VC firm Antler raises over $300 mn, expands focus to invest up to Series C

VC firm Antler fund raising: Primary focus to remain pre-seed stage funding as it seeks to invest in the world's "most exceptional people"

Global venture capital firm Antler has announced that it has closed over $300 million to date, allowing it an opportunity to provide continued support to its companies in subsequent funding rounds. Investors in the funds include Schroders, Vækstfonden, and Phoenix Group.

Antler said it is on a mission to fundamentally improve the world by enabling and investing in the world's most exceptional people. The primary focus of the firm will remain investing at the pre-seed stage, with the firm now also having the ability to offer its portfolio companies follow-on capital as they grow and scale, up to Series C.

“We continue to provide support for our founders from the earliest stages and are thrilled to be able to continue investing in them as they grow,” said Magnus Grimeland, CEO and founder of Antler. “We look forward to backing even more entrepreneurs that are redefining industries in the future.”

Antler is continually developing and expanding its senior team and its global presence. To this end, Antler has recruited new partners Naman Budhdeo, Erik Jonsson, Jiho Kang, and Subir Lohani to lead its new Canada, Vietnam, Korea, and Indonesia teams respectively.

Teddy Himler from SoftBank also joins as a Partner of the later-stage investment team.

Antler has invested in over 350 companies globally across over 30 different industries since 2018. Of these companies, 40 per cent have at least one female co-founder, with 70 nationalities represented.

Antler continues to invest in its portfolio companies as they scale. The firm has a global network of over 600 expert advisors, and an online platform of resources, tools and supports its portfolio companies with introductions to global investors, hands-on assistance with new market entry, and access to a global network of expert advisors.

In providing continued support and investment, Antler confirms its position as a long-term partner for exceptional entrepreneurs -- from the outset of their journey, to the later stages as they scale.

Antler also intends to now invest in a number of companies from outside of its portfolio at seed and Series A stages. Antler has put together a team to oversee on-going investments, led by Antler partners: Martell Hardenberg, Co-Founder of Lazada; Teddy Himler, formerly of SoftBank; Stefan Jung, previously Managing Partner at Venturra Capital; and Navi Singh, a Researcher at MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering.

This on-going evolution is built on what we believe to be a strong structural advantage in deal flow sourcing from regionally focused early-stage investments across 15 countries in 5 continents, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, India (Bangalore), Indonesia and Kenya.

In India, Rajiv Srivatsa, leads Antler India, and is co-founder of the Antler India Fund. He co-founded Urban Ladder, an online furniture startup. Over 8 years, Urban Ladder served more than 1 million customers, grew to over 1,000 employees, and raised over $100 million in venture capital from top global VCs.

Another partner Nitin Sharma also leads Antler India, and is co-founder of the Antler India Fund. Sharma is a seasoned early-stage investor, having invested in over 60 tech startups in multiple geographies. He started his investing journey in the US with famed Silicon Valley giant NEA, and was later part of the founding team at Lightbox Ventures in India.