Magnus Grimeland

As a co‐founder of Zalora, one of Asia’s largest e‐commerce sites, Magnus Grimeland is more than familiar with the pain points of building a tech start‐up from scratch. He brought that invaluable experience with him when he founded start‐up generator and early-stage VC Antler, which he explains is a global platform that enables brilliant and ambitious people to build the next generation of technology companies to solve some of the world’s biggest problems.

“Anyone can apply to Antler on our website and we will help them find a great co-founder, iterate their business model, make the first investment and help create early momentum,” says Grimeland. “At Antler, you walk in as a brilliant individual, and come out with a strong team owning and running a fast‐growing technology business worth a significant amount.”

In the two years Antler has been around, it has helped build more than 80 companies across five continents. Examples of these include Airalo, a website where people can find and purchase eSIMs from around the world; Sampingan, which connects companies with freelance agents skilled in task‐based jobs in Indonesia; and Josudo, a company that provides personalised e‐sport coaching.

Grimeland is fully aware that a company is only as good as its people, which is why this former Navy Seal sees the value of making the time and effort to create a strong and supportive culture within Antler: “This ensures we are one company working towards a common goal.”

Grit means telling himself that failure is not an option. “Of course, I do, as does everyone else, fail now and then – but if I know that I gave it my all and spent time doing things the right way, I failed for the right reasons.”