The venture capital firm Antler has reportedly secured $285 million in a new fund aimed at supporting growth-stage companies worldwide, contributing to the significant amount of undeployed capital in the startup ecosystem.

The Netherlands-based firm, with investments in nearly 750 companies globally, revealed its latest fund, named Antler Elevate, will be managed from its London, Singapore, and New York offices. Investors in the fund include M&G Catalyst, Schroders, Vaekstfonden, Korea Venture Investment Corp (KVIC), and a US pension fund.

Magnus Grimeland, Antler's founder and CEO, expressed excitement about the fund's launch, emphasizing its mission to drive progress by supporting founders beyond the Series A stage. He further added that the better future will happen only with talented, resilient, and driven people who can build it.

Notably, Antler Elevate will provide scale-up capital from Series A onwards to companies demonstrating strong product-market fit and compounding growth. The fund will also invest in both new and existing portfolio startups spanning 20 startup ecosystems worldwide. The firm has already allocated $70 million through Antler Elevate.

Fady Abdel-Nour, a partner at Antler, highlighted the firm's approach of fostering lasting partnerships that extend beyond financial support, enabling them to attract top-tier talent and propel game-changing founders forward.

For the record, established in 2017, Antler maintains offices in 25 cities globally. The company aims to back up to 6,000 companies by the end of 2030. In India, Antler has invested in 28 startups but has yet to achieve a unicorn status (a startup valued at over $1 billion).

Antler's new fund adds to the substantial pool of venture capital available worldwide. Major VC firms such as Sequoia Capital India (now Peak XV Partners), Accel, Elevation, and Matrix Partners have raised multimillion-dollar funds, largely directed towards India's thriving startup ecosystem, currently the third largest in the world.

Source Credit: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/startup/antler-raises-285-million-in-new-fund-for-growth-stage-startups-10771751.html