Antler appoints Indonesia-based partner
Singapore-based accelerator and VC investor Antler has engaged Agung Bezharie Hadinegoro, an entrepreneur formerly of East Ventures, as a partner based in Indonesia.
Hadinegoro (pictured) will lead the firm’s investment strategy and operations in Indonesia. The plan is to invest in more than 30 companies in the country this year.
Hadinegoro has at least 11 years of start-up and VC experience. He was co-founder and CEO of Indonesian smart kiosk supplier Warung Pintar and an associate and special project officer at East Ventures, where he organised a global entrepreneurship programme in Indonesia.
Warung raised USD 35.5m from East, Vertex Ventures, and SMDV among others before being acquired by local omnichannel commerce enabler Sirclo last year. Hadinegoro spent more than a year at Sirclo before joining Antler. Sirclo has also received investment from East, Vertex, and SMDV.
“His joining resonates strongly with our core ethos at Antler, which is to put founders first and obsess over their success,” Jussi Salovaara, co-founder and managing partner for Asia at Antler, said in a statement.
“Agung's journey as a founder is a testament to his ability to navigate the entrepreneurial landscape with drive and grit. His deep-rooted understanding of the start-up ecosystem, combined with his passion for tech-driven solutions, align perfectly with our mission.”
Antler’s existing footprint in Indonesia includes Brik, a financial technology digital infrastructure provider, that raised a USD 8.5m seed round last year. There is also vegan beauty and wellness brand Base, jobs platform Sampingan, pet care app PocketPet, and MyRobin, a recruitment platform for the hospitality and restaurant industries.
The next residency program in the country will kick off in October, running over a six-month period in two phases. The programme focuses on building the right team, with co-founders who have complementary skills.
Antler will provide global resources and expertise to help founders validate their business ideas and prove product-market fit. The strongest teams will be selected to get funded from pre-seed to beyond.
Antler was founded in Singapore in 2018 and has become a poster child for a recent proliferation of global seed-stage investment strategies with offices now established in 25 cities.
In Asia, the network includes an Indian programme that launched in 2020 with a fund targeting USD 50m. An Australia presence was established in 2019 and a AUD 46m (USD 30m) fund closed two years later. A Korean unit was set up later that year.
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