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.
Tokyo
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.
“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.”
“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.”
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.
“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.”
“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.”
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.
“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.”
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.
10,000+
Founders supported
1500+
Portfolio companies
2018
Year Antler started
35%
Companies with at least one female+ founder
#1
Most active VC investor globally
24+
Offices globally
FREQUENTLY —ASKED QUESTIONS
The program will primarily be conducted in English, but we warmly welcome both English-speaking and Japanese-speaking Founders.
Yes. Please consider your current notice period, plus the personal and financial investment starting a business requires.
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.
Antler does not sponsor visas, but we can introduce you to the third-party agency that provides visa application support (paid service).
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 in Japan
Join us as we bring together top talent from around the world in Tokyo’s vibrant tech hub to build something extraordinary.
The Antler Japan team
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.
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Hiro brings a unique mix of entrepreneurial and investing experience to the Antler team.
He co-founded WALLEX, a B2B FX and cross-border payments platform, and grew it into a regional fintech player before its acquisition by M-DAQ in 2022.
Before that, he spent several years in venture capital with Strive VC (formerly GREE) and Yello Mobile, after starting out as a software engineer at Macquarie Group. Along the way, he backed one of Indonesia’s largest e-commerce companies, Bukalapak, at the Series A stage before it became a unicorn and went public.
Fluent in English, Japanese, and Indonesian, Hiro has often acted as a bridge between Japan and Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystems.
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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.
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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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