Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries and redefining what's possible—but building a successful AI startup demands more than just an innovative idea. Founders face unique barriers such as securing high-performance compute resources, accessing specialized cloud infrastructure, navigating regulatory complexities, and swiftly raising capital. To tackle these challenges head-on, Antler—the world's most active early-stage AI investor in 2024—has launched AI Disrupt, an intensive program designed to accelerate visionary founders from concept to impact.
What is AI Disrupt?
It's a four-week intensive sprint hosted in Singapore, carefully structured to maximize impact through focused execution. The program's compressed timeline facilitates rapid development and iteration, helping teams reach crucial milestones efficiently. Each week is strategically designed around key phases, starting from onboarding and mentorship, progressing to focused execution, and culminating in a showcase where startups demonstrate tangible progress.
Participants will engage directly with experienced mentors and industry leaders who provide actionable insights and strategic guidance tailored specifically to AI startups. This hands-on mentorship ensures teams remain agile, informed, and positioned to capitalize quickly on emerging opportunities in the fast-paced AI ecosystem.
Why AI Disrupt?
While breakthroughs in models and infrastructure are accelerating, AI founders face unique challenges just to get started—access to GPUs and cloud resources, the ability to iterate quickly, and finding investors who truly understand the economics of AI-first businesses.
We're compressing months of growth into just four weeks - enabling founders to execute rapidly by delivering a comprehensive program designed to accelerate AI startups' growth trajectory:
Significant Capital, Deployed Fast
- $400,000 in funding: $125,000 for 10% equity and $275,000 via an uncapped SAFE with Most Favored Nation (MFN) clause
- Streamlined investment process with decisions made within just 4 weeks
- Founder-friendly terms providing flexibility for future fundraising rounds
Technical Resources Worth Over $650,000
- GPU, inference, and fine-tuning credits from partners including OpenAI, NVIDIA, and Nebius
- Cloud computing credits from AWS, Google Cloud, and other leading providers
- Access to cutting-edge AI development tools and model-serving platforms
Strategic Mentorship and Networking
- Dedicated coaching from Antler's General Partners
- Hands-on mentorship from successful AI founders and industry leaders
- Access to Antler's global network spanning 30+ cities for international expansion
Designed for Today's AI Builders
The program targets exceptional founding teams with complementary skills who are already building promising AI solutions. Ideal candidates have:
- A working MVP or early market traction
- Startups that are approximately 3-9 months into their journey
- Solutions addressing high-impact challenges with industry-reshaping potential
- The ability to commit full-time in Singapore from May 19 to June 13, 2025
We're looking for founders who are building transformative AI solutions across vertical applications, infrastructure technologies, or pioneering new AI-driven business models.
An Intensive Four-Week Journey
The program comprises four focused weeks of high-impact development:
- Foundation & Alignment: Refining vision, aligning with market needs, and identifying scalable revenue models
- Testing & Validation: Customer validation, technical workshops, and product testing to identify product-market fit
- Building & Optimization: Go-to-market strategy development, tech stack optimization, and fundraising narrative refinement
- Final Investor Committee: Presentation to Antler's Investment Committee to secure funding
Long-Term Capital Partnership
AI Disrupt is designed as more than just a program—it's the beginning of a long-term capital partnership. After the program, founders continue to benefit from:
- Follow-on funding opportunities beyond the initial $400,000
- Access to Antler's global network of top-tier VCs and strategic investors
- Ongoing mentorship and support from the Antler team
- Connection to an exclusive community of AI founders worldwide
Success Stories Already Emerging
Antler has solidified its position as a leading AI investor globally, with several portfolio companies already showing remarkable success:
- Lovable: The first AI full-stack engineer, achieving $4 million in annual recurring revenue within just four weeks of launch
- FileAI: Specializing in AI-driven financial data automation across Southeast Asia
- Xailient: Developing ultra-efficient AI vision models for real-time edge computing
- Other successful companies in the portfolio include TrustAI, JigsawStack, Persona Studios, Bootloader, and more.
Building the Future of AI
The next wave of AI-driven innovation is happening now. And AI Disrupt isn't just about building startups—it's about defining the future of AI. It is the opportunity to accelerate, scale, and lead in this rapidly evolving landscape.
We're backing founders who aren't just building incremental AI applications, but those aiming to reshape industries, challenge incumbents, and solve foundational problems using AI.
Applications Now Open
For founders ready to accelerate their AI startup journey, applications for AI Disrupt are now open here.
Apply now to join the AI Disrupt program and turn your vision into reality with the speed, capital, and support your innovation deserves.
For all press enquiries: press@antler.co
