Antler launches in Nigeria with benefits for all early-stage entrepreneurs. Antler, a global early-stage venture capital firm, has officially launched operations in Nigeria. Expanding its footprint in Africa and offering Nigerian startups a significant opportunity to build globally scalable businesses from scratch. Already present in more than 30 cities worldwide, Antler’s expansion into Nigeria marks a strategic deepening of its investment into the African startup ecosystem.
Founded in 2017 by Magnus Grimeland in Singapore, Antler describes itself as a “Day Zero” investor, one that partners with founders at the idea stage to help them build companies from the ground up. Since its inception, the firm has backed over 1,300 startups across multiple verticals, including fintech, healthtech, e-commerce, and deep tech.
Nigeria, long known as a hotbed for tech talent and entrepreneurship in Africa, is Antler’s second African office after its Nairobi base in Kenya. With a fast-growing population, high mobile and internet penetration, and an increasing number of digital-first ventures, Nigeria offers fertile ground for early-stage investments.
According to Antler’s West Africa partner, Anil Atmaramani, speaking about Antler’s launch in Nigeria, the expansion is long overdue. “Nigeria has always been on Antler’s roadmap,” he said. “As Africa’s largest economy and innovation hub, it has produced global success stories like Paystack, Moniepoint, and Moove.”
At the core of Antler Nigeria’s launch is a commitment to invest $100,000 in selected startups in exchange for a 10% equity stake. But the offering extends far beyond capital. Through its structured residency program, Antler supports entrepreneurs in every aspect of building a startup, from team formation to validating business ideas and building scalable MVPs.
Each residency lasts a few months and brings together diverse founders from various backgrounds. Antler’s team of local and global advisors works closely with them through ideation, co-founder matching, and business development. For Nigerian entrepreneurs, this offers a rare opportunity to get structured support and global exposure from day one.
Startups selected for investment are not only funded but also guided through further rounds of capital raising to Series C. Alumni of Antler programs worldwide have gone on to raise hundreds of millions in follow-on funding from top investors like Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, and Y Combinator.
In a continent where early-stage funding remains difficult to secure and startup mortality rates are high, Antler’s entry comes at a critical time. The African tech ecosystem is still reeling from a funding slowdown in 2023 and early 2024. According to Disrupt Africa, startup funding on the continent dropped 40% year-on-year in Q3 2024. Founders are having to build leaner, more sustainable companies to attract and retain investment.
Antler’s model focuses on building operationally sound, impact-driven startups by equipping founders with frameworks, networks, and global insight. It’s a hands-on approach aimed at avoiding the common pitfalls that lead to early failure, including team dysfunction, lack of product-market fit, or poor investor communication.
“More than ever, we need to support African founders from the earliest stage possible. The playing field is no longer level when global competitors are raising Series A while local founders are still trying to validate ideas,” said Atmaramani in a conversation with TechCabal. “Antler helps change that.”
Antler is actively accepting applications for its first Nigeria residency, which is expected to begin in the coming months. The program is open to individuals or teams with domain expertise, technical or operational backgrounds, and a clear ambition to build scalable solutions.
Founders do not need to have a startup already in operation. In fact, Antler encourages solo founders or early teams with high potential to apply, even if all they have is an idea. The goal is to help bring that idea to life through team building, rapid prototyping, and venture backing. Interested founders can apply via Antler’s official website.
● Must be based in Nigeria (or willing to relocate for the program duration)
● Should have strong domain knowledge or technical capabilities
● Demonstrated problem-solving or entrepreneurial experience is a plus
● Commitment to building a venture-scale company
Antler typically evaluates candidates based on ambition, grit, execution ability, and complementary skill sets.
With Antler’s arrival in Nigeria, a new opportunity has opened up for aspiring founders to launch globally competitive ventures with world-class support. For a startup ecosystem in need of long-term scaffolding rather than sporadic capital inflows, this might be the kind of early-stage partnership that makes the difference.
If you’ve got a bold idea and the drive to build something transformative, Antler Nigeria wants to hear from you.
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