Antler commits $500k to fund up to 5 startups battling Covid-19

Singapore headquartered early-stage venture capital (VC) company Antler is inviting startups tackling the Covid-19 outbreak to apply for funding.

Antler, which has an African office in Nairobi, plans to invest in up to five teams and deploy up to $500 000 in all five.

Antler said in a statement last week that it is inviting startups to propose solutions in four areas, namely:

• Mitigation (masks, contact tracing, surveillance, data infrastructure),
• Medical Equipment (test kits, protective devices, ventilators)
• Remote Health (telehealth, remote patient monitoring, symptom checkers)
• Digital Tools (remote work, smart delivery, e-learning).

The purpose, of the funding and support, it said, is to contribute towards the path to recovery from the crisis.

Early-stage VC Antler is inviting startups tackling the Covid-19 outbreak to apply for funding.

Applications close on 15 April 15.

After a screening process, selected teams will be invited to a video pitch session. Following that, the finalists will pitch to Antler’s Investment Committee (IC) remotely.

The investment criteria will take into account the relevance towards mitigating Covid-19, as well as how the startup works in a post-Covid-19 era.

Companies receiving the investment will receive access to Antler’s global network of entrepreneurs, investors and industry experts, as well as coaching by Antler’s leadership.

Antler — which apart from Nairobi, also has offices in Singapore, London, New York, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Sydney and Oslo — will help startups get their solutions off the ground and make them accessible to those who need them as quickly as possible.

Read more: Antler announces names of four tech startups it invested in during Nairobi programme

Featured image: Antler Nairobi demo day in in February (Supplied)