10 weeks of Antler residency

For the past three months of 2025, I was working toward an outcome.

I was part of the Antler entrepreneurship residency in Nairobi. A venture capital–run program where founders build and test ideas at speed, with the possibility of receiving a USD 100K pre-seed investment at the end.

For most of the past 12 years, my work has been in consumer research, marketing, and advertising. Over time, that experience pushed me toward structure. I wanted to turn what I knew into something systematic and scalable for SMEs in emerging markets.

That led me to develop a strategy-led SaaS concept. I built frameworks, tested pilots, iterated repeatedly. The idea was structured enough to get me accepted into the program.

Antler operates through a venture capital lens from day one. The ten-week program is split into two parts, and not everyone continues into the second half. By the midpoint, expectations tighten. The focus shifts from exploration to execution.

The Marketing SaaS idea I entered the program with held together but it didn’t expand. The more I pitched it, the more I heard myself explaining marketing instead of demonstrating it.

So I pivoted before the second half began.

In the second half of the program, I shifted toward a consumer-focused concept in hair and scalp health. That shift required speed. It required building credibility quickly. And it required people.

The last five weeks were not a solo effort.

After the pivot, the pace accelerated and the expectations became concrete. I had to assemble a team quickly and align around defined milestones. Alongside execution, we went deep into understanding the market gap in hair and scalp health.

We spoke with over 200 industry experts, salon owners, and consumers to validate whether the problem was real and commercially meaningful. The research shaped the direction as much as the product development did.

At the same time, samples were sourced and imported, the financial model was refined repeatedly, positioning was challenged, and assumptions were tested. Conversations with potential partners and customers were happening in parallel.

The work moved from concept to operation within weeks. Reaching those milestones would not have been possible without the people who stepped in, contributed their expertise, and committed under tight timelines.

When the final investment decision did not go our way, my initial reaction was disbelief.

Because I operated as if the investment already existed. I behaved like the company was already funded and execution had begun. That level of commitment changes how you think and makes the work real. I was all in.

With time, I came to see it more clearly.

Venture capital operates through comparison and financial discipline. Margins matter. Structure matters. Investors decide based on how opportunities sit alongside one another. The decision was theirs to make.

What belongs to me is how I showed up.

And I showed up fully.

Because of that…

I learned how I operate under pressure.
I learned how quickly I can pivot and bring people together
I learned what it feels like to commit without hedging
I learned that venture capital is a specific tool, not a universal validation of potential.

I also noticed something about myself.

For years, I described my work through the lens of marketing. Inside the program, I experienced it differently. My contribution extended beyond marketing into problem framing, commercial structuring, and shaping the opportunity itself.

For all that… I am very grateful to the program leads (Marie & Kosen), the people who stepped in during those final weeks, and to the founders in the cohort who challenged and supported in equal measure.

And finally…

If you are thinking about applying to programs like this… I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. I would recommend it to people with a business experience, expertise in a field, and to those that understand what venture capital is optimising for and who are willing to commit fully without showing up just for the cheque.

Going all in doesn’t guarantee investment (as you have seen from my experience) but it does guarantee clarity.

I hope this helps you.

Until next time,

Rahwa