KUALA LUMPUR, September 6 – Antler, a renowned global venture capital firm, has announced the appointment of Frank Kang as Associate Partner for Malaysia. This strategic addition reaffirms Antler’s commitment to investing in early-stage startups and supporting exceptional founders in the region. Frank will also assume the role of Country Head, leading Antler’s investment strategy and operations in Malaysia. Drawing from his extensive entrepreneurial expertise across various industries, Frank will play a pivotal role in encouraging Malaysian founders to think globally and scale their businesses beyond borders.
Currently, Antler stands as one of the most active early-stage investors globally, having invested in more than 792 companies across 26 cities worldwide, resulting in a cumulative portfolio value of US$3.7 billion. As a serial entrepreneur, Frank Kang brings with him a wealth of entrepreneurial experience spanning 17 years in diverse sectors. His entrepreneurial journey began when he co-founded a social networking service at the age of 23, securing investment from the Japanese multinational investment holding company, SoftBank.
Subsequently, Frank ventured into Silicon Valley, introducing Twitter services to Korea. His initiative led to the establishment of one of Korea’s largest Twitter directories, boasting over two million users at the time. Returning to Malaysia, Frank acquired the leading e-commerce platform, everyday.com.my (later rebranded to LivingSocial Malaysia), and scaled the team from seven to over 160 employees. Following this, he founded Althea, Korea’s premier beauty platform featuring digitally native vertical brands. Althea successfully raised funds from global institutional investors. Before joining Antler, Kang served as the Venture Partner of Vynn Capital and was an Angel Investor and Advisor.
In his new roles as Associate Partner and Country Head for Antler Malaysia, Frank Kang expressed, “As someone who dropped out of school in senior year and experienced both failure and success early in my career, I’m excited to support founders in building and scaling meaningful businesses that can make a positive impact on the world. I believe that the local talent in Malaysia possesses significant potential, and we can help them adopt a global mindset.” Jussi Salovaara, Co-founder and Managing Partner Asia at Antler, stated, “We are delighted to welcome Frank as we expand our global presence across 26 cities, including Malaysia.
Antler remains committed to supporting entrepreneurs and advancing our vision of making progress inevitable. With Kang’s demonstrated track record of establishing scalable businesses in Asia, his extensive experiences are poised to amplify the entrepreneurial impact of Malaysians beyond borders.” Distinguished by its ‘Day Zero investing’ approach, Antler sets itself apart by fostering startup success in a unique manner. The firm is dedicated to supporting founders from the pre-seed stage through Series A and beyond. This includes assistance in co-founder matching, robust business model validation, initial capital provision, expansion support, and securing follow-on funding.
Antler’s comprehensive investment approach ensures startups are supported from inception through substantial growth phases. With its headquarters situated in Kuala Lumpur, Antler aims to invest in over 30 startups across Malaysia within the next three years. The inaugural residency program in Malaysia is slated to commence in October 2023.
