Accelerators - Part 2

Antler

December 13, 2024

In partnership with

Free Section: What Is Antler and How It Works

Antler is a unique accelerator that focuses on early-stage founders, even those without a team or product. Their mission? To help you build a startup from scratch with co-founder matching, mentorship, and funding.

Unlike Techstars, which provides funding upfront, Antler only invests in startups after a three-month program, where teams are formed, ideas are validated, and pitches are prepared for investor evaluation.

  • How It Works:

    • Phase 1: Founder Bootcamp. Antler brings together highly skilled individuals to form teams and validate ideas.

    • Phase 2: Team Evaluation. Only the most promising startups receive funding.

    • Phase 3: Scale. If selected, you get funding (up to $100k) in exchange for ~10% equity and access to Antler’s network.

  • Unique Features:

    • Team-building from scratch.

    • Focus on validating ideas quickly.

    • Support for solo founders.

My Antler Journey

Joining Antler was a transformative experience. I walked in without a co-founder or product idea and left with a validated startup: LITO Travel, an eCommerce brand for innovative travel gear.

  • Phase 1 (Ideation):
    Antler matched me with co-founders and pushed us to validate ideas quickly. We tested prototypes, surveyed potential customers, and refined our pitch.

  • Phase 2 (Funding):
    Although my startup didn’t secure Antler’s investment, the experience gave me clarity on how to bootstrap and scale. I went on to build LITO Travel independently and ultimately sold it—a huge milestone in my entrepreneurial journey.

What I Learned at Antler

  1. Team Chemistry Is Key:
    Picking the right co-founder is just as important as the idea itself. Antler’s matching process helps, but trust your instincts.

  2. Speed Over Perfection:
    Antler emphasizes rapid prototyping and feedback. Move fast, validate faster.

  3. Rejection Isn’t the End:
    Not getting funded by Antler was disappointing, but it pushed me to bootstrap and focus on profitability.

  4. The Power of Networks:
    Even without funding, I gained access to mentors and peers who guided me through challenges.

How We Can Help

With MVP Templates, you’ll access powerful resources and connections to grow your project:

Membership: Get exclusive templates and guides to go from idea to funding.

Advisory: Apply for one-on-one guidance for Publishing, SaaS, e-commerce, or Agency.

Partnerships: Advertise to our 15,000+ founders like Notion, Artisan, Confluence & more.

Share Your Funding Round: As a member, showcase your round to hundreds of investors in my network.

Each offering is crafted to help you start, fundraise, and thrive.

Tool of the day

Securing top talent with our guide is a click away

At Deel, we've simplified a world's worth of global hiring information. Our expert teams can help you navigate quick and compliant hiring in 150+ countries and so much more.

🔓 Premium Content: How to Succeed at Antler

Upgrade to Premium to read the rest.

Become a paying subscriber of MVP Template to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.

Already a paying subscriber? Sign In.

A Premium Subscription gets you:

  • • My own ideation to acquisition story guide ($49 Value)
  • • $2M Seed deck, cap table and B2B Sales Frameworks ($499)
  • • New Weekly Mistakes & Templates on growth + raising from VCs (Priceless!)