, 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.

The Residency

The 10-week Antler Residency in Tokyo is a fast-paced, in-person program designed to give founders everything they need to build at lightning speed.

Each week, founders set their top priorities and leverage Antler’s network, coaching, and community to accelerate their progress. The program connects them with a diverse group of talented founders, offering opportunities to find co-founders, gain insights from experienced entrepreneurs and advisors, and validate their business ideas.

Founders can also take part in group events, office hours, and guest speaker sessions, fostering valuable connections along the way.

Get our Residency info pack to learn more:

Our Investment Terms

Secure up to 64 million JPY in early-stage funding


At the end of the Residency, we commit to investing up to 64 million JPY※ in companies that successfully pass our Investment Committee.

Beyond early-stage funding, Antler remains a long-term capital partner, providing follow-on investments and continued support through Series C to help your startup reach its full potential.

*The exact amounts will be determined based on the exchange rate.

The Application Process

We identify and vet the top ~6% of applicants, with 60-70 founders joining each Residency in Tokyo. We look for individuals with "Founder DNA" and outstanding skills in product building, sales, or domain expertise. Our Residency supports both founders in the exploration phase and established teams already on their way to building impactful companies.

Once you apply and the selection process officially begins, our scouting team will guide you through the full process and will be available to answer all your questions.

Get our Residency info pack to learn more:

Who can join Antler?

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For Individuals

Looking for a co-founder?

For individuals who are looking for a co-founder to build and start something new.

We bring together an exclusive group of ambitious people to explore ideas together. Meet, learn, and co-create with exceptional builders. Join us to turn your vision into reality.

For Individuals

Looking for a co-founder?

For individuals who are looking for a co-founder to build and start something new.

We bring together an exclusive group of ambitious people to explore ideas together. Meet, learn, and co-create with exceptional builders. Join us to turn your vision into reality.

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

Join now

“As a global fund, Antler’s access to networks is unmatched—I’d estimate that 1 in every 3 dollars Sapyen has raised so far is tied, directly or indirectly, to Antler’s introductions or influence. I’ve leaned heavily on Antler at critical junctures, and they’ve come through without exception, every single time. Undoubtedly one of the best institutional investors on my cap table.”

Ashwin Ramachandran
CEO | Sapyen

It was a wonderful experience. I was able to network with wonderful entrepreneurs. 

The biggest benefit was that I was given the grand vision of "growing a unicorn company" and "expanding our business globally. We aim to achieve annual sales of 50 billion yen within five years.

Isao Kojima
Co-Founder & CEO
ShelterOne

“Our experience at the Antler Residency program was highly valuable. We improved significantly as a company, particularly in understanding how to effectively communicate with investors. It was an enriching experience, and we truly appreciated being part of the Antler Cohort.”

XIAOYAN ZHOU
Co-founder & CEO
IWG

“We are grateful to be part of Antler’s cohort, which helped us refine our ideas, build a strong foundation. The mentorship, peer collaboration, and pitch preparation sessions were invaluable. Antler’s support has been transformative, and we are proud to be part of this inspiring community.”

Sachio Minamoto
Co-founder & CEO
Vlightup

Antler has been more than a VC for us. The team instilled more ambition in us and a true advisor who delivered actionable advice to elevate companies to the next level. With its high standards, Antler team pushes pre-seed founders to aim higher, craft pitches that captivate, and think bigger on achieving 10x or even 100x growth.

Manjunatha Chandrappa
Co-founder & CEO
Nihin Media

“Antler’s program is an excellent choice for pre-seed startups for three key reasons. First, it offers a great opportunity to connect with like-minded co-founders. Second, it provides valuable support in refining our pitches, making them among the best in Japan. Lastly, its rigorous structure helps us shape and solidify our business model effectively.”

Joshua Owoyemi
Co-founder & CEO
ModAstera

“The Antler team's commitment is exceptionally high and continues to grow as the program progresses. Looking ahead, our focus is on leveraging technology to address critical healthcare gaps, expanding our impact globally while maintaining cost-effectiveness and accessibility.”

Taisuke Ikawa
Co-founder & CEO
ACSIRYO

“Antler Residency gets us in the zone where we resonate with cohort members and coaches intensively within 10 weeks. The weekly pitch practises with feedbacks get us in a state to keep challenge ourselves to be better and more natural in pitching.Cohort members also support each other with their personal experience and resources to get back in the game.”

David Chew
Co-founder & CEO
Orbitorus

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.

What language will the program be conducted in?

The program will primarily be conducted in English, but we warmly welcome both English-speaking and Japanese-speaking Founders.

Is this a full time commitment?

Yes. Please consider your current notice period, plus the personal and financial investment starting a business requires.

Is the program on-site?

Yes. The more time you spend at the office, the more opportunities you’ll have to receive feedback and build your network, giving you significant advantages in rapidly testing and refining your hypotheses.

Do you offer visa support?

Antler does not sponsor visas, but we can introduce you to the third-party agency that provides visa application support (paid service).

Do I need an idea to join Antler?

No, you don't. Some founders have a clear idea of what they want to build, however, most join us with areas of interest and expertise they then start to explore.

Apply now for

—Antler Japan

Join us as we bring together top talent from around the world in Tokyo’s vibrant tech hub to build something extraordinary.

Apply now

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.

Pathzero

Pathzero enables asset owners, fund managers and the operating entities they invest in to calculate and share emissions data on one secure technology platform.

iiba

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Yap

We're a team of experts dedicated to helping pharmaceutical companies successfully enter and thrive in the Japanese market / 私たちは、海外製薬会社の日本市場参入を様々な形でサポートをするプロフェッショナル集団です。

Lombard Standard

AI-powered Market Network for Commercial Real Estate (CRE) companies

Kukulcan

No waste, and no one left behind. | 誰も、何も捨てられない世界を目指す

Tempo

Tempo enhances athletes potential by providing end-to-end solutions, from social media management to sponsorship networks./ Tempoは世界中のスポーツイベントの視聴者ポテンシャルを解き放つ

UpToU

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Sollective

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Antler portfolio companies raise capital from other leading VCs

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The Antler Japan team

Mike Abbott
Partner

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.

Jussi Salovaara
Co-founder and Managing Partner

As Co-founder and Managing Partner Asia, Jussi works with a global team dedicated to building the most defining technology companies of tomorrow. Jussi leads Antler’s investments in the APAC region and supports founders in building and scaling their businesses, especially with growth and fundraising. He has over a decade of experience across different industries at Nokia, McKinsey, Deloitte and Morgan Stanley.

Sandeep Casi
Partner

Sandeep Casi is a Partner at Antler Japan, where he leverages his extensive experience to support founders in building transformative startups. His diverse career spans industries such as automotive, manufacturing, Media+Entertainment (visual effects, broadcasting, Generative Video, Camera technologies/ Computer vision),  venture capital, and DeepTech R&D.

Sandeep has deep expertise in cutting-edge technologies, including AI, ML, computer vision, Web3, Blockchain, Virtual Reality, Generative Video, In-Camera VFX , and visual effects software with contributions to renowned projects like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Men in Black, Mars Attack, Small Soldiers, Titanic and in total 29 blockbuster movies.

At General Motors, he developed and deployed virtual reality cave environments for automotive design and car crash analysis, while at Fuji-Xerox Palo Alto Lab and Fujifilm, he led research initiatives that introduced innovative products to markets across Japan and the Asia-Pacific region.

As a venture capitalist, he raised millions from Japanese investors to help Silicon Valley startups establish a presence in Japan and achieve PMF. As a founder, he spun off 30 patents from Fujifilm, raised $7 million for a Video AI Platform from Japanese, Korean, and US investors, and successfully exited via M&A in 2021.

Florian Geier
Senior Director

Florian Geier is a Senior Director at Antler Japan, where he works closely with founders to build and scale innovative startups beginning their journey to global greatness in Japan. He brings extensive experience from his roles at the US-Japan Unicorn Playco, where he led Partnerships and Operations, and at Fujifilm’s Innovation and Strategy Planning division, where he led global collaborations with startups and VCs. His strategic investments have led to significant value add for both corporates and startups, including one early-stage startup achieving an IPO with a valuation over $1 billion due to its collaboration with Fujifilm. Florian originally came to Japan as a physics PhD student and has since developed a deep, multi-faceted understanding of both the startup and corporate ecosystem, which he now applies to support new entrepreneurs in Japan and globally.

Yumiko Oka
Program Manager

Yumiko is the Program Manager for Antler’s Japan Office. Prior to joining Antler, she worked in marketing at L’Oreal and Estee Lauder Companies, where she led successful projects in brand marketing and CRM. She was also engaged in multiple marketing projects and campaigns at Rakuten, helping it grow its ecosystem through a diverse portfolio of services. Born in Thailand, Yumiko grew up in Japan, Switzerland and UK and she is now based in Japan since she studied economics at University of Tsukuba.

Tomoko Takasaki
Scout / Marketing & PR Manager

Tomoko is the Scout, Marketing & PR Manager of Antler Japan. With nearly 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry, she have contributed to the creation of a wide range of hit content. Prior to joining Antler, she have handled numerous projects and event productions as a PR Manager in collaboration with media partners at Creator's Lab called agehasprings. In recent years, she have led the PR activities for a startup developing a compositional AI service. During her career start at talent agency called Horipro, she laid the foundation for talent management while honing her skills in networking, media relations, and storytelling.

Mamiko Funato
Scout Manager

Mamiko started her career in HR and general affairs at AXELMARK INC., an advertisement and web services provider. In 2015, she joined DeNA Travel (now Airtrip Corp., an OTA company) as an HR specialist, and in 2018 she joined BEENOS Inc., a provider of cross-border e-commerce business. After gaining experience in a wide range of HR-related business domains, from planning to operations with a focus on recruitment, she has joined Antler Japan. At Antler, she is in charge of scouting motivated founders and supporting participants during the Cohort Program.

Jordan Fisher
Venture Partner

Jordan Fisher is Venture Partner at Antler Japan, supporting ambitious founders to build the future. He is also Co-Founder and Chairman of Zehitomo, Japan’s marketplace for local services. 
From home renovations to karaoke coaches, Zehitomo provides a platform to match with 600+ types of service professionals. Prior to founding Zehitomo, Jordan was Vice President at J.P.Morgan in Tokyo, working in Fixed Income Technology and Equities Sales Trading.

Born and raised in New York, Jordan holds a B.S. Computer Science from the University of Southern California.
Outside of Zehitomo, Jordan is an active mentor to several startups. He is also a loving husband, and a father to two young daughters.

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