Victoria’s thriving startup sector has been further strengthened with global early-stage venture capital firm Antler announcing plans to establish a presence in Melbourne.
Antler will open an office in Melbourne in mid-2021 as the firm, which enables and invests in people in Australia building exceptional companies, moves from a year of virtual online programs to a more physical presence.
The venture, which launched in Australia in 2019, has backed 40 companies in that time and began something of a de facto national expansion in 2020 when it moved online in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Antler Australia Managing Partner Bede Moore said that the move into Melbourne will allow them to build on their mission of helping entrepreneurs build global tech companies locally.
“With a strong and diverse entrepreneurial community, as well as over 2,000 startups from seed stage to high growth enterprise, Melbourne presents a huge opportunity for Antler to invest in and support local entrepreneurs to build a global presence from Australia,” he said.
The company has been building its local operations over the past six months, including building the Antler Launch Academy, an online educational play to give aspiring entrepreneurs the tools and knowledge to prepare them for starting a business.
Antler has 24 staff in Sydney and is looking to add four more to that headcount when it launches its fifth Australia cohort across Sydney and Melbourne in June. And in what is a new development, will accept applications from existing businesses as well as individuals.
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