TLDR:
– Antler closes $72M SEA Fund II to invest in early-stage tech-enabled startups in Southeast Asia
– The fund targets to invest $27 million in 45 early-stage startups over the next six to nine months
Antler, a Singapore-based early-stage venture capital firm, has closed its second Southeast Asia fund, Antler SEA Fund II, with a total of $72 million. The fund will focus on investing in early-stage tech-enabled companies in Southeast Asia with pre-launch, pre-seed, and seed capital. In the coming months, the fund aims to invest $27 million in 45 early-stage startups, with a portion of the funding supporting startups formed during Antler’s residency programs in various countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
The fund has already invested in promising companies such as Farmio, Zora Health, and Clout Kitchen. Antler’s Co-founder and Managing Partner, Jussi Salovaara, expressed the firm’s commitment to supporting founders from the earliest stages through their growth. The fund is backed by global and regional limited partners, with over 50 percent of the fund composed of institutional investors.
To further support early-stage founders, Antler has introduced ARC, a fundraising initiative that allows founders to secure up to $600,000 within the first six to nine months of a company’s lifecycle. Additionally, Antler Elevate, the firm’s emerging growth fund, will invest up to $10 million in growth-stage startups from Series A onwards.
Antler’s previous fund, SEA Fund I, has invested in 91 companies across various industries. Globally, Antler has invested in more than 1,000 startups and aims to back over 6,000 by 2030. The firm has offices in more than 30 cities worldwide.
