Fact Sheet about Antler

What services does Antler provide?

Antler is the most active early-stage investor globally (Pitchbook Global League Table–Q3 2024).

The firm leads in ‘Day Zero’ investing, an approach to venture capital focused on partnering with founders pre-launch. Founders gain access to a  platform for co-founder matching, rigorous business model validation, initial funding, and ongoing support for scale and follow-on funding.

Where does Antler operate?

The firm was founded in Singapore and is today present in 27 cities across most leading technology ecosystems globally and has made over 1,300 investments into early-stage startups.

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How does Antler invest in startups?

70+ Partners are responsible for raising and investing funds. These partners are typically experienced operators or exited entrepreneurs who work with founders on-site and advise them during the inception stage of their startups:

For founders at the very beginning, Antler offers a weeklong residency that includes co-founder matching, team formation, business idea validation and pitch preparation.
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For founders with a team and an idea, Antler offers access to a fast-track, leading up to the final pitch in front of the Antler investment committee within weeks.
Pre-seed. After the initial investment, founders receive help to set their fundraising strategy,  prepare their investment materials and a clear path to get them in front of relevant investors.

The short, intense time spent with founders enables Antler Partners to make high-conviction bets at an earlier stage than previously possible, mirroring the "startup mafia effect," where early employees of unicorns invest in new companies of their previous co-workers—a phenomenon the Antler residency replicates at scale.

What stage does Antler invest at?
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The pre-seed funds invest at “Inception stage”. The Antler Global Fund (Antler Elevate) invests from Pre-A to Series C.
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Antler Elevate invests in breakout companies originating from Antler's global proprietary company-building platform—the largest of its kind—and in category leaders outside Antler’s portfolio.

The $285 million fund is managed from offices in London, Singapore, and New York, led by a team with rare global technology investing experience: Martell Hardenberg, Partner, was previously co-founder and Singapore CEO of Lazada (SEA unicorn, exit to Alibaba), he is an active angel investor in SEA and Europe and holds an Insead MBA. Fady Abdel-Nour, Partner, was previously Head of M&A & Investments at PayU, Prosus’ fintech sub, where he oversaw $6B of fintech M&A and investments. He brings extensive experience at OTPP in Canada and Hong Kong, and holds a B.B.A. from York University and is a CFA charterholder.
Antler Elevate invests across multiple stages, with ticket sizes ranging between USD 1M and USD 10M. To date, fifty-one investments have been made, globally diversified by sector, stage, and geography.

The fund is not limited to a single sector, investing in a wide range of industries such as FinTech, Web3, eCommerce, B2B SaaS, and Consumer, and supports deal flow from regions worldwide, including the US, EMEA, Asia, Australia, and LatAm.

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Why is Antler defined as an “early-stage investor”?

Investors take high-conviction bets on people—at any stage, even pre-team or pre-idea—which is what Antler does.

Accelerators or incubators help startups grow faster, and a fair number of companies that Antler initially invested in moved on to join accelerators like Y Combinator or Techstars. YC writes on their website: “We recommend Y Combinator as soon as you have a founding team and an idea you are excited about.” Incubators are typically connected to academic institutions, non-profit development corporations, for-profit property development ventures, venture capital firms, and a combination of the above.

According to Wikipedia, Antler is a an “early-stage investor.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antler_(venture_capital_firm))


Where is Antler located?

Antler was founded in Singapore, but led by 70+ Partners across the world.

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Who are the key people? 

1. Founders

Antler started investing since 2018 and has five co-founders, Magnus Grimeland, Fridtjof Berge, Dilan Mizrakli-Landgraff, Vegard Medbø, and Jussi Salovaara.

‍2. Antler leadership

Antler is led by Magnus Grimeland, founder and Chief Executive Officer; Edward Knight, President; Frank Stevenaar, Chief Financial Officer; Dilan Mizrakli-Landgraff, Chief Strategy Officer; KC Agerup, Chief Investment Officer; Bjarne Abrahamsen, Co-Chief Operating Officer; Vegard Medbø, Co-Chief Operating Officer; Bede Moore, Chief Business Officer and Fridtjof Berge, Chief Business Officer.

3. Advisory Board

Tore Myrholt, Former McKinsey Partner and Chairman of the Board; Sheila Patel, Vice Chairman of B Capital Group, the venture capital firm co-founded by Eduardo Saverin, and Former Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Co-Chair of the Antler Advisory Board; Lawrence Summers, Former Secretary of Treasury for President Clinton and President Emeritus at Harvard University; David Fischer, Former Chief Revenue Officer of Facebook; Aaron Gershenberg, Sr. Advisor & Founder Partner, SVB Capital; Aaron Harris, Co-Founder of Magid & Company and Former Partner at Y Combinator; Ken Hitchner, Former Goldman Sachs Asia-Pacific CEO and James Anderson, Partner at Lingotto Investments and Former Co-Manager of Baillie Gifford.


Where can reporters get more information or book interviews with spokespeople?

Rike Döpp Bergérus

VP, PR and Communications

rike@antler.co