Antler is one of the world's most active early-stage venture capital firms, operating across 30+ locations on 6 continents. The Founder Residency is the firm's flagship program, taking a "Day Zero" approach by investing before formal team formation. The residency condenses 6+ months of typical startup progress into 5-8 weeks, with a two-stage model: an initial formation phase followed by a scale phase.

The residency is full-time, in-person, and highly selective with approximately 3% acceptance rate. Participants receive dedicated coaching, access to domain experts, investor introductions, workshops, and structured curriculum. At program end, founders pitch to an investment committee at demo day for pre-seed investment of $250,000 to $500,000.

Antler's investment thesis focuses on supporting founders from the very beginning, investing before formal team formation. The program aims to accelerate startup progress significantly within a condensed timeframe, providing essential resources and mentorship to help founders succeed.