Antler, a global early-stage venture capital firm based in Singapore, has announced a $7.4 million investment in startups across Southeast Asia during the first half of 2025. Of this, $2.8 million is allocated to seven AI startups graduating from its AI Disrupt residency in Singapore, a four-week programme designed to accelerate AI companies already serving live customers.
The AI Disrupt residency provides each participant with $400,000 in funding and access to over $650,000 in AI-specific cloud computing, infrastructure, and tooling credits. This initiative underscores Antler’s commitment to supporting high-velocity AI ventures, reinforcing its position as the world’s most active AI investor, following 74 AI investments globally in 2024.
Winnie Khoo, Partner at Antler, highlighted the rapid pace of AI development, stating, “AI startups are moving 10x faster than just 2 years ago, and AI Disrupt is purpose-built for founders with market-validated products to move and scale much faster.”
The selected startups include Iris, Nugen, IndustrialMind.ai, Lambdai Space, Anamaya AI, AppSecAI, and 5.Y (GLUCOSE), each focusing on innovative AI solutions across various industries. Despite a challenging funding environment in Southeast Asia, marked by a 68% decline in seed funding, Antler remains confident in the potential of emerging technologies to drive regional growth.
Jussi Salovaara, Co-founder and Managing Partner Asia at Antler, remarked, “We are prepared to match their speed and provide flexible early capital that enables them to accelerate, but we are also more selective.” Applications for the next AI Disrupt residency, starting on 21 October 2025, are now open.
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