Early Days

Last week, Antler US portfolio company Cedar announced that it closed a $3 million seed round led by Caffeinated Capital, with participation from Tishman Speyer Ventures and a number of prominent individual investors (full Forbes feature here [https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidprosser/2023/10/31/meet-the-texas-startup-aiming-to-solve-the-us-housing-crisis/?sh=7909a82f3a92]).  Cedar is building an operating system for urban development. As an early investor, Antler worked with Kyle, Rahul, and Nate as they experimented and fought to crack open a wedge into this market. The Cedar team is ambitious and tenacious; we are honored to partner with them on this journey as they build the future of urban infill development starting in our own backyard of Austin, TX. Listen to the full episode to learn more about how Cedar's tools will help builders, developers, and the broader real estate community tackle the urban housing crisis. Want to stay updated on Cedar [https://www.cedar.build/]? You can learn more about the business on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/cedarbuild/] and Twitter @cedarbuild [https://twitter.com/cedarbuild] To keep in touch with the founders, follow Kyle [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-vansice-13510420/], Rahul [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahul-attraya-4929a385/], and Nate [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-peters/] directly on LinkedIn. If you're ready to build your next company in Antler's studios like the Cedar team did, our next residency launches April 2024. Drop into an upcoming AMA to learn more [https://lu.ma/antlerus?utm_source=cedarlaunch] or check us out at antler.co [https://www.antler.co/location/us]

We're honored to feature the first founder Antler US ever invested in - Manuel Schönfeld [https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuelschoenfeld/], founder & CEO of PowerX [https://powerx.co/] - on this episode of Early Days.  Today, PowerX builds hardware-enabled AI sensors that reduce energy waste. PowerX has installed thousands of hardware devices that save energy, water, and carbon emissions in over 25 countries, and is serving some of the world’s leading brands including McDonalds and Comcast.  But when Manu joined our inaugural New York City Residency in late 2019, he had recently left McKinsey (where he'd advised governments and private sector on innovative energy solutions) and was just starting to explore different ways he could innovate in the hydrogen economy. (He actually built a hydrogen-powered scooter over the course of the Residency.)  Manu describes the process (and pain points) of parlaying his research into building product for actual customers, how he navigated PowerX through the 2020-2021 supply chain crisis, and his approach to VC fundraising.  Manu's personal background and his story of building PowerX are both remarkable; this episode provides equal parts inspiration and concrete advice for founders determined to solve the world's most pressing challenges.    Follow Manu directly on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuelschoenfeld/] and Twitter @ManuelSchonfeld [https://twitter.com/manuelschonfeld?lang=en]. Want to stay updated on PowerX [https://powerx.co/]? You can learn more about PowerX's mission to help businesses waste less energy and money on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/powerx/] and Twitter @ThisIsPowerX [https://twitter.com/thisispowerx?lang=en]. If you're ready to build your next company in Antler's studios like Manu did, our next Residency launches in Austin, Boulder & NYC this October 2023  - drop into an upcoming AMA to learn more [https://lu.ma/antlerus?utm_source=bitewell] or check us out at antler.co [https://www.antler.co/location/us]

Rob Frohwein is a serial founder. Today, he's focused on building Keep Financial [https://keepfinancial.com/], a fintech that empowers companies to offer flexible compensation to their employees. Prior to Keep, Rob co-founded fintech  Kabbage [https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/blueprint/] which was ultimately acquired by American Express in 2020. In this episode of Early Days, Rob shares the experience of building and growing Kabbage and his insights from his lifetime of entrepreneurship. This is an invaluable episode for all founders, but particularly those building in fintech. Follow Rob directly on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/frohwein/] and Twitter @RobFrohwein [https://twitter.com/robfrohwein?lang=en]. Want to improve your company's hiring and retention? Learn more about Keep Financial's [https://keepfinancial.com/]  smart compensation options on LinkedIn [https://keepfinancial.com/] and Twitter @keep_financial [https://twitter.com/keep_financial]. Looking to simplify cash flow management for a small business? Check out  Kabbage [https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/blueprint/] on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/kabbage-american-express/] and Twitter @KabbageInc [https://twitter.com/kabbageinc?lang=en].  If you're ready to build your next company in Antler's studios, our next Residency launches in Austin, Boulder & NYC this October 2023  - drop into an upcoming AMA to learn more [https://lu.ma/antlerus?utm_source=bitewell] or check us out at antler.co [https://www.antler.co/location/us]

Early Days is back and we’re dropping our first ever episode featuring an Antler US portfolio founder: bitewell’s CEO & Co-Founder, Samantha Citro Alexander. bitewell is a B2B "food as medicine" marketplace that allows employers to offer healthy food as an insurance-subsidized benefit. The food health benefit startup recently raised a $4.0 million seed round led by Lake Nona Fund and Refinery Ventures (read about it in Axios [https://www.axios.com/pro/health-tech-deals/2023/06/26/bitewell-bags-4m-for-food-health-benefits]). In this episode of Early Days, Sam discusses how a challenging fundraising process was ultimately a positive factor for bitewell's business and why she's committed to making food as a health benefit accessible to every American. Sam also talks about navigating the twists and turns of her ambitious career (from the beauty industry at The Estée Lauder Companies, to finance at Bridgewater, to bitewell) and reflects deeply on how walking away from the structure of established company to build a startup from scratch impacts one's ego and sense of self.    Follow Sam directly on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthacitro/], Twitter @sam_c_alexander [https://twitter.com/sam_c_alexander?lang=en], and Instagram  samanthacitroalexander. [https://www.instagram.com/samanthacitroalexander/?next=%2F] Want to sign your company up for bitewell so you can access food as a health benefit? Get in touch on Twitter (@bitewellHQ [https://twitter.com/bitewellHQ]), Linkedin, [https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitewell/] or Instagram  (bitewellco). [https://www.instagram.com/bitewellco/] If you're ready to build your next company in Antler's studios, our next Residency launches in Austin, Boulder & NYC this October 2023  - drop into an upcoming AMA to learn more [https://lu.ma/antlerus?utm_source=bitewell] or check us out at antler.co [https://www.antler.co/location/us]

Michelle You is co-founder and CEO of Supercritical, one of the world's largest carbon removal marketplaces. But Supercritcal isn't the first startup Michelle has built and scaled. Before Supercritical, Michelle was co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Songkick, a company that helped fans discover concerts from their favorite artists. Songkick was backed by investors like YC, Index, Sequoia, Access and ultimately exited to Warner Music.  Michelle shares how her experience at Songkick has influenced her approach to building Supercritical. We discuss the importance of user interviews, ascertaining key insights from customers, and how to structure an analytical decision making process. These are valuable, hard-earned lessons from a serial founder that you don't want to miss. Follow Michelle directly on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleyou/ ] and Twitter @wreckingball37. [https://twitter.com/wreckingball37 ] Curious how Supercritical helps businesses reach net zero through carbon removal? Learn more on Twitter - @gosupercritical [https://twitter.com/gosupercritical?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor] - and Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/company/gosupercritical/]. Come build your next company in Antler's studios - more information at antler.co [https://www.antler.co/]