In this episode of Power Talks, host Ssuna Ronald sits down with Anil Atmaramani, a Partner at Antler focused on West Africa. Dive into the unique model of this global venture capital firm that invests at "day zero"—backing high-potential individuals even before they have a concrete idea. Anil, a Canadian with two decades of experience on the continent, reveals why he holds an unwavering conviction that "the future is African," and how Antler is structured to accelerate that future.
We explore Antler's grueling, highly-selective residency program that sifts through 5,000 applications to find the top 20 founders, the traits they look for beyond a business plan (grit, resilience, and coachability), and what successful alumni like Uncover and Honeycoin are achieving. If you're an aspiring founder who has faced failure, an investor curious about pre-seed opportunities, or believe in Africa's demographic destiny, this conversation is a masterclass in founder-first investing.
(00:00:51) - The Antler Model: What it means to be a "day zero" investor and how the residency program works.
(00:02:34) - Investing in Founders, Not Ideas: Why Antler backs people first and how they assess character during the program.
(00:04:00) - The Founder DNA: The key traits Antler looks for: grit, determination, coachability, and the willpower to face hard truths.
(00:05:37) - Beyond the Check: The full suite of benefits for founders, from co-working space and cloud credits to a powerful global network.
(00:06:23) - Antler's African Footprint: The impressive growth in Kenya and the upcoming launch in Lagos, Nigeria.
(00:07:17) - Success Stories: A look at portfolio companies like the skincare brand Uncover and crypto-trading platform Honeycoin.
(00:08:17) - The African Conviction: Anil's powerful personal thesis on why the future is undeniably African.
(00:10:30) - A Message to Founders: Why failure is a "badge of honor" and a call to keep building.
Power Talks is your front-row seat to the conversations shaping the future of business and technology in Africa. Host Ssuna Ronald brings you face-to-face with the most dynamic founders, investors, and ecosystem builders driving progress across the continent. From deep-dive interviews with startup founders to insights from top VCs and event coverage from hubs like Nairobi and Kigali, we unpack the big ideas, the bigger opportunities, and the game-changing conversations you need to hear.
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Executive Producer: Ssuna Ronald
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