Antler was founded in Singapore in 2017 and has since expanded to eight offices around the world. Each location has a unique value proposition while maintaining similar methodologies across the organization and using its global network to give entrepreneurs an advantage. The Nairobi office is focused on supporting startups with aspirations suited to the African continent. Antler Nairobi is one of a handful of fully woman-led venture capital firms and is the only firm on the continent that invests in startups from the idea stage. 

Thanks to its talented pre-founding team, Antler is able to guide entrepreneurs throughout the entire process of creating a business and help them create effective and informed business models. The efficiency with which Antler launches these companies is impressive. It can take as little as eleven weeks to move from ideation to pitching at the Antler Investment Committee, where startups can receive up to $100,000 in investment, and in only six months, many of these startups begin to scale to the extent that they impact markets in Africa and the wider world.

Since Antler’s Nairobi office was founded in 2019, it has supported two cohorts. The first consisted of thirty-seven founders selected from more than 1,200 applicants, and the second had thirty founders from 1,900 applicants. Antler Nairobi’s portfolio enjoys continued success, demonstrating that not only do entrepreneurs benefit but so do their investors. This outcome can be attributed to the strong business tenets imbued in graduates, who are prepared to take on any obstacle that might be thrown at them. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, many Antler graduates used their agile thinking to help their communities, extending their services or pivoting their platforms to confront new challenges. Antler started a program specifically seeking ideas responding to the pandemic and offering paths towards economic and social recovery through intelligent investment. 

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Photo by Folklore for Antler Global