The global startup generator and VC firm Antler on Wednesday revealed the 12 new startups that graduated from its fifth Singapore cohort and the COVID-19 initiative. This year, it welcomed young companies from new segments such as art tech and insurance tech.
During the opening of Demo Day, Antler’s co-founder and managing partner Asia Jussi Salovaara said that 2020 was incredibly busy, a total of 27 companies were created from the program last year. They also launched Antler Spark, a three-month introductory program designed for first-time entrepreneurs. The initiative targets Singaporeans and permanent residents, both fresh graduates and professionals, who want to understand the basics of entrepreneurship.
As an effort to support startups during the pandemic, Antler launched the “COVID-19 Initiative” last year that invests into startups in the areas of mitigation, medical equipment, remote health, and digital tools, solving pandemic-related problems. The firm received over 1,500 applications from 100 countries, one of which is Singapore’s Breathonix, which uses breath tests for diseases detection. Antler also partnered with government agency Enterprise Singapore (ESG) to train, prepare, and inspire 450 aspiring entrepreneurs with essential skills and foundational knowledge to build tech companies.
Salovaara shared some success stories from portfolio companies in previous cohorts. He mentioned Sampingan, an on-demand job platform in Indonesia which raised USD 5 million in its Series A round and the Singaporean proptech platform Cove which obtained USD 4.6 million from Keppel Land. Both are from the very first cohort in January 2019.
Globally, Antler now has more than 250 portfolio companies in 10 locations. “I’m proud to say this makes us the world’s largest company builder,” said Salovaara.
Antler Singapore selected 70 founders from 3,100 applicants for its fifth cohort. 83% of them had worked in a startup before and 71% previously founded a company. 11% of the participants have exited a company as a founder or executive.
During the virtual demo day, founders of each startup explained problems they discovered and presented their business ideas to solve them. They also shared the framework of their business model and projections.
Here is a brief recap of the participating startups:
ArtWallSt is an art tech startup that turns everyday spaces into art galleries and experiences at scale. The platform matches artworks to bistros, cafes, retail, and work spaces where emerging artists can reach new, prospective, and budding art enthusiasts.
b|ver uplifts a sales team’s performance through real-time guided selling and AI-powered coaching. The platform analyzes voice and transcribed text from sales calls, learns the behavior of top sales representatives, codifies them into AI, and uses it to guide other reps in real time.
Bluesheets is a bookkeeping automation platform that sits in-between business and accounting systems, automates manual data entries, and brings financial transparency to organizations.
Brick provides a unified API that allows developers to instantly offer in-app financial services such as data, insights, payments, and personalized finance.
DayOne developed a SaaS platform to train frontline workers via micro-learning and micro-tasking to boost their performance which can help save time and money for companies.
Fig Health offers direct-to-consumer at-home health screening, coaching, and supplements for the modern woman.
Forma is a no-code platform to build customized workflows for business processes.
Surer is a cloud-based web platform to solve inefficiencies within the insurance industry. The platform helps intermediaries work with clients and insurers with greater speed and efficiency through automation.
Locad provides a cloud based plug-and-play solution for global e-commerce fulfillment. It offers on-demand warehousing from a network of trusted logistics partners worldwide.
Breathonix has developed a breath test that can detect COVID-19 within a minute, ideal for mass screening. The test has achieved more than 90% accuracy in a clinical trial involving 180 patients.
PocketPet connects pet owners to vets and other service providers. It enables veterinarians with clinical solution management, advanced analytics, diagnostics, and other value-added services.
Eat Match is a social app that helps young adults and millennials find new connections and activities.
KrASIA is the official media partner of the event.
