Can Entrepreneur First, Antler deliver the goods?

Singapore is a hub for talent investment firms that create dozens of unique, new startups per year. But these startup ideas factories, Entrepreneur First and Antler, which match make co-founders for potential companies, might face a talent shortage

Entrepreneur First has created deep tech business that are rare to find in Southeast Asia

Rival Antler, founded by Rocket Internet alumnus, is pushing hard with ambitious plans

Southeast Asia lacks funding so both programmes must bring in overseas investors

And it remains unclear if a constant pipeline of quality talent will run dry

Want to launch a business but don’t know where to start? There’s a programme for it. Or two, if you live in Singapore. ‘Talent investing’ companies, within the larger scope of venture capital, help potential founders define a business model, find a co-founder and, if it works, raise funding to launch. And talent investing programmes even pay a salary.

UK-headquartered Entrepreneur First (EF) brought its twice-a-year programme to Singapore in 2016 in what was its first overseas expansion. It quickly got a rival, when Magnus Grimeland, the former CEO of German venture builder Rocket Internet’s online fashion seller Zalora, started Antler in Singapore one year later.

AUTHOR

Jon Russell

Jon Russell is Southeast Asia editor for The Ken based in Bangkok. Originally from the UK, Jon moved to Thailand in 2008. He’s passionate about telling thoughtful business stories, and tracking the impact of the internet in his adopted home of Southeast Asia.

View Full Profile

Others tell you what. We tell you the ‘So What?’

Read articles that decode the most significant shifts happening around business, technology, startups and healthcare. 1000+ articles for subscribers of the India edition. 150+ articles for subscribers of the Southeast Asia edition. Plus premium newsletters that help you make sense of the world around you.

So much journalism in India is superficial.

Articles are generic, almost cookie-cutter in their approach. And they don’t provide enough context on the issues they cover. The Ken is different. I don’t always agree with everything they say but I appreciate their commitment to publishing deeply reported narratives and investigations. Their reporters find new ways to analyze tech among other industries. And that’s always worth a read.

Sid Talwar / Co-Founder and Partner / Lightbox Venture Capital

As entrepreneurs, we thrive on being in the know at all times.

A personal subscription to The Ken was a no brainer. But as startup founders, this isn't enough. Team members also need to be in the know, for everyone handles customer-facing responsibilities and an ecosystem change that impacts customers also impacts us

Kiran Jonnalagadda / Co-founder / HasGeek and Internet Freedom Foundation