Antler, a global early-stage venture capital firm, has announced the launch of Antler ONE, a new flagship product for outlier founders in Continental Europe.
Christoph Klink, Partner at Antler, comments, “We’re doubling down on the best founders in Europe – with double the capital and a bigger commitment than ever.”
Antler ONE explained
Starting from September, outlier founders will be invited to Berlin to build category-defining tech companies.
After the initial phase, founders can either stay in Berlin to grow their businesses or work with our Antler investment teams in Munich, Amsterdam, and Paris.
Founders that secure investment will receive €200k from Antlers with a commitment to invest up to a further €300k in the company’s pre-seed round.
However, there are terms and conditions involved.
Companies that receive investment from the Antler ONE flagship product get €200,000. This includes €100,000 for an 8.5 per cent equity stake and another €100,000 through a SAFE or CLA with an MFN clause.
The entire €200,000 is sent immediately after a positive investment decision. Additionally, up to €300,000 in matching funds is available for the first funding rounds, making the total investment €500,000.
“€500k at inception gives the best founders the best chance to raise pre-seed rounds in weeks, not months, and seed rounds in months, not years. We want to back true outlier founders who are ready to build category-defining tech companies and make sure the very best founders in Europe have the capital and support they need,” adds Klink.
Besides investment, founders will also receive 1:1 mentoring from Antler Investment Partners, Venture Partners, and other experienced founders.
They will have access to Antler’s global talent network and receive tech tools and services worth $4M (approximately €3.4M).
Additionally, they can attend major investor events in San Francisco and London and may qualify for up to €30M in follow-on investment.
Backed more than 180 startups
Antler has been making investments in Germany, the Netherlands, France, and across Continental Europe for the last five years and has backed more than 180 startups.
Many of these have become the fastest-growing tech companies in the region, including the likes of Lovable, Peec AI, NeoCarbon, and Klearly, with backing from investors such as a16z, Coatue, and Accel.
Last year, Antler invested in the best 0.3 per cent of all founders that applied to participate in residencies across Europe. The new flagship product will be even more selective, meaning only the very best founders in the region will be invited to secure investment, say Antler.
The new flagship product from Antler is specifically designed to support the new generation of world-class founders emerging in Continental Europe in what is a generational moment for the region.
Applications are now open to Antler’s new CE:ONE residency, which will start in September 2025 with a launch phase in Berlin before founders join landing pads in Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam and Paris.
Antler: World’s most active early-stage VC firm,
Founded in 2017 by Magnus Grimeland and a team of entrepreneurs, investors, and company builders, Antler is a seed investment firm that supports founders from the pre-idea stage with coaching and the opportunity to meet co-founders during a residency programme. It can invest up to Series C.
The VC firm provides founders with a platform to build their co-founding teams, get better access to venture capital funding, and scale their businesses faster.
With its day-zero approach to support early-stage founders, Antler claims it is fuelling the creation of many scalable technology businesses across industries like fintech/payments, health tech, climate tech, and edtech.
