Scouting Manager
About Antler
Antler backs the world’s most ambitious founders from the very start. Founded on the belief that innovation is the key to building a better future, we partner with people across six continents to launch and scale high-potential startups that address meaningful opportunities and challenges. Knowing that exceptional founders can come from anywhere with any background, we have offices in 30 cities, including Tokyo, New York, London, Berlin, Stockholm, Bangalore, Singapore, Seoul, and Sydney.
Our global community supports founders on deep business model validation, initial capital, expansion support, and follow-on funding. Fueled by a personal passion that goes beyond traditional investing, we have helped create and invested in more than 1,500 startups across a wide range of industries and technologies.
A better future won’t happen automatically—the world needs talented, determined, and resilient people to build it. Antler team members are part of an ambitious global community dedicated to helping the most driven founders move the world forward.
About the role
As the Scouting Manager based in Tokyo, you will drive Scouting of founders and early-stage startups in Japan. This role involves executing founder outreach and outbound marketing campaigns, managing inbound applications, and building community engagement through partnerships and events. The ideal candidate will be responsible for identifying the right channels to reach, engage, acquire, and assess founders to be invested. This role requires a go-getter who can independently execute with a keen eye for scouting potential in the startup ecosystem.
Key responsibilities
- Acquisition: Strategize and execute the end-to-end sourcing and scouting of founders and startups, including identifying potential founders and conduct manual outreaches via email, LinkedIn, events, and more
- Outreach & Funnel:Design and manage structured outbound campaigns via various acquisition tools to engage potential founders, optimize workflows to improve funnel conversion and optimize lead acquisition
- Scouting Operations: Manage inbound applications by conducting screening calls and qualifying founders to be further interviewed and accepted into Antler
- Community: Drive awareness via community engagement and developing key partnerships with existing founders, aspiring founders, and experienced operators of leading tech startups
- Events: Organize events, ranging from partnered events to in-house initiatives e.g. founders meetups, hackathons, investor dinners, and participation in major industry conference
Key requirements
- Proven experience in managing acquisition funnels, with a proven track record in acquiring, qualifying, and managing leads
- Experience in organizing events, with a knack for creating engaging and impactful communities
- Fluency in English and Japanese
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, capable of building and maintaining strong relationships
- Strong analytical abilities, with skills in optimizing operations and strategies for better performance
- Prior exposure to and network within the venture capital and startup ecosystem is highly desirable
- A proactive and innovative mindset, with the ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Previous experience in a tech startup is preferred
Opportunities that we offer
- Direct exposure to cutting-edge startups and technologies
- A unique opportunity to learn and grow in the world of entrepreneurship
- A global, respectful, and inclusive team culture that values personal development
- The chance to contribute to building the next generation of category-defining companies
- Opportunities to work with exceptional, fun, and mission-driven teammates
- A front-row seat to shaping the future of innovation in Tokyo