Antler Lagos has completed its inaugural eight-week residency program and selected three companies for investment. This is a key milestone in the global venture capital firm’s growing footprint across Africa.
Antler Lagos has completed its inaugural eight-week residency program and selected three companies for investment. This is a key milestone in the global venture capital firm’s growing footprint across Africa.
The announcement comes ahead of its second cohort, showing Antler’s strong faith in Lagos and Nigeria’s tech scene and its ability to nurture high-growth companies.
The three selected ventures, Cubbes, Forti Foods, and Raba, span different industries but share one goal: tackling real challenges across the continent. Each has already begun to show tangible results since launch.
Speaking on Antler’s expansion from Asia to Africa, Lola Masha, Partner at Antler Africa, attested that Africa has been a key part of Antler’s strategy from the very beginning. The firm kicked off its operations primarily out of Nairobi, Kenya, while making multiple investments in the East African market
For Lola, it was only a matter of time before there was a need to continue operations without having a West African presence, and that necessity birthed the expansion to Lagos, Nigeria.
“Our thesis and philosophy is that amazing founders can be found everywhere. And oftentimes, the limitation to them building their businesses is several. One is access to capital, but beyond that is access to a vibrant community, network and to like-minded individuals to help guide and support them along their journey. We know it’s not trivial to build a business. We understand how complex and difficult that could be.”
“And having the right structure in place to allow you to do that successfully is quite key for success. So that’s what we provide to our founders.
We invest at a very early stage, unlike most VCs, and I think that really sets us apart from other VC organizations, in the sense that we truly back the founders from close to day one, right, but from their very early journey.”
According to Lola, Antler works to see the potential in what founders are building and then supports them through that process, offering access to not just capital, but also mentorship, a global network, community, and other resources that can allow them to scale.
Also speaking on the cohort and its process, Anil Atmaramani, Partner at Antler Africa, described the residency program:
“The way our program works is we find the best and the brightest with deep domain expertise and a desire to change. We address a problem in that specific domain that they represent. We have a two-month program that runs over a course of eight weeks, during which we provide a sandbox environment for the founders to validate their problem, validate the solution, and establish a willingness to pay from a client.”
According to him, the further the founders can get to their destination, the faster they can get to the point that makes Antler’s conviction stronger in whether they’re an investable company or not.
“Not everybody who enters the cohort lands an investment, but at the same time, they are provided with deep mentorship, coaching resources, and access to tech tools. Once accepted into the cohort, you get access to up to $400,000 worth of tech tools. And if you land the investment, you get access to up to $4 million worth of tech tools that substantially help offset a lot of your operating costs.”
“We are also not just investing in tech and only tech companies. We are investing in innovation. By that, I mean that if there is an idea that solves a real problem, even if it may not be tech-first, we will consider that.”, Anil added.
“Our long-term strategy is to establish ourselves on the continent as the premier destination for anybody at the inception stage wanting to or conceiving of an idea that they want to build and test out”
According to Anil, basically, if you have domain expertise and you want to build an idea, you can approach Antler, and you will receive the best support.
Here are the portfolio companies:
Cubbes, a digital learning platform, has reached 50,000 students across 100 institutions in Nigeria and Uganda since its 2024 launch.
The company uses AI tutors, flashcards, and smart planners to help university students organize course materials and improve academic performance. Early data shows students have reported over 50% improvements in their grades.
A digital learning platform transforming how African students access and manage study materials. Cubbes integrates AI tutors, flashcards, and smart planners to centralize course content and streamline academic organization.
The platform enhances study efficiency, performance, and accessibility for university students across Africa.
Raba is a lease-to-own financing platform that enables equipment dealers to embed financing options for small and medium-sized businesses.
By providing liquidity, risk infrastructure, and seamless dealer tools, Raba makes equipment ownership accessible and affordable for SMEs across sectors such as food processing and manufacturing.
The company has established strong traction through its growing network of dealers, businesses, and financing partners, driving industrial productivity and empowering small businesses across Africa.
Forti Foods is redefining institutional feeding across Africa through fortified, shelf-stable, and culturally inspired ready-to-eat meals designed for scale.
The company partners with defence agencies, humanitarian programs, and institutional feeding initiatives to deliver affordable, nutritious, and waste-free meals that require no cooking or cold chain.
With a 12-month shelf life and locally relevant recipes, Forti Foods bridges convenience, nutrition, and cultural familiarity, ensuring every meal is both functional and familiar.
The company has gained significant traction within the defence sector, is expanding into retail through its “Chops by Forti Foods” line, and is positioned to supply over one million meals annually across defence and institutional markets.
Forti Foods’ model combines commercial scale with social impact, building a sustainable food ecosystem that enables Africa to feed itself and the world.
Antler Africa has reviewed more than 20,000 applications since its launch, selecting 38 founders across Lagos and Nairobi cohorts. The program has committed over $700,000 in pre-seed funding to startups this year, with 42% female founder participation.
The firm operates as part of Antler’s global network, which spans 27 cities across six continents. The Lagos office combines capital with mentorship from experienced operators and connections to a founder community of more than 8,000 entrepreneurs.
The launch of the second cohort (LOS2) is Antler’s commitment to identifying and supporting African founders addressing challenges in financial inclusion, health, logistics, education, and sustainability with capital, networks, and world-class mentorship.
Featured Image(L-R): Anil Atmaramani, Partner at Antler Africa; Emmanuel Akinyele, CTO & Co-founder, Cubbes; Adenike Adekunle, Founder, Forti Foods; Peter Adeyemi, CEO & Co-founder, Cubbes; Opeyemi Bolarinwa, COO & Co-founder, Raba; and Lola Masha, Partner, Antler Africa
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