Antler’s now backed 18 startups in just five months from its $46 million early stage VC fund

* Antler bolsters the Australian startup ecosystem with 18 early-stage investments, bringing the local portfolio to more than 60 companies

Antler has ramped up its presence in Australia following 18 new investments from the firm’s AU$46m Fund 1.

Over the last five months, the local Fund has invested in 18 newly minted Australian startups, built with the support of the Antler platform.

These investments come as the VC moves to fund companies on a more regular basis, and brings the local portfolio to a total of more than 60 companies across Sydney and Melbourne.

The move is expected to bolster the firm’s position as one of Australia’s most active Pre-Seed to Seed VCs, on track to make over 100 investments from its first Australian fund of AU$46M.

In addition to the investments, Antler has expanded its investment mandate and made several key follow-on investments in its portfolio companies.

“Antler has built a strong portfolio of early-stage companies in Australia over the past three years, and we are now growing our footprint and reach locally,” says Bede Moore, Managing Partner of Antler APAC.

“It has always been part of our strategy to be a long-term partner of the companies we invest in, and we are now expanding our activity into later stage rounds by investing into companies up to Series C. As part of our larger mandate, we’ll look to continue following-on in our top companies and also investing into new companies outside our portfolio.”

One of the first investments made from outside of its portfolio is Antler’s participation in :Different’s AU$25m Series B round. The investment in the Australian property management company was made alongside the Commonwealth Bank’s venture-scaling entity, x15ventures.

Antler Australia also recently announced Series A follow-on funding into local portfolio company Pathzero. The company, which was built with Antler Australia in 2020, recently announced it closed a $7 million Series A funding round, led by Carthona Capital.

“These teams have developed innovative solutions for large-scale industry problems, and are led by exceptional founding teams. We’re proud to be a long-term supporter and investor of both businesses, and wish them the best in their continued growth and scale.”

“We’re Australia’s only truly global VC having recently announced the launch of our 17th market in just three years,” says Moore. “This ongoing evolution is built on what we believe to be a strong structural advantage in deal flow sourcing from regionally focused early-stage investments across five continents.”

These new companies will join the existing local portfolio on the firm’s proprietary Investor Platform to enable them to raise further capital from and build meaningful relationships with highly engaged investors. The public will also have an opportunity to meet with the founders of these companies at Antler’s upcoming Portfolio Reveal event on December 1. Buy tickets here.

Coming on to support the growth and scale of these companies, Antler has engaged Canva, the global visual communications platform, as a Program Partner. Founders will be able to access Canva Pro and mentoring from Canva professionals, equipping them with the design skills to elevate their pitches and build strong, lasting brands.

Every startup is looking for a competitive edge,” says Jonathan Harley, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Canva.

“They need a strong story to stand out and succeed. In the visual economy, powerful visual communication has emerged as a critical tool for success. Partnering with Antler to provide founders with the skills to perfect their pitches, build enduring brands and bring their ideas to life is a natural fit for Canva.”

Learn more about Antler’s newest portfolio companies below, or join Antler for its upcoming Portfolio Reveal event to meet the founders in person.

Here are Antler’s latest investments

Urban Swan: An online marketplace that curates unique date experiences for Gen Z’s and Younger Millennials.

Blakthumb: An operating system for cultivation and post-production teams in cannabis and food.

48 Hours: A bid reservation plugin for the hotel industry loyalty members.

EZiD: On a mission to reinvent signup and login with new passwordless technology.

Our Leg Up: A PropTech platform that matches prospective home buyers with guarantors to get people into homes faster, as well as enable people to earn a return on real estate equity.

iN2iTY Lab: A deep knowledge tracing (DKT) platform helping post-secondary education providers improve student retention and revenue.

Lagrange.AI: A B2B startup that integrates supply chain data and creates a single source of truth to empower supply chain professionals with data-driven decision-making.

Sapyen: A men’s fertility platform that removes the fear and friction associated with fertility for men through at-home testing kits and personalised lifestyle-based recommendations.

WIRL: The world’s first mental wellbeing platform fuelled by food and driven by the gut-brain axis.

Subundl: A SaaS startup empowering businesses to accelerate growth by giving flexibility and control to their consumers through enabling complete total personalisation of bundled subscriptions.

Vyro: On a mission to put electric vehicles in reach of every Australian by making it seamless and affordable for customers to purchase them.

Andisor: A marketplace for small and independent retailers to discover, engage and buy from global brands in a friction-free environment.

CalcTree: Allowing construction engineers to create and collaborate on calculations in a new and innovative way.

Reach Alternative Investments: Offering Sophisticated Investors access to exclusive institutional-grade private market opportunities from the world’s leading asset managers, with research to invest effectively.

Wandora: On a mission to end the commoditisation of small service-based businesses and restore the connection between owner and customer.

Bump’n: On a mission to bump the barriers to sexual pleasure with sex toys by and for disabled people.

Ground Control: Enabling automated product development by harmonising brands, manufacturers, and service providers.

Zibra: An “over-the-top” banking card that helps you take control of your spending and drives your dollar further.

• Sarah Kimmorley is the VP of Marketing & PR at Antler. She was formerly the General Manager of Business Insider Australia, and Gizmodo Media Group.

• Antler is a global early-stage VC enabling and investing in exceptional people building the defining companies of tomorrow.

  Learn more about the platform here, or apply to build your next business with Antler in January 2022. Applications are now open!