Antler Indonesia and its Mission to Support Local Startup Community Growth

After officially announcing the launch cohort Indonesia's first, programs startupbuilders Antler has plans to launch a quality startup from founder local.

To DailySocial.id, Antler Indonesia Partner & Country Head Subir Lohani revealed, if the previous program provided opportunities for startup founders globally, this program is specifically for Indonesian startup founders who want to provide the best solutions in Indonesia.

No different from the program in Singapore, in cohort In Indonesia, all programs given to participants are still the same. To adapt to market trends and conditions, the program is localized to suit the ecosystem and startup community in Indonesia.

Nevertheless, Subir emphasized, diversity remains Antler's vision. Although later the program will take place in Jakarta, it is possible for startups from other regions to join and participate in the program intensively. Likewise, the startup category that is carried is agnostic.

"From the start we tried to always hands on to those participating in the program. Is it an existing team to startup founders who don't have a team yet? co-founder. We are trying to find the right team and of course the relevant business model," said Subir.

If in the previous program that was still held in Singapore, most of the chosen ones were startup founders who had worked in startups unicorn to decacorn, for special programs in Indonesia all startup founders with different backgrounds have the same opportunities as startup founders who have experience.

Startups that have followed previous Antler programs from Indonesia are Base and Side. The two startup founders are graduates Gojek.

"It is undeniable that those who have previously worked in well-known technology companies in Indonesia, most of them have experience and insight up to skill which was quite sharp, when he finally decided to establish a startup," said Subir.

The company plans to invest in at least 100 companies in Indonesia over the next 4 years, with the first investment in Indonesia to be made in early 2022.

Expand locations globally

Currently Antler has spread across 17 locations globally. Most recently, the program was launched in Toronto and Ho Chi Minh City. There is a specific reason why Antler is expanding their presence in different countries. Especially in a country that has a startup community that is warm and has potential.

From the program side, Antler sees this activity as enriching their knowledge about market conditions and startup communities in various countries. However, from an investment perspective, Antler also sees greater opportunities to invest in various countries.

"We can also help startups participating in the program to expand their business globally, if they have plans to expand in the future," said Subir.

After securing $300 million in funding last October, Antler plans to use the fresh funds to invest in advanced startups. In Southeast Asia itself, Antler has the South East Asia Fund, most of which is used for Antler's operations in Southeast Asia.

"We see that there are already many venture capital which focuses on advanced stage investment. We have been helping startup growth since the beginning, we want to continue to support startups to grow up to exit, said Subir.

For advanced funding, Antler opens up opportunities for investors to partner with them, providing fresh capital to help startups grow their companies. Currently, Antler has partnered with various companies venture capital globaly. In Indonesia itself, the presence of Antler with its graduate startups, many are then ogled by investors to invest.

Seeing this, Subir emphasized that it is not surprising that startups graduates from the Antler program are investors' choice. Likewise with graduate startups And Combinator. According to him, apart from quality startups, with global experience, the Antler team can see what trends and business models are relevant and certainly have the potential to grow. There have been many startups who graduated from the Antler program who then continued their program at Y Combinator.

"With my experience as a professional and in the technology world, as well as the support of the team, I hope to be able to help Indonesian startup founders provide insight and relevant tips for their startup growth," said Subir.