Launch your startup and unlock funding in 10 weeks with Antler in MENAP
We back exceptional founders from inception, investing up to $500K through our founder residency - a building sprint that helps founders achieve in weeks what would normally take months.
Riyadh
Find your Co-Founder
Find your co-founder among the top 1% - a curated community, selected from thousands, ready to build the next big thing in tech.
Test, Validate, and Build your Idea
Access expert coaching, a strong founder community, and local insights to build your MVP and execute your GTM strategy.
Kickstart your VC Funding
Navigate your fundraising journey and fuel your growth with our long-term partnership, backing you from Pre-Seed to Series C.
Partner with a Global Leader
Tap into Antler Partners, Advisors, Investors, Founders, and Alumni across 30+ locations worldwide to support your global growth.
Who We’re Looking For
We invest in individuals and early stage teams with relentless ambition and true founder DNA. We review thousands of applications and select the top 1%, which includes exceptional serial entrepreneurs, former founders, tech innovators, seasoned operators, and domain experts.
Individuals looking for a co-founder
No founder is too early for Antler. Whether you’re just starting with an idea or ready to scale, we support you in team formation and provide a dynamic community to find your ideal co-founder.
Teams ready to test, validate, and build
Whether you're validating an idea, building your first product, preparing for launch, or seeking a co-founder to complete your team, we support early-stage teams every step of the way.
Teams ready to scale and secure investment
We also invest in teams outside of our residency, focusing on startups with validated ideas ready to scale. We connect them with investors and provide strategic guidance to support their growth. If interested, get in touch with us here.
How Antler in MENAP Works
Learn what to expect at Antler - from our application process to our 10-week residencies, held twice a year.
01 - The Selection Process
Apply
Complete a short application to introduce yourself.
Attend Our Info Session
Join an info session to learn about Antler, the residency, and ask your questions.
Chat with Us
Engage in a series of interviews where you can share more about yourself, your project, and how you think we can support you.
Get Started
If accepted, you’ll receive an offer and your onboarding details to join the residency.
02 - The Antler Residency Experience
The Antler Residency is a 10-week building sprint that enables founders to accomplish in weeks what typically takes months.
Each week, participants set high-impact goals and focus on core priorities, leveraging our community, coaching, and energy to drive progress. Our residency includes group events, office hours, and networking opportunities.
Held in-person in Dubai (Spring) and Riyadh (Fall), the residency is designed for entrepreneurs who are already full-time or ready to transition.
03 - The Pitch for Investment
At the end of the residency, selected teams will have the opportunity to pitch to our investment committee.
We offer successful teams an initial investment of $180,000 via a SAFE agreement for 11% equity in your new company. Founders then have the potential to unlock an additional $320,000 in uncapped follow-on funding.
For more established teams, we accept and review investment proposals throughout the year on a rolling basis.
04 - The Benefits of Being a Portfolio Company
After investing, we maintain a close relationship with founders, providing weekly and ad-hoc support. Our focus is on driving customer acquisition, revenue growth, and preparing for future fundraising rounds. As portfolio companies approach their next funding milestone, we showcase our most recent investment cohort to local and global investors.
By joining Antler's portfolio, you'll also gain access to a global community of founders, over $4 million in exclusive perks, and our extensive network. This network includes Antler Partners, Advisors, Investors, Founders, and Alumni across more than 30 locations worldwide, all dedicated to fueling your global growth.
Joining Antler wasn’t just about funding; it was about surrounding ourselves with people who see potential, take risks, and build. There’s a big chance it could change your life, and I would do it all over again if I could.
The team we’ve built to launch Ruya AI wouldn’t have come together without Antler. Their access to top-tier resources, well-connected regional advisors, and a thriving community of like-minded founders has been invaluable. More than just investors, Antler has been a true partner, providing hands-on support from early validation to go-to-market and beyond.
The Antler residency gave us invaluable insights into pitching, fundraising, and business-building fundamentals. The mentorship from seasoned entrepreneurs and access to Antler’s vast network helped us refine our strategy and gain early traction.
The most valuable thing Antler has given us is the care after the program. They provide great assistance in their portfolio companies. For instance, refining our financial model, perfecting our data room and introducing us to VCs in the region has been very valuable.
As a 3x Founder, I know starting a company is tough, but Antler made it significantly easier. Their expertise, experience, and genuine empathy helped turn our vision into reality. The momentum we've gained during the 10 weeks of residency and the launch phase after has been incredibly impactful, thanks to the support from Antler and the community of like-minded founders.
Antler’s global network of connections meant for Pemo instant availability to the right people anywhere. The team's speed, focus, and "operators" mindset as investors helped us move faster and make decisions that truly enabled our growth.
Spending time in Riyadh was truly an eye-opening experience. The cohort was incredibly smart, and the Antler crew was amazing. The most valuable aspect of Antler was meeting my co-founder and building a strong foundation for our business. Antler, along with the collaborative environment during the program, played a crucial role in our growth, pushing us to think through the details and gain sharper focus, setting us up for long-term success.
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Apply now for Antler in MENAP
Turn your vision into a world-changing company. Apply to Antler and start building alongside a global network of founders and investors.
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.
25,000+
Applications to date
<1%
Founder acceptance rate
340+
Founders supported
30+
Companies invested in
#1
Most active early stage investor globally
#1
Most active AI investor globally
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We are empowering Antler founders through strategic partnerships with leading institutions across the region
Meet our Antler in MENAP team
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Romain is the Founder and Managing Partner at Antler in MENAP. He has served as an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company in Dubai / Riyadh offices, where he notably helped governments in MENAP to foster startup and tech ecosystems. Prior to that, he focused on go-to-market functions within Amazon, Rocket Internet / Jumia, and L'Oreal. Romain holds an MBA from London Business School and is a member of Tomouh Community of Leaders.
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Halah is the Managing Director of Saudi Arabia at Antler in MENAP. She brings two decades of expertise in international development, social sustainability, strategy, and global partnerships. Following a 12-year tenure at the IFC, she has advised start-ups on localization, fundraising, and strategic partnerships. Halah holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and degrees from Georgetown University. She also actively volunteers in education, animal welfare, and community services.
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Hala is an Associate Partner at Antler in MENAP, based out of the Riyadh office. She has over 16 years of experience in program management, strategic comms, and business consulting, having worked with a range of startups, investors, and government entities in the MENA region. Most recently, Hala worked at Brinc MENA, where she led the expansion and program setup with regional entities such as NEOM, Omantel, and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund.
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Zade is a Director at Antler in MENAP. He was previously at McKinsey's Middle East Office, where he worked on engagements at the cross section of their Digital and PE/Principal Investor practices. He mainly focused on strategy work around funding startup ecosystems, investment and set up strategies for vertical-specific VC/Growth PE investment funds, and investment processes for institutional investors. He graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Economics and hails from Bahrain.
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Amy is a Director Capital at Antler, she combines her global experience in Investor Relations and M&A to support fundraising for Funds and early-stage companies. Most recently, she led Investor Relations efforts at a Venture Fund focusing on the capital raising process for the Fund as well as providing strategic advisory to portfolio companies on growth initiatives. Previously, she spent several years in Investment Banking in New York focusing on M&A and capital raising projects in Healthcare and Technology. Amy enjoys building relationships and attracting strategic investors to help exceptional entrepreneurs build impactful businesses. She is an advisor to a mental healthcare start-up and sits on the board of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.
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Hamza is an Investment Manager at Antler in MENAP. He has cultivated invaluable experience working with more than 250 sustainable startups across various sectors. His primary focus lies in driving the commercialization of innovation and fostering meaningful corporate engagement within these dynamic entrepreneurial ventures.
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Karan is a Senior Investment Associate at Antler in MENAP. He has over 6 years of experience in venture capital, he has invested in and managed a portfolio of technology startups from seed to series A across India, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North America. Prior to joining Antler, Karan worked at Equanimity Investments, Modus Capital, and Hashgraph Ventures. He holds a Masters in Finance from Johns Hopkins University.
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Mohamed is a Senior Investment Associate at Antler in MENAP. He spent time at a Bay Area-based Venture Capital Fund investing in early-stage startups in the United States. He also brings operating experience, having led expansions into new geographies with Wanderjaunt, a Real Estate and Hospitality start-up; he helped develop a comprehensive launch playbook and set up operations, and build teams and processes in cities across several states. Mohamed started his career in Consulting at Redwood Advisors in Austin, where he led strategy and growth projects for start-ups, enterprises, and leading philanthropic organizations.
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Faris is an Investment Associate at Antler in MENAP. He spent 4 years in Management Consulting in the UAE and KSA with McKinsey & Co. before completing his MBA at Oxford University Said Business School. He brings extensive strategy experience from a variety of industries; developing the business plan for a movie production studio in KSA, designing a banking loyalty system, constructing a feasibility study for a Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) network, and more.
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Ammar is a Senior Finance Associate at Antler in MENAP. Before Antler, he was serving as the Commercial Finance Lead at Daraz, which is part of the Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group. He also has extensive experience in banking, with an expertise in Digital Banking. Ammar is a Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) and also holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
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Meet our Antler in MENAP Venture Partners & Advisors
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Wafa Al Obaidat is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP and a renowned CEO, TEDx speaker, and serial entrepreneur. She has led Obai and Hill for over 12 years, overseeing 5000+ global projects with a team of 40+. She also founded Sketchbook, a rapidly growing digital magazine in London. A champion for women's advancement, Wafa hosts the Women Power Summit and podcast. Recognized by Business In Gulf and a fellow at The Vital Voices GROW program, she has given over 50 talks globally. Her accolades include the Leader of Tomorrow award from MasterCard MENA and recognition from Entrepreneur Magazine.
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Adam Jaffer is an advisor at Antler in MENAP and a visionary entrepreneur dedicated to leveraging technology for global impact. As Co-Founder of Voi, he leads an urban mobility company that transforms city transportation with eco-friendly electric scooters, promoting sustainable urban mobility and reducing carbon footprints. Under his leadership, Voi has raised over $300 million from top investors, including Balderton Capital and Creandum. Adam’s commitment to innovation and sustainability drives Voi's mission to reshape urban transportation for future generations.
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Amer is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP. He is the SVP of operations / growth at ServiceTitan (NASDAQ: TTAN), one of the most successful venture backed B2B SaaS companies in the US (ranked #6 in Forbes Cloud 100 list). Amer has been at ServiceTitan for 5+ years, joining them early all the way to their blockbuster IPO in 2024. He currently leads a team of 100+ focused on all of operations and growth at ServiceTitan. Prior to that - he spent 8 years at BCG - across the UAE, Europe and the US.
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Ashish is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP and a seasoned business leader with 25+ years across global markets. He helped scale Careem and Snapdeal, leading Careem through its transformation into a multi-vertical super app, profitability, and its exit to Uber and spinout to e&. He now advises companies in consumer internet, fintech, semiconductors, and mobility, mentors startups through Endeavor and Iron Pillar, and serves on the advisory board of a semiconductor company.
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Baghdad is a Venture Partner at Antler MENAP. He works at the intersection of Web 3.0 and Data Science for an Abu Dhabi based conglomerate contributing to the launch of several ventures including Zand Bank. He was one of the pioneers in Data Science in the region, being a professional working with organizations such as RTA, UAE Prime Minister Officer, MAF, etc. Lecturer at IE Business School and RIT Dubai or Community Builder with Google.
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Beau is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP. Prior to his move to Dubai, he co-founded Patamar Capital, the leading early-stage impact investing VC firm in SE Asia, and led the firm for over 10 years. He is on the board of Lhoopa and SwipeRx, and is also an executive coach for select startup CEOs in the MENAP region.
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Edward is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP. Over the last 30 years, he has built a distinguished leadership career across the UK, Australia, and the UAE, with deep expertise in commercial strategy, execution, transformation, and driving shareholder value for startups and global brands. He has held senior leadership roles at companies such as du, BT, and Vodafone. A recognized C-suite commercial marketeer and board member, Edward has worked across telecommunications, financial services, media, sports, and consultancy.
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Florian is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP. He co-founded and led the fashion ecosystem Lamoda, and spearheaded Russia’s largest retailer Magnit through its transformation. Being focused on MENA, Florian runs the IT service & investment firm FJX and serves the board of noon.
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Jerry is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP. He is the CEO of VOV, an integral part of Savvy Games Group both in KSA and worldwide. Prior to that, he has over two decades of senior executive positions in entrepreneurship, retail, and hospitality, in major brands like Walmart, Restaurant Brands International, and Le Pain Quotidien.
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John is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP. He is the Co-founder and MD at Qlub, a global fintech focused on digitizing payment in the F&B sector. Prior to that, he spent 3 years at Deliveroo in various Operational and Commercial leadership roles in the Middle East, and was a manager at McKinsey & Co.
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Jonathan is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP and a distinguished business leader, advisor, board member, and investor with 20+ years of experience driving transformational growth at companies like Meta, Unifonic, and Paramount. As President of Unifonic, he transformed it into an AI-powered customer engagement leader. Previously, he led Meta MENAP for 7 years, establishing it as one of the region’s top tech and media companies. Jonathan also serves on the advisory boards of AI innovators Sestek and LocAI.
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Malik is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP. He co-founded and acts as COO of Mozn AI. He has 12+ years of experience in technology, consulting, and financial services spanning across 4 continents. Prior to Mozn, he was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company in Dubai. He has an MBA from MIT and a BSc in engineering from the University of Maryland.
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Manav is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP, boasts over 14 years of diverse industry experience, having worked with renowned firms like McKinsey & Company, BlackBerry, American Express, and Morgan Stanley. In his recent endeavors, he held pivotal commercial leadership positions at fintech scale-up Mambu, playing a key role in propelling its growth to unicorn status over the past three years. He holds an MBA from London Business School and is an active angel investor and advisor, with a focus on emerging markets.
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Marc is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP, his career has spanned more than three decades and in nearly every aspect of financial services, Marc has served in key roles at several top firms, including Chief Investment Officer at Citigroup. He is currently a Senior Advisor at Two Sigma Ventures where he helps source and evaluate investment opportunities while providing strategic support to their portfolio companies, fascinated by the intersection of health and financial wellness and the tech solutions created by dynamic founders.
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Maximilian Plank is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP and a serial entrepreneur with a diverse portfolio, including enterprise software development, horse feed production, animal feed delivery services, fashion-on-demand production, and fintech consulting and placement services. He is the Chairman of MPG Partners, a consultancy that facilitates business opportunities between the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Additionally, he mentors for the Cyberport (HK) Entrepreneurship program and serves as a senior advisor to the boards of Stabelton (CH) and Trust Square (CH)
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Michael is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP. He is an entrepreneur with expertise in FinTech and e-commerce, is known for founding citrussTV and FlexxPay. With successful exits from both ventures, he now mentors startups and provides consultancy on financial matters. Michael's interests extend to blockchain technology, and he enjoys sports, wood carving, and reading.
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Mo is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP and a seasoned Product & AI leader with a track record across fintech, real estate, and marketplaces. At Huspy, he built the GCC’s first AI mortgage chatbot, launched an agentic SDR function, and led the development of the UAE's leading mortgage broker platform. He previously held key leadership roles at Klarna, where he led AI & product teams across comparison shopping, decision systems, and monetisation. Mo began his career in banking at HSBC and J.P. Morgan, and has taught AI product strategy at Brainstation. He holds degrees in Finance and Mechanical Engineering from LSE and UCL.
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Omar is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP. He is the CEO of Englease.com, a leading online English language school in MENA. Featured in Forbes and other publications, he advocates for entrepreneurship. With an MBA from London Business School, Omar has led sales transformations at Siemens, Nokia, and Microsoft, achieving significant growth. Englease.com offers accredited English classes around the clock, poised to become the premier ESL platform in the region.
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Sebastien is a Venture Partner at Antler in MENAP. He is a co-founder of Wisewell, a sustainability-focused consumer water technology company in the US and GCC. Prior to that, he assumed leadership roles at OLX and was a General Manager with Uber, launching and scaling multiple Uber markets in the MENA region. Sebastien started his career as a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton and Delta Partners. He has an MBA from Columbia Business School and a MS in engineering from UC Berkeley.
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Teddy is a Venture Partner at Antler MENAP. He is the Founder and General Partner at Optimist Ventures, a VC firm dedicated to investing in technology sea changes. Prior to Optimist, Teddy was a Partner at Antler and helped establish and co-run the Antler Elevate fund. He served as a Vice President at SoftBank in SF, NY and Jakarta as well as a principal at Comcast Ventures in NY. He started his career in Goldman Sachs' Technology banking group in San Francisco. He is an active angel investor in and supporter of Pakistan and insisted on its inclusion in the Antler MENAP scope.
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FREQUENTLY —ASKED QUESTIONS
People rarely fit into neat categories, but broadly speaking, we’re seeking individuals who possess both skills relevant to early-stage business building and strong Founder DNA:
Background:
- Returning founders: Tried and tested founders who are ready to build their next venture.
- Business leaders: Commercial pros with strengths in go-to-market, business building, and securing customers.
- Technology and product leaders: Builders who are hands-on in the codebase, architecting scalable systems, setting and executing the product vision, and leading teams.
- Domain experts: Individuals with specialized expertise that enables and drives the core business idea.
- 0 to 1 Operators: Seasoned startup operators who have held defining roles in the growth journey of companies.
- Visionaries: People with exceptional, unique, and non-conventional perspectives.
Founder DNA:
- Creative problem solving: Non-linear thinkers who can intelligently and creatively navigate a pathway to an outcome.
- Inner drive: Self-starters who can motivate themselves and inspire others to unite around a shared mission - a quality often demonstrated by a track record of achieving goals ahead of schedule or setting ambitious long-term objectives and successfully reaching them.
- Grit: People with relentless drive and resilience, always finding a way forward even when faced with setbacks - often evident in their willingness and ability to persevere through obstacles.
We are industry agnostic and invest across all technology sectors. Check out our current portfolio here.
We are focused on providing founders with better access to capital at the very beginning of their journey, which is why we typically back founders at the ideation stage. We invest as early as when you have a clearly defined product statement and roadmap to your MVP. Our goal is always to be the first institutional check into our portfolio companies. If you already have some traction and are seeking funding beyond the pre-seed stage, you can get in touch with us here.
At Antler, we welcome founders with or without startup ideas. We understand that in the early stages of building a business, ideas can pivot and business models often evolve. That’s why we focus on backing founders and teams with strong execution skills, adaptability, and complementary expertise.
You can join Antler as an individual and partner with others to develop a new idea, or as part of an existing team with a validated concept and early traction seeking to accelerate growth. In both cases, our terms remain consistent – which means that if your company has already raised equity from external investors (angels or institutions), it may affect your eligibility to join our residency.
As we believe diverse teams are best positioned for success, we typically do not invest in solo founders after the program. Rather, we prefer to invest in teams of two or three co-founders with complementary, non-overlapping skills, each owning a key business function.
In short, yes. If MENAP is not a region of strategic interest for your venture - either for engaging local customers or establishing teams and operations - consider applying to one of Antler’s other residency locations worldwide. If you and your company are already established in another region and are looking to expand into MENAP, please note that Antler does not serve as an expansion partner or vehicle.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to provide individual or detailed feedback to applicants.
Founders are responsible for arranging and coordinating their own visas. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE offer convenient tourist visa options for most nationalities - please check what the specific requirements are for your nationality. If needed, we can provide a support letter confirming your participation in the residency. However, please note that we do not offer visa sponsorship or assume any official or legal responsibility for founders.
There is no fee to participate in the Antler MENAP residency. While Antler does not offer a relocation stipend, founders may be eligible for a living stipend during the residency to help cover a portion of their costs.
The Antler Residency is a full-time, in-person program. Participants are expected to commit themselves fully to building their company throughout the 10-week residency and beyond. This means being entirely present - both physically and mentally - for the duration of the program, without engaging in other projects, part time or full-time roles, or external commitments. This approach is designed to cultivate a highly engaged and supportive community of founders, working and building together in person.
Unfortunately, not every team will have the opportunity to present to the Investment Committee (IC). This may be due to a variety of reasons, such as the need for further validation after a pivot, insufficient traction to present with confidence, or a determination that the business is not venture scalable. If you are not invited to present to the Antler IC at the end of the residency, we will work with you individually to explore alternative options, such as joining our talent network or setting goals and a timeline for a potential delayed IC pitch.
We do not set a minimum or maximum number of investments per cohort or location. Historically, however, we have invested in approximately 20–35% of founders in each residency.
Our investment decisions are influenced by several factors, starting with the team’s cohesion, unique insights into the problem and its solution, and demonstrated ability to execute. We are also taking into account the strength of the product, business model, and market potential. We look for solutions with the potential for high growth and a viable path to becoming a unicorn
If you are admitted to the Investment Committee (IC) and successfully pitch your new venture, you’ll officially join the Antler portfolio and begin your Launch Phase. You’ll be paired with a dedicated member of our team, who will work closely with you as you transition into this next stage. We’ll help you navigate your incorporation, documentation, administrative tasks, and everything you need to help your company scale and prepare for your seed round.
If you are not admitted to the IC or your pitch is not successful, you will still remain a valued member of the Antler community for life. In rare cases, high-potential teams are invited to a delayed IC a few weeks after the residency. In others, participants who don’t initially secure investment go on to start new ventures, join Antler portfolio companies, or become part of our talent network - and some even re-apply to future Antler residencies. Our door is always open.