Antler, ADE team up to boost startups in the music and entertainment sector with €100K top prize competition

Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) and Singapore’s global early-stage VC firm Antler announced that they have teamed up for the 2022 ADE & Antler Startup Competition – a five-day electronic music conference and festival.

Youri Doeleman, Partner at Antler Netherlands, says, “The winner will receive an investment of at least €100K. With its global setup in 17 locations across 5 continents, Antler focuses on enabling and investing in exceptional founders from day zero at any time of the year by building complementary co-founder teams, supporting the teams with deep business model validation, and providing a global platform for scaling.”

“At Antler, we are extremely proud to have built a global community of 2,000+ founders. The winner will not only be able to tap into that but also get access to investors, customers and expert partners in our close-knitted network and will have the chance to make use of office hours with Antler’s team and 500+ advisors globally,” adds Doeleman.

Who can participate and what to expect from the competition?

According to ADE and Antler, startups with an original concept for a product or service with any connection to the music and entertainment sector are encouraged to apply. Selected teams will be invited for a number of interviews following a screening process. After the interviews, the shortlisted teams will present to the Investment Committee (IC) of Antler and get practical assistance from ADE and Antler to help them be as prepared as possible for the final presentations.

The final contestants will present their ideas live on stage during the competition’s final round at ADE Pro in Amsterdam, where they will compete for the grand prize of (at least) a €100,000 investment, access to Antler’s global network of founders, investors, and industry experts, coaching from Antler’s leadership, and the potential to receive additional investment up to Series C.

The winners will be largely determined by four main factors: the team, the market, the development, and the concept. The judges will consider the team’s composition and track record before making their decision. In terms of the market, it’s critical that the concept or company concentrate on the music and entertainment sector, the size of the total addressable market, and the go-to-market approach.

Further weight will be  given to the team’s accomplishments to date in relation to the time invested in validating and expanding their company. According to ADE and Antler, “A brilliant concept demonstrates excellent issue and solution articulation, competitive distinction, and technology application.”

What Antler offers to competition winners

Founded in 2017 by Magnus Grimeland and a team of experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and company builders, Antler is an early-stage VC firm with the vision to fundamentally improve the world. The VC says that its aim is to create thousands of companies globally that solve ‘real’ problems. The firm invests in approximately 1 per cent of more than 50,000 founders annually and invests from pre-seed and up to series C.

So far, Antler has invested in and helped build over 500 companies in 30+ sectors, including AI, Robotics, drones, fintech, proptech, and healthtech. Of these companies, nearly 33 per cent have at least one female co-founder, and the founders represent more than 100 nationalities. Antler has offices globally across most major entrepreneurial hubs, including London, Berlin, Stockholm, New York, Singapore, and Sydney.

Everything about ADE

Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) claims to be an upfront, influential and educational gathering for electronic music and its industry. With the help of its conference, festival and educational breeding ground, ADE is able to create a yearly industry tent-pole moment, as well as a solid foundation for future generations of electronic music professionals. 

Over 1,000 events were held as part of ADE 2019’s diverse schedule, filling roughly 200 venues.

ADE Pro, a business and inspiration platform for the global electronic music industry, features dedicated programming for music professionals, aspiring DJs/producers and musicians, tech startups, and brand & marketing managers, among many other audiences.