These are the first companies in Antler Lagos’ (LOS1) flagship portfolio.

At a recent event, marking a significant milestone in Antler’s journey in Africa, it celebrated innovation, resilience, and the exceptional founders building transformative solutions across the continent.

Over the last few months, Antler Lagos worked closely with bold, visionary entrepreneurs through its first cohort – LOS1 to help them transform early-stage ideas into investable, scalable ventures.

Antler also showed the road ahead with the launch of LOS2 – its expanded vision for supporting even more African founders with capital, networks, and world-class mentorship.

Antler is a global early-stage venture capital firm that enables and invests in exceptional founders from the earliest stages – from idea to scale.

Since launching in Lagos, Antler has become a key driver of innovation in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem, offering a structured platform that combines: capital to kickstart high-potential ideas; expert mentorship and deep operator networks, a global founder community of 8,000+ entrepreneurs across 30+ cities.

Through this model, Antler is empowering founders to tackle some of Africa’s most pressing challenges – from financial inclusion and health access to logistics, education, and sustainability.

Thus, after the eight-week residency program, Antler selected Cubbes, Forti Foods, and raba as its inaugural portfolio in West Africa.

This move underscores Antler’s strong belief in Nigeria’s, and Africa’s, capacity to generate high-impact innovation.

Founders, Vision & Validation

Cubbes is an edtech platform that launched in 2024. With a combination of AI-tutors, flashcards, smart planners, and other tools, it helps university students organize course materials and improve performance.

Already, it has reached about 50,000 students across 100 institutions in both Nigeria and Uganda. Early users report improvements of over 50% in grades.

Forti Foods takes on a more physical challenge: feeding communities. By delivering shelf-stable, culturally familiar ready-to-eat meals that require no cooking or cold chain, Forti aims to serve institutions like defence agencies and humanitarian programs. It also plans to supply over one million meals annually.

Raba seeks to solve a financing barrier. It is a lease-to-own financing platform for equipment dealers who want to offer affordable, accessible equipment options to SMEs in food processing, manufacturing, and other sectors.

The model provides liquidity, risk infrastructure, and dealer tools.

The Antler Playbook: How They Found These Startups

Antler’s approach in Lagos is not unlike a lab: during the curated 8-week residency founders receive mentorship, access to global networks, and tech tools, up to US$400,000 worth, and much more if their startup is selected for deeper investment, including US$4 million worth of tools and support.

Lola Masha, partner at Antler Africa, said the firm stands out by investing very early, not just in tech per se, but in what solves real problems.

She reeled out statistics that underscore the scale of what Antler is tackling:

“Antler Africa has reviewed over 20,000 applications since it launched. So far, in Lagos and Nairobi cohorts combined, Antler has selected 38 founders. We have committed more than US$700,000 in pre-seed funding to startups this year. 42% of the selected founders in these early cohorts are female”.

Anil Atmaramani, also a partner at Antler, echoed this adding that the cohort process forces founders to validate their problem, test their solution, and crucially, show that there is willingness to pay.

“These figures suggest two things: there is strong, diverse interest in solving deep problems via startups; and Antler is pushing inclusion as part of its investment thesis”, he said.

Why Edtech, Food, and Equipment Financing?

These sectors aren’t random picks. Each addresses important gaps:

Edtech is vital in a continent where access to quality education is uneven, and where digital tools can help bypass infrastructural limitations. Cubbes founded by Peter Adeyemi & Emmanuel Akinyele, is positioned to address this.

Food security, especially in ready-to-eat options, matters in contexts where cooking fuel, cold chains, or even time are scarce. Forti Foods founded by Adenike Adekunle, has developed a model of shelf-stable, culturally relevant meals makes sense in many institutional contexts.

Equipment financing unlocks productivity: many small enterprises can’t afford to buy equipment upfront. Opeyemi Bolarinwa, Raba co-founder, re-echoed this during a chat with the press, stressing that lease-to-own models reduce cost barriers: machinery, tools, processing equipment, etc., can accelerate growth in manufacturing or food processing.

How Antler will Help the Startups Surmount Challenges Ahead

The aforementioned startups, even with strong early metrics, several potential obstacles to scaling operations in infrastructure-constrained environments exist: logistics, power, supply chains can erode margins.

Also, regulatory and financing hurdles; accessible capital, interest rates, risk pricing are often unfavorable for early-stage, socially-oriented startups.

Trust and market adoption: getting institutions, students, or businesses to adopt new platforms or foods can take time, especially when cultural preferences, quality perception, or pricing are factors.

Antler’s value-add, mentorship, early capital, network connections, will help the trio cushion against some risks. Their global founder community of over 8,000 entrepreneurs becomes a resource for insights, growth, partnerships.

What This Means for Nigeria & Africa

Antler’s Lagos initiative signals a maturing startup ecosystem in Nigeria hence investors are starting to believe in seed-stage ventures beyond just fintech and consumer apps.

It also shows there is space for innovations with dual impact: commercial sustainability and social or infrastructural importance (food, education, SME productivity).

And female founders are increasingly present, making up nearly half of early cohorts, suggesting a shift in who is building solutions.

If portfolios like these succeed, they won’t just generate returns, they might shift how Africa solves its own problems.

A scale-up of tens of such startups addressing core issues could contribute meaningfully to employment, productivity, food security, or educational outcomes across the continent.

Antler Lagos ’s first portfolio picks; Cubbes, Forti Foods, and Raba, aren’t just novel ideas. They are carefully selected responses to persistent African challenges: learning, nutrition, and equitable access to tools.

With backing in infrastructure, capital, and mentorship, these ventures have a chance to grow fast, meaningfully, and inclusively.

Their success will depend on more than just good product-market fit. It will require navigating regulatory landscapes, ensuring operational stability, and building trust among users.

But with the momentum Antler has built, and the appetite Nigeria has shown for digital solutions, this is more than a hopeful experiment.

It might be the start of something transformative, especially with the launch of the second cohort (LOS2) as 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.

The round was led by Bowery Capital with backing from Y Combinator, Commerce Ventures, Transpose Platform VC, and several angel investors. For a company that launched just last year, this is a strong early validation of its focus on regulatory compliance and dispute resolution automation.

Unlike many startups chasing AI-driven customer interfaces, Rulebase has zeroed in on the unseen but critical tasks that financial institutions spend huge resources on, compliance checks, quality assurance, and dispute management. 

Its flagship tool, Coworker, integrates with platforms like Zendesk, Jira, and Slack to monitor customer interactions, flag regulatory risks, and coordinate follow-ups without removing human oversight.

“Our ‘Coworker’ tool integrates across platforms and collaborates with human agents and back-office teams to fully manage the dispute lifecycle while saving time, reducing errors, and maintaining compliance,” said CTO Williams.

The product has already been adopted by Rho, a U.S. business banking platform, and even a Fortune 50 financial institution. At Rho, the system reportedly helped cut escalations by 30% and reduced quality assurance costs by as much as 70%.

The founders, who previously built tools including Buzz, an open-source speech-to-text project with over 300,000 downloads and 12,000 GitHub stars, say Rulebase emerged after witnessing firsthand how fragmented and manual back-office workflows slowed down financial operations. 

Ebose, who was a product lead at Microsoft, and Williams, formerly at Goldman Sachs, experimented with other products before narrowing in on this problem.

Rulebase’s first focus is quality assurance in customer support interactions. Traditionally, financial institutions manually review only a small fraction of calls and messages to ensure compliance. By contrast, Rulebase reviews 100% of interactions automatically. 

“We automate workflows that start with a customer interaction, areas we’re already great at handling end-to-end,” CEO Ebose explained. “While much of that is QA, compliance, and disputes tied to customer calls and messages, long-term our goal is to take on as many manual back-office tasks as possible by pulling these fragmented steps and tabs into one coordinated workflow.”

While currently concentrating on banks, card issuers, and fintechs across Africa, Europe, and the U.S., the team sees potential in insurance and other regulated sectors with similar processes. 

Revenue has been growing steadily, with “double-digit” month-on-month increases since joining Y Combinator’s Fall 2024 batch. Rulebase’s business model is usage-based, charging clients per interaction or workflow automated.

For Ebose and Williams, being among the few African founders building AI tools in Y Combinator brings both pride and perspective. Williams summed up their philosophy this way: “We’re in a moment where small teams can deliver more value, more quickly, than ever before, so limiting yourself to ‘X for Y’ or a narrow vertical feels like a missed opportunity. With AI, it feels obvious that you have to go after something massive. Anything less than the most ambitious version of your idea likely won’t cut it.”

The fresh funding will be channelled into engineering and expanding the Coworker’s capabilities, with plans to add features for fraud investigations, audits, and regulatory reporting. 

For now, the startup is betting that the biggest profits in automation will come from fixing the invisible workflows that keep financial institutions running.

The accelerator, which was unveiled in 2024, aims to support startups building AI-driven products across Africa. With a solid focus on promoting innovation, Resilience17 is offering up to $200,000 in funding and mentorship to selected startups, taking an 8% equity stake in return.

Resilience17 rebranded to strengthen its focus on African technology entrepreneurship. Over the past few years, the fund has grown its portfolio with companies like Klasha, Pivo, and Bamboo. 

Now, with the Go Time AI initiative, it is targeting sectors such as artificial intelligence. The accelerator seeks to provide the financial support, infrastructure, and expert guidance that African AI startups need to scale and compete globally.

General Partner of Resilience17, Hasan Luongo, said despite challenges acutely highlighted in 2024, Nigeria is set to continue leading as a global technology hub and can lead in AI. “We launched Go Time AI to prove this thesis. After the last 4 months working closely with the 1st cohort of AI companies, that conviction has only become stronger,” he stated.

The accelerator’s first cohort, which started in early 2024, saw five startups join the programme. These startups—Catlog, Sahel AI, Tyms, AI Teacha, and FriendNPal—are working on innovative solutions such as AI-powered customer service bots, contract review tools, accounting software, educational aids, and mental health platforms. 

As part of the programme, each of these startups received $25,000 in initial funding, with the potential for up to $175,000 more in subsequent rounds.

Unlike other accelerator programmes, Go Time AI does not operate with a fixed cohort size, allowing it to remain flexible and open to new startups. 

The programme also offers a unique mix of resources, including cloud credits, API services, and regular mentoring sessions. Participants also have access to “Office Hours,” where they engage directly with seasoned entrepreneurs and experts to discuss technical challenges, growth strategies, and product development.

Luongo further explained the accelerator’s approach, saying, “Our goal was not to teach founders how to run a company but specifically narrow the focus on what we see as the most important things any early-stage companies should be focused on. Building a world-class product experience and getting users into the product and to the magic moment where they see clear value.”

The Go Time AI accelerator aims to fill a huge gap for African founders, providing both capital and needed mentorship, technical expertise, and networking opportunities. With AI technology growing fast and being a global discourse, Resilience17’s initiative helps African startups to lead in this unique space.

Applications for the second cohort of the programme will open in May 2025, and Resilience17’s impact is expected to grow as more startups gain the resources they need to succeed in the AI industry.

Through its support for the next generation of African innovators, Resilience17 is stimulating resilience—one of Africa’s greatest strengths—and Go Time AI is essential to scale through the challenging, yet exciting, road to success.

However, a recent report by Flourish Ventures reveals an often-overlooked aspect of this growth story — the mental health and well-being of African founders. 

According to the research, an astonishing 86% of African startup founders report that the pressures of their role have impacted their mental health. 

Even as startup culture continues to thrive on the continent, it’s obvious that addressing founder wellbeing is no longer optional; it’s essential for long-term success and sustainability.

The Startup Pressures and External Stressors

The report surveyed 169 founders across 13 African countries, shedding light on the mental and emotional toll that comes with the entrepreneurial journey. 

Key stressors include the difficulties of fundraising, inflation, and currency fluctuations. External pressures were found to be more, with economic and market conditions contributing heavily to founder stress. 

For instance, inflation is a big concern for founders in Nigeria and Egypt, where over 66% of respondents cited it as a major stressor.

This external environment means founders must constantly adapt, often working long hours to manage their companies amidst uncertainty. 

These macroeconomic issues add to the “occupational health hazard” that startup founders face. Even among those who consider their startups to be thriving, 76% reported that the pressures have taken a toll on their mental well-being.

Founder Loneliness: A Silent Burden

In addition to the external pressures, many founders experience profound loneliness in their journey. Over 78% of founders reported feeling isolated, highlighting that even in a high-communication role, the founder’s path can feel solitary. 

This isolation is often compounded by the need to project strength and resilience to maintain morale among team members and to meet investor expectations.

African founders generally lack structured support systems to share their burdens. While friends and family provide emotional support, they often lack the business insight needed to help founders scale through complex industry challenges. 

This lack of peer support leads to an increased sense of isolation, a scenario that is particularly acute for female founders, who are more likely to experience stress related to work-life balance, fear of failure, and isolation.

Limited Investor Support: More Pressure, Less Relief

Investors play a huge role in shaping the success of startups, but for many African founders, investor relations add to the pressure rather than alleviating it. 

Only 17% of founders feel comfortable discussing their challenges openly with investors, and just 11% believe that investors genuinely care about their well-being. 

Many founders feel that investor expectations are misaligned with the realities of running an African startup, where economic conditions are frequently challenging.

Coping Strategies and the Road to Resilience

Even with these challenges, African founders display commendable resilience. The survey shows that adopting multiple coping strategies, such as maintaining a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, and leaning on support systems, can significantly improve mental health outcomes. 

However, more support from the venture capital industry is necessary. While 25% of founders reported consulting a coach or therapist, many struggle to access the mental health resources they need due to limited time and funds.

The report emphasizes that African founders can benefit greatly from investor-led initiatives that promote mental health, such as access to coaching, leadership training, and resources for personal resilience. 

Founders are calling for investors who prioritize the founder’s well-being as a critical component of startup success. As one founder pointed out, “Great investors believe in the person behind the business model, not just the model itself.”

Building a Sustainable Ecosystem for Africa’s Future

African founders are passionate and driven, with 81% stating that they enjoy the journey, and 64% saying they would start another venture if their current one failed. 

However, for Africa’s startup ecosystem to thrive, stakeholders—including investors, accelerators, and mentors—must create a more supportive environment that prioritizes founder wellbeing.

The report is a wake-up call to Africa’s venture capital and startup communities: building resilient companies requires resilient founders. Actively promoting mental health and creating spaces for open dialogue will ensure the ecosystem can cultivate not just successful ventures but also sustainable, thriving entrepreneurial journeys.

It has become imperative for investors and founders alike to consider mental health as an integral part of the success formula.

Entrepreneurs with the support to manage stress effectively are more likely to innovate, grow, and lead the continent into a prosperous future. 

The African founder journey is filled with both passion and perseverance—let’s ensure that well-being becomes a core part of the narrative.