Singapore-based early-stage venture capital (VC) firm Antler said it plans to invest in at least 100 companies in Indonesia over the next four years, with the first Indonesia investments to be made in early 2022.

Antler said in a statement that it has launched in Indonesia to enable more entrepreneurs to build startups and raise funding with the support of the global Antler and take advantage of the unique ecosystem and opportunities across Indonesia.

It will kick off its first Indonesia cohort in early 2022, it added.

The local operations are headquartered in Jakarta, led by Carmudi Chief Executive Officer Subir Lohani who joined Antler as Partner and Country Head. Kanta, Antler alumni from the Singapore program, also joined Antler Indonesia as Program Director.

“Antler is one of few structured pre-seed VCs in the world that has the ability and resources to support founders from the very beginning. Antler looks for experienced and driven individuals. We invest in strong teams and validated business models at an early stage via our 6-month programs. Our objective is to support founders to build exceptional teams and help them find the most impactful problems and markets to address,” said Antler Indonesia Partner Subir Lohani.

He also said, Antler lowers the barrier of entrepreneurship by providing access to a pool of top talents, capital, training, advisors and investors.

“People who join Antler may only have an idea they’d like to develop further, or they may already have an existing team and business they would like to scale up with Antler support. Regardless of the starting point, we want to work with exceptional people and support their founder journey,” he added.

Antler also believes that many talented and high potential founders lack the support and resources to bring ideas to life, and it is passionate about supporting early-stage founders to build businesses that solve real and impactful problems.

“I truly understand that getting an idea off the ground in early days is extremely difficult, especially for new entrepreneurs. This is where Antler comes in. I got accepted in the third Antler Singapore cohort in 2019 with only exciting ideas and a strong drive to become an entrepreneur. Antler helped me to find the right co-founder, validate my ideas, launch my business and make the right introductions to scale quickly. I’m excited about helping give the same opportunity to others, in one of the most exciting ecosystems in the world,” said Kanta.

The statement also said, Antler was founded on the fundamental belief that the right founding team is what sets successful businesses apart from those that fail.

“There are few key traits that we look for in entrepreneurs. First, a clear spike. Something that an individual is really great at. It can be skills, experience or knowledge. Secondly, grit. An individual’s perseverance of effort combined with the passion for a particular long-term goal. Third, a drive / inner engine. The type of person that, when they decide to do something, they make it happen,” said Subir.

Founded in Singapore, Antler has a global presence in 17 locations around the world and has invested in more than 350 technology startups, making it one of the world’s largest early-stage investment platforms.

The firm is present in most major startup ecosystems globally, and recently expanded its operations to Toronto, Canada, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Antler has invested in a wide range of startups, from deep-tech to fast-growing business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) companies across all sectors such as robotics, artificial intelligence, EdTech, marketplace, HealthTech, FinTech, and PropTech.

Indonesia’s Alpha JWC Ventures closes $433M Fund III, the largest early-stage fund in Southeast Asia