{"id":7062381,"date":"2026-09-20T19:57:37","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T19:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/angel-investor\/startup-changemakers-hayden-young\/"},"modified":"2026-09-20T19:57:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T19:57:37","slug":"startup-changemakers-hayden-young","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7062381","title":{"rendered":"Startup Changemakers: Hayden Young"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Hayden Young,\u00a0the Portfolio & Marketing Manager at Antler<\/a>, is a\u00a0creative and analytical marketing professional with skills that require both a right and left-brain mentality. At Antler,\u00a0a global early-stage VC, he\u00a0assists startups in their fundraising efforts. It\u2019s an essential part of any startup\u2019s journey, but especially when they\u2019re in the preseed early stage.\u00a0Find out how he first entered the startup world, which lessons for founders he shared with us and what he thinks is the next big thing in the startup world.
\"A1. Hi Hayden, thank you for agreeing to do the interview. Could you tell us a bit about your background and how you entered the startup world?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I entered the startup world completely by chance. When I joined <\/span>Antler<\/span><\/a> I was working in the music industry marketing international artists on tours in the US and was working a side hustle for a major label in the beer industry. I decided I wanted to take my marketing expertise and help grow brands from the earliest stages instead of those who were already well established. That\u2019s when I stumbled upon Antler. I loved what they were doing and the chance to work with early-stage startups just stood out to me. I had my first interviews while on a beach in Thailand on holiday and the rest is history!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. What\u2019s your mission as the Portfolio & Marketing Manager at Antler<\/a>, a global early-stage VC that enables and invests in the defining companies of tomorrow?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve held a couple of different roles while at Antler. From Marketing to running the local Antler startup program and now managing our local portfolio. All of these different roles have been with the mission to assist our startups in their journey to scale up and take on the world. In my current role as Portfolio & Marketing Manager, I assist the startups in their fundraising efforts which is an essential part of any startup but especially in the preseed early stage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. What is it about startups that particularly attracts you and how are you shaping the startup ecosystem in Amsterdam?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love seeing the passion that our founders express for their ideas. When you talk to them about their solution you can see their eyes just light up and it feels great to be a part of that emotion or that journey in some way. Getting to be at Antler means you\u2019re there basically from the inception of the idea. You really get to see their ideas from a nascent stage like those in our third program to truly taking flight like <\/span>Clear<\/span><\/a> from our first program back in 2019. <\/span>
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<\/span>In Amsterdam, we\u2019re truly making a difference in the ecosystem. Our programs attract extraordinary individuals from all over the world (20+ nationalities in our last cohort) to build the defining companies of tomorrow. Over the next 5 years, 100s of these changemakers, who will create dozens of globally scalable companies, will be brought to our shores. When you step back and think about this, the impact that Antler will have on our local ecosystem is impressive. I\u2019m excited to see where we go from here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Antler<\/a> unlocks the power of the world\u2019s most brilliant and determined people to work on some of the most exciting and crucial opportunities and problems of tomorrow. You help them find the right co-founder and connect them to a top tier network of advisors and experts worldwide. Could you share the top 3 lessons for founders you learned over the years in the startup world?<\/strong><\/p>\n