Antler Launches 5th Cohort in Amsterdam

A Conversation with Maveen, an experienced software engineer and cofounder of 913.ai

There are tons of different frameworks on what makes a good business idea. However, there is one point in particular that is tough to crack: “What if [Google] does it?”—i.e., if the big incumbent that is playing in the same or an adjacent market uses their vast resources to copy you, what chance do you even have? This is what in German we call a Totschlagargument, which in our loving and peaceful language translates roughly into “the argument with which you can beat anything to death”. And it is easy to dismiss the question because in so many cases startups have prevailed against much larger incumbents. But I believe a more nuanced view is needed. In reality, these incumbents pose a legitimate threat in many cases and they have ended countless hopeful startups. I discuss this topic frequently—both with founders considering whether to dedicate a decade of their life to something, and with colleagues when we’re thinking about being the first investor—but haven't found a great framework. Here are the key questions that help me wrap my head around this:

What will innovation look like as we move deeper into 2024? What are the biggest industry trends that will define the coming year? We asked our global network of Antler Operators—founders, sector leaders, CxOs, and VPs from companies including Roblox, Airtable, Shopify, Spotify, Affirm, DoorDash, Uber, Hubspot, and more, who offer 1:1 advice to Antler portfolio companies, giving them extra firepower to help fast-track their growth.

What's the Antler journey like? Find out from the team at Cooper Pet Care as they share their behind-the-scenes story from applying to Antler to becoming a portfolio company.

12 MINUTES with Antler founders gives a closer look into the journey of founders toward successfully building their ventures. Every first Wednesday of the month Alan Poensgen, Antler Partner in Germany, sits down with a founder of an Antler portfolio company and talks about their time at Antler, the team formation, the ideation process, and more.

12 MINUTES with Antler founders gives a closer look into the journey of founders toward successfully building their ventures. Every first Wednesday of the month Alan Poensgen, Antler Partner in Germany, sits down with a founder of an Antler portfolio company and talks about their time at Antler, the team formation, the ideation process, and more.

What a day! On Wednesday 28th June all of Antler portfolio companies met up together with more than 150 investors, other founders, and executives. It was a day full of inspiration, insightful conversations, and a great opportunity to keep the spirits up when the times for start-ups are hard. After the panel discussion led by Christopher Klink, partner at Antler Germany, where Emilia Theye, co-founder of Clare&Me, Tore Myrholt, Chairman of the Board at Antler, and Emma Tracey, CEO at Scéal shared their insights and perspectives on the early-stage ecosystem in the region and beyond as well as gave advice to founders and investors. They also concluded that despite hard times, there is a lot of light and positive expectations for the years to come!

12 MINUTES with Antler Founders gives a closer look into the journey of founders toward successfully building their ventures. Every first Wednesday of the month Alan Poensgen, Antler Partner in Germany, sits down with a founder of an Antler portfolio company and talks about their time at Antler, the team formation, the ideation process, and more.