📌 FOUNDER APPLICATION GUIDE

We move fast. From application to decision, the process typically takes around 7 days.

This process is designed to be decisive, transparent, and founder-friendly, with minimal back-and-forth and no unnecessary steps.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

1. 📲 Apply Online Submit your team details, what you’re building, and your current progress (product, traction, users, or pilots if you have them).

2. 📖 Initial Review (Days 1–2) Our team reviews your application for founder quality, problem clarity, and momentum.

3. 📞 First Call: Founder + Business Intro (Days 2–4) A 20–25 minute conversation to get to know the founders and your business. All founders must join. No deck required.

4. 🤝 Partner Call: Pitch + Demo + Deep Dive (Days 4–6)

   A structured 30–45 minute session with 2–3 Partners, covering:

   • Short pitch (5–7 minutes)
   • Product demo
   • Traction, user signals, and key metrics (if available)
   • Q&A on GTM, feasibility, competition, risks, and scalability

5. ✅ Decision (Around Day 7)

   We complete our internal review and share a clear outcome.

6. 🚀 Onboarding + Residency Prep

   If successful, we move straight into onboarding and align on residency expectations, milestones, and start dates.

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If you have been invited to a call, congrats. It means we are genuinely interested in you, your thinking, and what you are building.

Refer to this document 👇 to get a sense of what to expect in this first conversation and how to be best prepared.

Preparing for your call with Antler Inception

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💁‍♀️ WHO SHOULD APPLY?

We back teams who are already in motion.

Not theorising. Building. Shipping. Turning insight into product velocity.

✅ You’ll fit if you demonstrate:

• A real engine. Technical or product depth that creates an unfair advantage.
• A sharp problem instinct. You see market gaps before others see patterns.
• Early momentum. Pilots, prototypes, customers leaning in, or signals that your solution hits a nerve.
• High-agency founders. You move without waiting for permission. You collapse timelines.
• Ambition that scales. Not lifestyle, not incremental. You want to bend markets, not participate in them.

We select teams who show clear momentum and the potential to become category-defining companies.

🚀 WHERE WE EXPECT YOU TO BE

By the end of 6 weeks, teams should show clear forward motion, not just activity.

👉 Depending on your starting point, this typically means:

• A product that is meaningfully more usable than week one
• Clearer ICP definition and sharper problem framing
• Real user signals (usage, pilots, LOIs, revenue, or strong qualitative feedback)
• A tighter narrative around why this works and why it wins
• Readiness for an Investment Committee decision

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Not every team starts at the same place. What matters is rate of progress, not polish.

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⚡ PART 2: YOUR 6-WEEK ADVANTAGE

A 6-week execution platform designed to accelerate teams already building toward scale.

💵 FUNDING

We invest USD 150,000 for 10% of your company, with no fees to join the residency. After completing the 6-week program and receiving IC approval, the full investment is provided through a streamlined structure:

<aside> 🎟️

• USD 100,000 for 10% equity
• USD 50,000 via an uncapped SAFE with an MFN clause </aside>

Our structure is designed to be fast, transparent, and aligned with founders who are already building toward scale. You’ll also receive tailored guidance to ensure your milestones, metrics, and trajectory meet the expectations of top early-stage investors.

When you raise your next institutional round, Antler will match 50% of the round (up to USD 250K) at the round’s valuation. As you grow, you may also access up to USD 25M in follow-on funding through Antler Elevate, our global growth fund.

🌟 PERKS

• 💰 USD 650K+ in world-class infrastructure, AI tooling credits, and partner benefits.
• 🛠️ Access to compute resources, dev tools, cloud infrastructure, and scaling support suited for high-velocity product teams.
• ⚙️ Operational assistance across incorporation, compliance, banking, and residency to ensure smooth setup and focus on execution.

🔗 OPERATOR AND ADVISOR NETWORK

You gain direct access to experienced operators and domain specialists who have built, scaled, and advised high-growth companies.

Support includes:

• 📑 product and technical reviews
• 🎯 GTM, sales, and customer development guidance
• 📈 strategic input on roadmap, hiring, and early partnerships
• 🤝 introductions to early customers or collaborators

These sessions provide targeted, actionable insights tailored to your company’s stage and trajectory.

🔎 COACHING

A structured, high-clarity cadence that supports rapid, focused progress:

• 🗓️ weekly deep dives on traction, product, and GTM strategy
• 🚀 prioritisation frameworks that channel teams toward high-leverage milestones
• 🗣️ support refining narrative, pitch materials, and key metrics
• ✨ preparation for Investment Committee and early investor conversations

Every touchpoint is designed to strengthen momentum and sharpen strategy.

🤝 DOWNSTREAM INVESTORS

Teams access Antler’s global network of early-stage investors who back high-potential founders.

We help you:

• 📐 shape your traction story
• 📊 structure your data room
• 💼 prepare for institutional diligence
• 🕴️ access curated introductions based on sector and stage

Our goal is to ensure teams enter the fundraising process with clarity and confidence.

💭 More Information about Antler & our Inception Residency [Click to expand]

❓FAQ

🌟 About Antler

• 1️⃣ How is Antler different from other VCs?
• 2️⃣ Which industry or sector does Antler focus on?
• 3️⃣ What is Antler’s culture?

🖇️ About the Residency

• 1️⃣ What does the program look like?
• 2️⃣ Are we allowed to join part-time and how will the program be conducted?
• 3️⃣ What does a day in the program look like?
• 4️⃣ How do you assess companies at IC?