Antler Launches Always-On Nordic Residency and $100M+ Fund to Accelerate Startup Investment
•February 10, 2026
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Why It Matters
By slashing the funding timeline, Antler gives high‑velocity founders immediate capital and Silicon Valley connections, accelerating the creation of European unicorns. The model could reshape early‑stage investing across the Nordics and set a faster benchmark for global VC.
Key Takeaways
- •Antler Nordic Fund II exceeds $100M, triple first fund
- •Continuous residency replaces biannual cohorts, decisions in weeks
- •Startups receive €500K, plus $1M partner perks
- •New San Francisco office links Nordic founders to Silicon Valley
- •Unicorns now reach $1B valuations in under two years
Pulse Analysis
The venture‑capital landscape is increasingly defined by speed, and Antler’s shift to an always‑on residency reflects that reality. Traditional cohort‑based accelerators often force founders into rigid timelines, delaying capital deployment and market entry. By moving to a continuous intake, Antler can evaluate ideas on a rolling basis, cutting decision windows to as little as two weeks. This agility aligns with the rapid product cycles seen in AI‑driven startups, where first‑mover advantage can translate into exponential growth.
In the Nordics, the $100 million‑plus Fund II provides the financial heft to back this faster model. The €500,000 investment package—split between an upfront tranche and a follow‑on commitment—offers founders a runway that rivals larger seed rounds, while the $1 million worth of partner perks from firms like OpenAI and AWS adds strategic value beyond cash. Antler’s research shows that post‑2020 unicorns reach billion‑dollar valuations in under two years, a pace that the new residency aims to replicate by accelerating product‑market fit and revenue generation.
The addition of a San Francisco hub further amplifies Antler’s cross‑border strategy. By establishing a foothold in the Bay Area, Antler can funnel Nordic innovations into the heart of the global tech ecosystem, granting founders access to Silicon Valley investors, talent, and mentorship. This bridge not only enriches the Nordic startup pipeline but also diversifies the geographic sources of future unicorns, positioning Antler as a catalyst for a more interconnected, high‑velocity global venture market.
Antler launches always-on Nordic residency and $100M+ fund to accelerate startup investment
Antler is doubling down on speed with the launch of an always-on residency designed to fast-track funding for “outlier” tech founders. Backed by the $100M+ Antler Nordic Fund II—triple the size of its first fund—the firm will now make investment decisions in as little as four weeks, replacing traditional cohorts with a continuous model that lets founders build and raise year-round. Selected startups receive €500K in funding alongside day-zero support, access to Antler’s 30+ global offices, and a new San Francisco hub aimed at connecting Nordic talent with Silicon Valley.
Antler is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in startups at the idea and pre-seed stage. Founded in 2017, the firm operates through a residency model in which founders receive support to develop business ideas, form teams and prepare for early funding. Antler runs programs and invests across multiple regions, including Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, and has backed hundreds of startups across sectors such as fintech, climate, health and artificial intelligence.
Antler is overhauling its early-stage investment model in the Nordics, launching a continuous residency designed to dramatically reduce the time it takes founders to secure funding. The move replaces the firm’s traditional biannual cohorts with an always-open program that allows Antler to make investment decisions in as little as two to six weeks.
The new residency follows the final close of Antler Nordic Fund II at more than $100 million—triple the size of the firm’s first Nordic fund—and comes amid what Antler describes as a new “execution era” in European tech. The firm’s research shows that unicorns founded since 2020 are reaching billion-dollar valuations in under two years, compared with seven years for startups founded earlier, while newer companies in its portfolio are hitting first revenue three times faster than those founded just three years ago.
Selected founders will receive one-to-one support from Antler partners across Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo and Helsinki, access to more than $1 million in partner perks from companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity and AWS, and a €500,000 investment package split between an immediate €200,000 investment and a €300,000 commitment for the next funding round.
Antler also announced the launch of a new San Francisco office, which will invest in Bay Area startups and help Nordic founders connect with Silicon Valley investors and talent. The firm has previously backed Nordic startups including Lovable, Two, Wingbits and Treyd.
Tobias Bengtsdahl, Partner at Antler, comments, “In a market defined by AI and breakneck execution, the best founders don’t want to wait months for a cohort to start – they need to build now. This new generation of founders need investors to match their velocity and allow them to build at high speed. We are responding with our new residency, and providing a permanent high-performance environment where the most technical and ambitious talent in the Nordics can turn an idea into a category-defining company in record time. If you have the grit to build a rocketship, Antler is now open for you every single day of the year.”
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