Antler, a Singapore-based global early-stage venture capital firm, announced that it has committed $5.1 million to 37 startups throughout Southeast Asia in its largest pre-seed investment round to date.
Antler said in a statement that this round also represents the most pre-seed deals closed in a single round in the area, highlighting Antler’s dedication to supporting the upcoming generation of SEA tech entrepreneurs.
In order to address particular regional challenges, the statement claims that the diverse portfolio of startups spans 19 sectors, including fintech, healthcare, business-to-business (B2B) software as a service (SaaS), artificial intelligence (AI), and fintech.
In addition, the investment represents Antler’s first step toward establishing a presence in Malaysia as part of its strategic alliance with sovereign wealth fund Khazanah.
“As a multi-stage investor, we recognize the immense potential of early-stage startups in Southeast Asia. In this dynamic and challenging climate, we are especially drawn to pre-seed investments, particularly in verticalized AI and industry 4.0 startups that address deep-seated pain points and revolutionize how models and data translate into tangible products,
“At this pivotal moment, we are laser-focused on helping founders establish a robust foundation for sustainable business models and fostering long-term innovation within the broader global tech ecosystem,” said Jussi Salovaara, Co-founder and Managing Partner Asia, of Antler.
Antler is uniquely positioned to recognize and lead emerging tech trends because it was one of the first investors in startups, according to the statement.
“With greater awareness and adoption of predictive AI, Southeast Asia startups now have the opportunity to embrace a new paradigm of hyper localization and global ambition,
“This approach demands founders to rethink the possibilities of products that cater to the diverse local markets at mass while harboring the potential for seamless scalability across global platforms,” said Winnie Khoo, Partner of Antler.
Since its launch in 2018, Antler has consistently backed over 1,000 startups worldwide, with a record-breaking 5,000 applications in this round. By 2030, the company wants to have backed over 6,000 people.
