Antler is a global VC focused on assisting and promoting early-stage Australian startups. Here’s what Antler can do to help you take your startup from concept to scaleup.
Engaging with a VC fund can be a difficult choice for Australian startups. Joining an accelerator platform can significantly improve the chances of success of an Australian startup — VC-led accelerator funds provide startups with the tools, resources, expertise, and connections they need to scale and grow.
Antler is a global early-stage VC that focuses on putting together and investing in the most promising founders and their companies. Antler identifies and works with exceptional early-stage startups and founders within Australia & many other parts of the world with the overall goal of building highly scalable, international companies.
Unlike many other accelerator platforms or incubators, Antler provides support to startups from the earliest days to development, otherwise known as a startup generator. The Antler accelerator platform assists with the team formation process, helping startups validate their business model then providing capital pathways.
What exactly can Antler do for your Australian startup?
What is Antler?
Antler is a VC fund and accelerator program that invests at the pre-seed stage, nurturing businesses and startups through to series C. Antler takes a hands-on approach when assisting with the growth of new startups, building close relationships with portfolio companies.
Rather than just provident funding, Antler aims to assist startups in overcoming a wide range of obstacles. While Antler is a global VC, the local Australian Antler portfolio consists of over 50 companies — all of which have joined Antler since 2019.
To date, Antler has received over 50,000 applications, selected over 2,000 founders, and funded 200 startups, making it one of the largest and most active VCs in Australia.
What Does Antler Do?
Antler helps startup founders by firstly working with the core team of a new business. In the earliest stages of working with Antler, a startup will benefit from assistance in meeting potential co-founders or assembling a team. Antler also guides startups through the validation and testing process, ensuring that startups possess the tools and means to create a marketable product or service.
A major point of difference between Antler and other Australian VCs is the manner in which it helps startups de-risk commonly encountered pinch points throughout the entire growth journey. To achieve this, Antler connects founders to a network of over 500 advisors worldwide, delivering dedicated coaching, a range of practical workshops, and many other resources.
To date, Antler is the only truly global VC platform operating in the Australian market. By leveraging a global presence, Antler is able to reference the international startup ecosystem in order to provide startups with access to significantly faster scaling than other solutions. A unique point of difference between Antler and other Australian accelerator platforms is the access it delivers to the world’s fastest-growing community of early-stage startups.
One of the most significant benefits that Antler provides to startups is a robust capital pathway. In addition to initial investments, Antler exposes startups to a network of international VCs and angel investors in order to help businesses and founders connect with the best fundraising strategy possible.
The Antler Launch Academy
The Antler Launch Academy is a rapid development program designed to take startup founders from the earliest conceptual stage of a business to a functioning startup. The Launch Academy functions as a 5-week course that can be accessed on demand or simultaneously with other startup founders, and provides participants with an open-access education platform that integrates insights from world-class speakers, actionable content, and personalized feedback.
Antler’s Launch Academy is split across five key stages, each of which provide founders with on-demand masterclasses supported by an extensive resource library. Rather than simply educate founders, however, the Launch Academy delivers a step-by-step guide on how to develop and execute a startup idea.
In addition to resources and educational material, the Launch Academy includes an editable playbook and the ability to construct a showcase page that can be used to capture early stage feedback and potential users.
A major advantage delivered by the Launch Academy is the ability to complete the course in a 5-week cohort with other founders. By completing the Academy in tandem with a cohort, founders can attend Antler-led workshops, collaborate during community breakouts, and foster new connections with other founders.
The Antler Launch Academy includes the following features:
● Online masterclasses that provide insight, perspectives, and theories from investors and builders
● Live workshops that provide insight and feedback into the progress of a startup idea
● Small-group huddles with a cohort of other early-stage founders
● A live slack community through which founders can gain support and network with potential co-founders
● A curated list of powerful startup tools through the Founder’s Toolbox
● Digital credentials that demonstrate course completion
The curriculum of the Launch Academy includes startup ideas, guidance on design thinking fors startups, and an introduction to strategic startup fundamentals. Other information covered by the Launch Academy also includes a step-by-step guide on how to build MVPs and products, capture early customers, and execute an early-stage marketing campaign.
Most importantly, however, the Launch Academy provides founders with the tools and knowledge they need to effectively communicate their startup pitch and begin fundraising. The Launch Academy requires an allocation of just 1-3 hours per week, and provides permanent access to the entire Launch Academy platform as it is continuously updated.
How Can Antler Help Your Startup Grow?
Antler aims to provide support to startup founders from a massive international network of founders, experts, and investors. Antler provides Australian startups with a founder community, investments, and deep sector expertise across a broad spectrum of industries and technologies.
Working with Antler, startups are connected to a global network that facilitates rapid expansion into new markets and speeds up the startup journey by streamlining the process of connecting to the right co-founding team through a worldwide talent network.
Antler startups remain a member of the Antler community throughout their entire growth and scaling period and beyond — as part of a network of startups, founders can access dedicated portfolio job boards, resource libraries, and sharing tools that allow them to obtain advice, guidance, and insight from the Antler team, advisors, and other community members.
Key Takeaways
Antler is the largest global VC fund focused on early stage startups within the Australian startup ecosystem. From early-stage guidance via the Launch Academy through to funding and scaling tools, Antler is able to provide everything promoting Australian startups need to succeed.
Navigating the Australian startup ecosystem can be complicated. If you’re currently building a startup, reach out to our startup accounting team whom work with several of the Antler portfolio companies.
