Build your company with Antler

Apply to Antler in the Nordics to start your next company! As Europe's most active early-stage investor, we invest in the most driven founders working on groundbreaking ideas. No founder is too early for Antler. With a global platform and thriving community of 1,000+ portfolio companies, we support exceptional founders from day zero to greatness.

Antler's Baltic branch is part of Antler in the Nordics, where we run integrated offline residences in Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Apply to Antler in the NordicsLearn more
* For the September residency, French founders will need to relocate to Amsterdam, Berlin, or Munich.

Join an upcoming AMA session

  • Funding for your startup in just 5 weeks
  • Get your first cheque from a global VC

Who is Antler for?

We’re looking for experienced business operators, technologists, or serial entrepreneurs who can motivate themselves and others to join their mission to build a game-changing business. Whether you’re an individual or a team at the early stages of their journey, we are here to help as a partner obsessed with your success.

Apply to Antler in the Nordics

Individuals

Looking for a co-founder?
Start Date: March 2025

Are you an individual ready to start something new, and looking for the right co-founder?

Antler brings together an exclusive group of ambitious people to explore ideas together. Meet, learn, and co-create with exceptional builders. Join us to turn your vision into reality.

Teams

Already have the dream team?
Start Date: Rolling Intake

Do you already have a team and are ready to start building? Joining Antler gives you the opportunity to build alongside like-minded, ambitious founders.

Build long-lasting relationships, gain access to coaching, network resources, investor introductions, and valuable support—regardless of your idea’s stage.

Apply to Antler in the Nordics

Supporting founders from day zero

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Team Formation and Idea Validation

The 12 first weeks of the Residency are designed for you to team up with your new co-founder(s) and validate your ideas. Our residency team organizes speaking engagements and workshops with industry experts, team challenges, idea sprints, and sparring sessions.

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Build your company

Start talking to customers, develop your MVP, refine your business model, and develop your go-to-market strategy alongside our expert coaches.

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Pitch to Antler’s Investment Committee

Teams deemed ready will pitch to our Investment Committee comprising partners from the Antler in Finland team, external local investors, and partners from Antler's global team. The Investment Committee votes on which teams receive an investment.

Platform to accelerate growth and fundraising

Antler invests through series C and beyond. When joining the portfolio, you are matched with a dedicated partner coach and portfolio team that will support you with fundraising strategy, investor intros, business development, hiring and access to talent, and connecting you to a network of hundreds of experts advisors to help you scale.

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Delighted to have Supertrends as an Antler insights partner in the Nordics.

Application process

The full application process takes about two weeks to complete. Once you apply, our scouting team will guide you through the full process and will be available to answer all your questions.

Drive or pitch interview

This is an introductory talk where we get to know you or your idea better to determine whether our residency would be an ideal fit for you.

Drive interview

Be ready to speak about yourself, your background, skills, and motivations to join our next Antler residency in Finland.

Pitch interview

If you are applying with an existing idea that you want to bring into the residency, be prepared to present it to us. Present your pitch deck or show us a demo of your MVP, if you already have one. We will use the remaining time to ask you questions about your idea and team, but also to answer your burning questions about what a collaboration with—and ultimately an investment from—Antler could look like.

Partner interview

This is the second and final interview stage to join an Antler in Finland Residency. Meet with one of our partners in Finland to go into more detail about your background, idea, and motivation to join an Antler residency. This stage will take place whether you applied as an individual with or without an idea, or as an existing team in its early stages.

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Application process

The full application process takes about two weeks to complete. Once you apply, our scouting team will guide you through the full process and will be available to answer all your questions.

Drive or pitch interview

This is an introductory talk where we get to know you or your idea better to determine whether our residency would be an ideal fit for you.

Drive interview

Be ready to speak about yourself, your background, skills, and motivations to join our next Antler residency in Finland.

Pitch interview

If you are applying with an existing idea that you want to bring into the residency, be prepared to present it to us. Present your pitch deck or show us a demo of your MVP, if you already have one. We will use the remaining time to ask you questions about your idea and team, but also to answer your burning questions about what a collaboration with—and ultimately an investment from—Antler could look like.

Partner interview

This is the second and final interview stage to join an Antler in Finland Residency. Meet with one of our partners in Finland to go into more detail about your background, idea, and motivation to join an Antler residency. This stage will take place whether you applied as an individual with or without an idea, or as an existing team in its early stages.

Decision meeting

After the two interview stages, we hold a final meeting to decide whether to extend you an offer to join the upcoming Antler in Finland Residency.

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Application process

The full application process takes about two weeks to complete. Once you apply, our scouting team will guide you through the full process and will be available to answer all your questions.

Drive or pitch interview

This is an introductory talk where we get to know you or your idea better to determine whether our residency would be an ideal fit for you.

Drive interview

Be ready to speak about yourself, your background, skills, and motivations to join our next Antler residency in Finland.

Pitch interview

If you are applying with an existing idea that you want to bring into the residency, be prepared to present it to us. Present your pitch deck or show us a demo of your MVP, if you already have one. We will use the remaining time to ask you questions about your idea and team, but also to answer your burning questions about what a collaboration with—and ultimately an investment from—Antler could look like.

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Antler-funded founders have gone on to raise investments from other leading VCs and accelerators.

Founder testimonials

Jose Tavares

Zupply

As a startup founder in a new country like Denmark, Antler was the perfect door opener. They helped me find a co-founder team and gave us the investment to kickstart our startup, Zupply. Since joining them, we have received great support to build and grow our sustainability company.

Stephanie Darvill

Aline

Going into Antler, I said to myself, there is nothing to lose, worst case scenario I will learn a huge amount and expand my network, best-case scenario I will meet my co-founders, find the business idea I'm passionate about and found a company. The best case happened but it really is a win-win scenario.

Øyvind Sørøy

Sloyd

With Antler, I feel like I'm finally able to make a real difference. Working with experimental technology is a tough sell as not many grasp its true value, but with this network of people who really understands it, it's so much easier to get somewhere

It's the best time in history to build a business.

There has never been a better time to start a business. The barriers to entry are lower than ever, and the dynamic economy provides endless opportunities for spirited entrepreneurs. Join Antler and get started.

Apply to Antler in the Nordics
Entrepass Partner

Our team

Meet the Antler team in Finland and the Nordics, dedicated to your success.

Antti Tormanen
Partner

Antti started his career at OliverWyman and then McKinsey&Company with a brief stint to public sector in the middle. Since then, he has founded two start ups, exited one and worked for the last years in wealth management in leadership roles. During his career, Antti has worked across the Middle East, Europe, US and South America. Antti is also a passionate cyclist and outdoor enthusiast.

Jussi Kallasvuo
Partner

Jussi started his career in finance, but has since turned entrepreneur and investor. During the past 20 years he has worked or studied in Europe, USA and Asia and loves Antler’s international spirit. Jussi has founded and exited two companies and, in addition to doing a variety of sports and being outdoors, gets his kicks from seeing entrepreneurs thrive.

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Oona Suominen
Senior Associate

Oona kicked off her career in tech sales at Salesforce, having worked at various startups prior. Aside from leading the scouting initiatives in Finland and the Baltics, she can found hiking a trail or enjoying a break at a local sauna.

Sebastian Juuri
Residency Associate

Sebastian has joined Antler after working at Slush as Head of Partnerships, with a great passion for the local startup ecosystem. He is looking after our founders in Finland to facilitate the magic that happens during the program. In his free-time he can be found playing a variety of ball sports, or on the beach during the short summer of the Nordics.

Livia Moore
Associate Partner

Livia is a full-stack marketing and communications expert obsessed with building brands. With 10 years' experience from startups in Stockholm and NYC, Livia previously ran fintech Tink’s marketing department and headed up community and content marketing at ecommerce platform Tictail. Livia is a lover of the Russian language, undercover interior designer and will help you set your marketing strategy, grow and attract customers.

Oscar Westergård
Partner

Oscar, heading up Antler Stockholm, is an entrepreneur, expansion specialist and leader with 10 years' experience in building ventures across Africa, Europe, Middle East and Latin America. He previously co-founded BIMA, a global leader in mobile insurance, with 26M customers and has worked at Spotify, Kinnevik and Universal Avenue. He loves the outdoors and his favorite meal is freshly caught trout grilled over an open fire.

Tobias Bengtsdahl
Partner

Tobias co-founded memmo.me—a marketplace for personalized videos from celebrities. Under his leadership, memmo.me raised >$25m from tier-1 US investors (Left Lane, FJ Labs, Luxor Capital), scaled to $10m in revenue in the second year, launched in 15+ countries, and built a team of 150+ employees. Before that, Tobias was an early employee at two Nordic unicorns, Budbee and Wolt, and had (co-)founded several other businesses.

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Gen AI Consumer Tech

Mental Health Co-Pilot

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Anna Munthe-Kaas
Associate Partner

Anna, heading up Antler Oslo, comes with 10+ years commercial experience from big tech, startups, consulting and VC. From launching Foodora at Rocket Internet, to building partnerships at Facebook to heading Growth at Unloc, Anna has helped build and scale numerous companies in the Nordics. Anna loves electronic music and running in the forest.

Kristian Jul Røsjø
Partner

Kristian co-leads the Norwegian operations at Antler alongside Anne, where he leads both our fundraising and partnership efforts. Kristian is also responsible for building the ecosystem around Antler in Europe focusing on partnerships with commercial companies that want to contribute through their services and idea generation towards founders in the programs. He is also working on raising the European funds that invest in Antler's portfolio companies.

Michael J. Wiatr
Partner

Michael started his career with The Boston Consulting Group. Since then, he has worked with building, scaling, and investing in startups. Michael has helped build and scale numerous companies as a co-founder, advisor, or angel-investor including two companies which have experienced exit events.

Aja Guldhammer Henderson
Visiting Partner
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We’re hiring!

We are expanding our team of passionate people backing the most driven founders in Finland. Check out our open positions at Antler in Finland.

Open positions

Some of our Past Speakers

Throughout our residencies, successful entrepreneurs have shared their insights and experiences with our founders, offering valuable mentorship !

Clare Jones

CEO of Polarsteps

Daniel Krauss

Co-founder of Flix

Marc-Alexander Christ

Co-founder of SumUp

Francesco Wiedemann

Co-founder of Kyte

Frank Freund

Co-founder and CFO of Raisin

Robert Kraal

Co-founder of Silverflow

Clare Jones

CEO of Polarstep

Daniel Krauss

Co-founder of Flix

Marc-Alexander Christ

Co-founder of SumUp

Francesco Wiedemann

Co-founder of Kyte

Frank Freund

Co-founder and CFO of Raisin

Robert Kraal

Co-founder of Silverflow

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News and views from Antler

Read our latest insights and stories about our phenomenal founders.

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Insights
A fresh take on early-stage VC: Harvard Business School publishes a case study on Antler

Harvard Business School (HBS) recently published a case study about Antler’s fresh approach to early-stage venture capital. Antler Co-Founder Fridtjof Berge shares thoughts on how the case sparks discussion about the best ways to identify and support great people anywhere on earth.

Read more
News
Backing founders from day zero to greatness

Today we are sharing our new brand that reflects that commitment and the reason Antler exists: to stand behind our founders from day zero and to keep backing them on their paths to greatness.

Read more
Sustainability
The Antler Quarterly: ESG, Impact and VC

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Antler Quarterly. This report explores the impact, risk, sustainability, and opportunity within the global VC industry.

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Read more
Podcast
Real lessons from real founders: Antler’s Early Days podcast

The Early Days podcast launched in June, unwrapping how world-class founders built today’s most influential companies. Antler’s Tyler Norwood, creator and host of the podcast, talks about what inspired it, why the early days are so crucial, and why it’s important to humanize startups.

Read more
Insights
Emilia Theye: The psychologist using AI to democratize access to mental health solutions

Antler was founded on the belief that people innovating is the key to building a better future. To honor them, we are launching a new content series—”It All Starts with People”—spotlighting the exceptional founders we have the privilege of partnering with around the world. Each story is a window into their passions, motivations, and vision—the reasons they are building and the positive dent they are aiming to make on the world.

In our first spotlight, we sat down with Emilia Theye, the co-founder of clare&me—a mental health app that uses language-based AI to develop an innovative approach to virtual self-help.

Read more
Insights
Venture investing in the downturn

We are living two simultaneous realities: the uncertainty of the current downturn and the unstoppable wave of innovation disrupting every industry. Against this backdrop, Antler's Kevin Brennan shares perspectives on assessing your position in venture capital for the rest of 2022 and into 2023. Might 2023 be the best vintage for the coming decade?

Read more
View all

FAQs

Who should apply?

We’re looking for experienced business operators, technologists, or serial entrepreneurs with or without an idea who can motivate themselves and others to join their mission to build a game-changing business. Whether you’re an individual or team at the early stages of their journey, we are here to help as a partner obsessed with your success.

How does Antler differ from an incubator or accelerator?

Incubators and accelerators typically start working with preformed teams who have identified a product-market fit. Getting to that stage can be incredibly challenging. You need a team, a network of advisors, and access to capital. Antler removes these barriers to entrepreneurship for people who are interested in starting a company from day one. We identify and invest in exceptional individuals and early-stage teams with the potential to build global companies. We are a people-led VC located in 27 locations with 1,000+ portfolio companies representing 40 industries. We don’t just invest, we create an ecosystem for great companies to be built.

Do I have to be there in person?

Founders offered a spot in the cohort are required to participate in person for the 12-week duration of the program.

Where does this take place?

The Nordics operate across Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen. We will give you access to our offices at a central location in the city where you will join the 12-week program.

Where are your offices?

The Antler office in Stockholm is based at Convendum on Birger Jarlsgatan 57. The Copenhagen office is based at Bloxhub on Bryghusgade 8. The Oslo office is based at Universitetsgata 2. The Helsinki Office is based at Merimiehenkatu 36D, 001500.

Is this a full-time commitment?

Yes, you are building a company and it therefore is a full-time job. Please take into account your current notice period. You might have family and / or personal obligations during these 12 weeks which we fully support.

Are participants remunerated?

No, there is no general compensation for founders joining the Antler cohort in the Nordics. A personal runway is required to take on this journey. Should your team receive an investment from Antler at the end of the program, you will be able to pay yourself a small salary which will increase as you continue to fundraise.

Can I be part of the cohort if my startup has already received investment?

Our cohorts are solely focused on supporting founders and teams at the ideation and pre-investment stage. We do consider investing in more advanced companies on an ad hoc basis.

Can I negotiate terms and conditions?

Our key commercial terms are non-negotiable. While they may change occasionally it is not on a case-by-case scenario. Any further investment would be distinct from Antler’s investment and therefore subject to new terms.

What are the Antler Nordics investment terms?

At the end of the program, we commit to pre-seed investing 300K EUR in the companies that are successful at our investment committee:

  • The first part is 100K EUR for 10% ownership.
  • The second part of 200K EUR is conditional on further capital being raised from other investors within nine months following our first investment.

In addition to this, we can support our companies with larger amounts as follow-on investments until Series C.

The details:

‍Initial investment (first part):

  • 100K EUR for 10% ownership
  • Done as part of our residency

Pre-committed next investment (second part):

  • We match 50% of the next capital raised
  • Within nine months
  • From professional/semi-professional investors
  • On the same terms as those investors
  • Up to 200K EUR

Further investments (after initial and next investments):

  • Potential pro rata investments
  • Until Series C
  • No amount limits
What companies do you back?

We are industry agnostic. We invest in scalable companies and exceptional people. However, we do not invest in the following areas: drugs, narcotics, adult entertainment, and gambling.

Build a startup. Build a better world.

Antler founders are turning their visions into reality—tackling pressing problems, creating jobs, and unlocking their personal potential. As the world’s issues become more complex, founders are more needed than ever to solve them. What are you waiting for?

Apply to Antler in the Nordics

Contact Antler in the Nordics

Get in touch with our team!

Individuals
Teams
Baltics