Antler founder Magnus Grimeland describes the nascent state of venture capital and tech in Southeast Asia when leaving McKinsey to build e-commerce platform Zalora.
Insight
Early-stage VC returns depend entirely on top founder access
“If you want to deliver tremendous returns in early stage venture capital, number one thing you need is access to the best people. It doesn't matter if you're an amazing decision maker if you don't have access.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Antler receives more applicants than Harvard, Stanford, and MIT combined
“We get more applicants now in a year than Harvard, Stanford, and MIT combined.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Antler's portfolio achieves a 5.3x MOIC after four years
“And we see quite interesting linear trajectory on MIC growth in our portfolio. After four years, about 5.3 X, and it's increasing quite linear towards that.”
Disclosure
Antler allocates 75% of carry locally and 25% globally
“If you run, for example, India, or if you run the Nordics, if you run the US now, 75% of the carry goes to the partners who run it. And then we put 25% of the carry into global pool, which is shared with everyone.”
Insight
Mental resilience beats athletic pedigree in military selection
“There were people there who were Norwegian champion in this, world champion in that, incredibly athletic individuals who lasted much shorter than people who were just determined to succeed. And the ones who really made it all the way to the end were people wit…”
Insight
E-commerce value proposition relies on execution, not the core product
“If you think about building an e-commerce company, whether it's fashion or any other thing that you're selling, the core product that you're selling is a very small part of the value proposition. What you're ultimately building is an executional machine. You'r…”