By Martin Ekpeke
Antler, the global early-stage venture capital firm, officially unveiled the first three companies from its inaugural Lagos cohort, LOS1, last week, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to building and investing in exceptional founders across Africa.
At a recent media roundtable in Lagos, the firm presented Cubbes, Raba, and Forti Foods as examples of the transformative solutions being built on the continent, tackling fundamental challenges across education, finance and food security.
Speaking at the unveiling, Lola Masha, Partner at Antler, emphasized that the event was a celebration of innovation, resilience, and the exceptional founders who are turning bold ideas into investable and scalable ventures. The firm positions itself as an inception-stage VC, a distinction that sets it apart from traditional venture capital.
“What we are looking for is people with deep domain expertise, high-performing individuals who can come to us even at an inception stage. Unlike VCs that require traction, proven metrics, or Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), Antler’s unique selling proposition (USP) is its willingness to back founders with an idea, even if the business is not yet formally incorporated,” Masha explained.
Antler provides this support through a structured, two-month cohort framework, a sandbox where founders are given everything they require to test and refine their ideas, which is how the firm makes its investment decisions.
This model is critical to Antler’s mission to change the entrepreneurial paradigm in Africa. Masha highlighted that traditional education often teaches the mindset of an employee, not an employer.
“Part of what we do at Antler is to change that paradigm by providing a structured framework through which extremely smart, competent, ambitious people with domain expertise can leverage that knowledge to build long-standing enterprises,” she added.
Antler’s global commitment is evident in its footprint across 28 cities globally, including its African operations, which began nearly seven years ago. For the Lagos one cohort, the firm received a staggering 7,800 applications and selected just 17 ideas to work with, illustrating its highly selective process.
The firm’s standardized investment offer is structured to provide significant early-stage support, beginning with an investment of $100,000 for 10% equity at a $1 million valuation for inception-based companies. Beyond capital, they offer access to a range of other resources, including an extensive global network, a local community, and specific functional support in areas like legal, finance and marketing.
Founders also receive up to $4 million worth of tech tools and credits from partners such as OpenAI, Google, and AWS. Finally, the firm provides essential infrastructure, including dedicated office space and support from legal and accounting firms, to help portfolio companies establish their businesses.
Introducing the LOS1 Portfolio Companies
The three inaugural portfolio companies are solving critical, large-scale problems with innovative and technology-driven solutions:
Cubbes: Democratizing Education with AI
Cubbes is a digital learning platform transforming how African university students access and manage study materials by integrating AI tutors, flashcards, and smart planners to streamline academic organization and enhance study efficiency. Since its launch in 2024, Cubbes has empowered over 50,000 students across more than 100 institutions in Nigeria and Uganda, with users reporting over a 50% improvement in academic performance. The company is led by CEO Peter Adeyemi, a second-time founder, and CTO Emmanuel Akinyele, a former Andela engineer.
Raba: Financing Tools for Africa’s SMEs
Raba is a lease-to-own financing platform that empowers equipment dealers to embed financing options for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMEs). The platform provides liquidity and risk infrastructure to make essential equipment, particularly in food processing and manufacturing, accessible. Its mission is to drive industrial productivity and empower small businesses by helping entrepreneurs acquire the tools they need to transition from survival to scale without heavy upfront costs. COO and Co-founder Opeyemi Bolarinwa noted that the rigorous Antler program helped them refine their focus, leading to a remarkable 12x increase in transactions between June and the unveiling. Raba is already expanding beyond Lagos to states like Abuja and Osun, with plans to be in 15 Nigerian states by Q1 as it pursues a Pan-African vision to industrialize the continent.
Forti Foods: Redefining Institutional Feeding
Forti Foods is tackling food insecurity by producing fortified, shelf-stable, and culturally inspired ready-to-eat meals designed for institutional scale, partnering with defense agencies, humanitarian programs, and institutional feeding initiatives. With a 12-month shelf life that requires no cooking or cold chain, the company is positioned to supply over one million meals annually across defense and institutional markets, while also planning to expand into retail with its “Chops by Forti Foods” line. The company is led by founder Adenike Adekunle, a veteran of the food and hospitality industry, whose mission is to blend commercial scale with social impact.
Antler’s African Momentum and Vision
Antler’s investment model focuses on providing founders with capital, expert mentorship, deep operator networks, and access to a global founder community of over 8,000 entrepreneurs. This approach aims to empower founders to solve Africa’s most pressing challenges.
The firm has quickly cemented its place as a key driver of early-stage innovation across the continent:
- Applications: Reviewed over 20,000 applications for its Lagos and Nairobi residency programs since launch.
- Founders: Supported 38 founders across both locations.
- Investment: Committed over $700,000 in pre-seed funding to seven portfolio companies this year.
- Inclusivity: Maintained 42% female founder participation, strengthening diversity in the ecosystem.
Antler announced its intention to expand its impact with the forthcoming LOS2 cohort, reaffirming its vision to be the first choice for exceptional founders building category-defining companies worldwide, starting from Africa. The firm describes its role as more than just a fund; it is an ecosystem catalyst accelerating innovation and positioning Africa as a leading hub for venture creation on the global stage.