Antler Elevate, a $285 million emerging growth fund that supports the following generation of game-changing founders across 20+ technology ecosystems, has been closed by the Singapore-based startup accelerator Antler.
Antler Elevate invests in exceptional founders beyond day one and provides scale-up capital from Series A onward for businesses that have ambitious mindsets, exhibit strong signs of product-market fit, and exhibit compounding growth, according to a statement released by Antler on Wednesday.
Some of these businesses, which span more than 20 ecosystems, were allegedly supported by Antler’s early-stage funds.
Others are startups that are new to the portfolio and that received seed funding from sources other than Antler’s early-stage funds.
Antler claimed that through a unique, structured evaluation process, it gathers insightful data on founders and business models that helps investors make more knowledgeable choices.
The Antler Elevate fund has already invested more than $70 million in more than 30 businesses, including Airalo, the largest and first eSim marketplace in the world; Earlytrade, a liquidity marketplace for the construction industry; and Two, a purchase financing solution for business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce.
The statement claims that the deep operating and vertical expertise of the Antler Elevate team supports founders as they progress along their growth trajectory.
Lazada, the largest e-commerce player in Southeast Asia, was acquired by Alibaba Group in 2016, the company’s largest transaction outside of China. Partner Martell Hardenberg led the exit from Lazada to Alibaba and grew the business from Pre-seed to unicorn status, making him an excellent sparring partner for fast-growing startups.
Teddy Himler has experience in growth-stage investments with a focus on digital media, gaming, e-commerce, cloud computing, and mobility. Teddy Himler was formerly a vice president at SoftBank and a principal at Comcast.
Fady Abdel-Nour served as the global head of merger and acquisitions (M&A) and investments at PayU, the fintech and payments division of Prosus, a global investment firm with a focus on technology that is renowned for its early investment in Tencent.
The team draws on this extensive knowledge base to provide portfolio companies with strategic advice that improves their chances of success.
“Our mission at Antler is to be a long-term partner for the founders we work with, supporting them with capital, talent, mentorship, and network all the way from day zero to exit,” said Martell Hardenberg, partner at Antler.
