Enter the ADE & Antler Startup Competition
ADE, more than ever, has a strong focus on the future of music and its surrounding industries. We believe a big part of the reality of tomorrow is imagined today by innovators, visionaries and creators of all kinds; entrepreneurs. That is why, together with global early-stage venture capital investor Antler we are launching the 2022 ADE & Antler Startup Competition to invest in and support exceptional people with world-changing ideas.
Anyone who is starting a company related in any way to the music & entertainment industry can join the 2022 ADE & Antler Startup Competition. The winner gets a (at least) €100K investment and will be guided by world-class professionals from both ADE and Antler through the jungle of early- stage entrepreneurship.
Apply now!
What Antler offers competition winners
→ A minimum €100K investment
→ Global set-up from Day 1, with 17 locations across 5 continents
→ Office hours with Antler's team and 500+ advisors globally
→ Access to investors, customers and expert partners
→ A global community of 2,000+ founders
→ Guidance through incorporation, founder agreements and more
→ Prepare you for your next round of funding
→ And much more...
What Antler offers competition winners
→ A minimum €100K investment
→ Global set-up from Day 1, with 17 locations across 5 continents
→ Office hours with Antler's team and 500+ advisors globally
→ Access to investors, customers and expert partners
→ A global community of 2,000+ founders
→ Guidance through incorporation, founder agreements and more
→ Prepare you for your next round of funding
→ And much more...
How Antler works with you
Pre-investment
→ We partner you up with dedicated coaches and experts to help you validate your idea and grow your startup. Your coach will also connect you to the most relevant global advisors in our network who can further help you and keep you focused on rapid testing and iteration as well as share their experiences. All finalists will become part of the start-up community which ADE will expand in its ADE Future program. In addition, everyone who signs up for the Startup Competition (regardless of whether you become a finalist) will be granted access to the ADE Future program.
→ After a few weeks of working with us, teams pitch to the investment committee. We invest in strong teams with a clear problem-team fit and products with big potential and work with you to be in the best position possible in the lead up to the investment committee.
Post-investment
→ It’s important to focus on growth once you have established signs of product-market fit. Antler accelerates introductions to customers and partners.
→ We guide you through certain processes, like for example incorporation, founder agreements and more, so you can focus on building your business. During this period, founders get more done than what is possible on their own.
Prepare you for your next round of funding
→ We work with you to prepare your fundraising strategy and growth roadmap. We will then introduce you to our vast global network of investors.
→ In some locations, we connect you to the global investor community through Demo Days and investor events, with distinguished investors attending from all over the world, organise Demo Days, where our startups pitch to angel investors, seed investors, and venture capitalists. These are attended by investors from all over the world.
Ready to compete?
Learn more
All you need to apply in the first round is a description of your startup and your innovative idea in the form of a pitch deck - taking into account the relevance within the music & entertainment industry and how your startup works on a business level - along with a resume or LinkedIn profile and some additional information about yourself. Elements to include in your pitch deck:
→ Problem
→ Solution
→ Competition
→ Market size
→ Product
→ Traction
→ Unit economics
→ Funding ask
→ Team
The competition is generally open to both new and established companies, but terms and limits do apply. For example, the company needs to exist shorter than 3 years. Founders have to be full-time committed to building their startup. And ideally, there is a complete team in place, or a desire to complete the team. Please fill out the application form with a short description of your company and idea in order for Antler to decide if you are eligible to enter.
During the first phases of the selection process, Antler is able to help form a plan of action in order to make sure not only your innovation, but your business plan is up to standards as well. If you don't have a registered company yet but your idea really has game-changing potential, Antler's extra guidance during the selection process can help get you to the next level.
The ADE & Antler Startup Competition is on the lookout for ideas with the potential of revolutionizing the music & entertainment industry in any way. If you have doubts if your idea fits the criteria, fill out the application form with a short description of your innovative idea and we can help decide if your startup is eligible.
Startups from around the globe are able to apply for the competition. The only requirement is an innovative idea related to the music and entertainment industry and a plan of action.
→ Team (relevance, completeness and track record of the team)
→ Market (focus on the music & entertainment industry, total addressable market size, go-to-market strategy)
→ Progress (what you have achieved so far compared to how long you have been at it)
→ Idea (problem/solution articulation, differentiation vs competition, use of technology)
The finals event will take place on October 22. There will approximately be 5-10 startups selected to present on the day of the live event in Amsterdam during ADE. The teams will have 5-8 minutes to pitch their company. A professional jury of VC investors and professionals from the industry will determine and announce the winner at the event.
It is very important to us that while taking your start-up to the next level you don’t feel overwhelmed or sign anything of which you cannot oversee the consequences. This is why ADE will hook you up with (independent) legal support.
You can apply for the ADE & Antler Startup Competition until the 31st of August 2022.
About Antler
Antler is a global early-stage VC enabling and investing in the world’s most exceptional people. With offices across most major startup hubs globally, Antler is passionate about supporting exceptional people to fundamentally improve the world.
Antler enables exceptional people to build impactful technology startups by helping form complementary co-founder teams, supporting teams with deep business model validation, and providing a global platform for scaling startups to maximize their impact.