Built by founders for founders, every single aspect of our firm is focused on helping extraordinary founders succeed. Because our backing goes beyond just capital. We’ve got the experience, understanding and insight to help you on a journey we know all too well. You can trust that we’ll use everything that sets us apart to set you apart.
Our areas of interest.
Our overarching thesis is that technology will transform all sectors of our world and that the biggest transformations are yet to come. Every few years there are new frontiers opening for innovation. Founders are the gamechangers that we take our cue from. As a thematic investor, these are just some of the current areas we are focusing on.
- Digital Work: With the creation of business applications that empower workers & enhance productivity, the digital transformation of every industry is under way.
- Enterprise Data Automation: Enterprise data and automation platforms are becoming the brains of tomorrow’s modern enterprises.
- Internet Infrastructure: Progressive founders are developing the foundational infrastructure that will be the ‘connective tissue’ of every modern business.
- Future of Finance: Brilliant founders are re-imagining the services and underlying infrastructure that power financial systems and define how money flows.
- Mobility: A mobility revolution is underway. The services and infrastructure that move people and goods, and let us travel the world, are undergoing dynamic innovation.
- Industrial Automation: Making industries such as manufacturing, logistics and construction more efficient is a global challenge at a critical time for humanity.
- Frontier Tech: Today’s (and tomorrow’s) tech entrepreneurs are harnessing scientific breakthroughs and emerging forms of tech to rewire entire industries and solve global challenges.
- Planet Positive: Extraordinary entrepreneurs are the world’s best bet in tackling dire global issues like the climate crisis and the need for decarbonisation.
- Engaged Consumer: Consumer companies are devising ways to make our patterns of commerce and consumption more engaging, more sustainable, and more in line with global sentiment.
- Future of Food: Creative entrepreneurs are reinventing the way societies produce, distribute, and consume food.
- Digital Life & Play: Entrepreneurs in this field are dedicated to enabling individuals and social communities to lead happier, more connected and fulfilled lives.
- Improving Health: Founders are using cutting-edge tech to focus on complete biological pictures & consumer-driven care, sparking a foundational shift in how societies view healthcare.
- Empowered Individuals: It’s something everyone in the VC world should care about. The companies in this space are empowering individuals to reach their full potential.
European roots. Global from the start.
We use our hard-won experience to help visionary founders become global category leaders.
We’re not a traditional venture capital firm.
We are built by founders for founders. Every single aspect of Atomico, every part of our culture, and every decision we take, is designed with the ambition of helping founders succeed.
We exist for more than returns.
We believe entrepreneurs are the ultimate agents of positive, transformational change across every aspect of our society and economy.
Our mission is to spur this progress forward.
It’s why we partner with the world’s most ambitious founders. The rule-breakers who want to build the next leader in their category. The world-shapers creating companies that fundamentally shift the way we live today. The gamechangers using technology to rewire the world in favour of something better, for as many people as possible.
When we find these people, we invest much more than money. We work hand- in-glove with them, drawing on hard-won experience scaling some of the most successful technology companies in the world, while also providing guidance on how to scale consciously and contribute meaningfully to a better future.
Read on to find out more about how we operate, and the commitments we’re making to support our mission to develop the world’s most prosperous, sustainable, inclusive and mission-driven technology ecosystem right here in Europe.
Why should you partner with us?
If you’re a founder asking yourself whether or not we are the right partner for you, here are the five principles that guide how we act as a team. Hold us to them when you meet us.
- Aligned to Win: Greatness occurs when remarkable people with diverse perspectives work together as one. By empowering each other, sharing credit and encouraging each other to act as owners we make the whole stronger than the sum of its parts. What does this mean for you? With egos left at the door, we can work together towards one common goal: helping you build a business that changes the world.
- Performance Through Integrity: We achieve our best performance and results as a team through integrity. We get to the right decisions through frank discussions based on data and logic in an environment where diverse perspectives and independent thinking is encouraged. We identify biases and blind spots and we are always conscious of our impact on our wider environment as world citizens. We contribute to a diverse and inclusive culture, higher standards of professionalism, and a fair, safe and collaborative environment. What does this mean for you? Our objective is to be the investor you are proud to have on your cap table.
- Partners to Gamechangers: We pride ourselves on being genuine partners to the entrepreneurs we work with. We build lasting relationships. Venture is a long term game, helping those who share our mission by sharing our experiences. By getting to know founders early on both we and you can better gauge if there is a good match. What does this mean for you? Our aim is to always have a positive reference from founders we have worked with. Feel free to ask any of our founders, whether they succeeded or not, which investor they would recommend and why? Life is too short to not be decent to each other.
- Bold and Progressive: We are calculated risk-takers with strong judgement and conviction. We are not afraid of bold action to lead our industry, rather than follow. We have a growth mindset and use data and feedback in pursuit of continuous learning and improvement. What does this mean for you? We challenge ourselves to think big and long-term. Expect us to do the same to you.
- Humble: We are honest, authentic, and transparent. We are not afraid to make mistakes, and when we do, we admit when we are wrong and learn from it. We are honest about our own limitations and recognise the skills, knowledge and strengths of our colleagues so that we can achieve our desired outcomes collaboratively as a team. We seek guidance and feedback from others, and we remain teachable, always. What does this mean for you? We are not perfect, but we’ve all got your back and you will always have someone you can to talk to. No matter the time of day or night.
How we invest
What should founders expect?
The truth is no two founders, products or business models are the same, and so there is no ‘one size-fits-all’ approach to investing. However, as a founder, these are some general things you should expect if we are lucky enough to be invited into your fundraising process.
Our goal is to align on vision and shared ambition
For us, this is the most important thing. Like you, we are not here to make incremental progress. We want to accelerate those who want to move the world forward. Trust us, but also take a look at our portfolio, no vision is too ambitious.
Get to know us, not just other way round
We will want you to meet our team, not just one of us. We want you to have a clear understanding of what we can do for you over the coming decade and who you’ll be working with. Talk to some of our existing founders about working with us through good times and bad, and talk to your peers and network about us. We want you to make an informed decision that is in the best interest of your business.
We know firsthand how valuable your time is, so we move at your speed.
It’s why we take a thematic and relationship-led approach to investing. It means we can build conviction fast, move at your speed, and align with you from our first conversation.
We listen, more than we talk.
Don’t worry, that’s because we focus on the things that matter and we do our work upfront. But we will have questions.
It’s never too early to speak to us
We back you from the earliest stages through to IPO. While there are always exceptions to the rule, we typically focus on European founders at the early stages, and founders whose global vision includes winning in Europe at the growth stage.
Commitments We’re Making To Build a Better Ecosystem in Europe
Our mission at Atomico is to develop the world’s most prosperous, sustainable, inclusive and mission-driven technology ecosystem right here in Europe.
Since 2006 we have been disrupting the venture capital industry in Europe, and a big part of that is never standing still or being afraid to be the trailblazers for different ways of doing things. Research and data show us that diverse teams have a greater perspective, make better decisions and perform better. As VCs we have a privileged hand in building the future; it is a direct responsibility of ours, then, to help build an equitable and just tomorrow
We are not perfect, nor are we there yet, but we share our convictions to push our industry and our ecosystem forward. Here are just some of the initiatives that we’ve committed to so far:
Our annual State of European Tech Report is the industry barometer and largest free data repository on our ecosystem today, highlighting progress but also where we must improve.
Atomico’s Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion - here’s everything we’re doing. If you work at another VC, feel free to reach out to us if you want to chat about how it’s going.
We published Diversity & Inclusion in Tech: A Practical Guidebook for Entrepreneurs, in partnership with DiversityVC
We launched our Access Atomico Office Hours programme for underrepresented founders
Across our active portfolio, 34% of our founding teams include a female or non-white founder.
Across our team 63% of our investment team come from some kind of underrepresented background (be that either non-male, ethnic minority, LGBTQ+, disability or socio economic background) and 74% of the total Atomico team identify as underrepresented.
We launched, and open-sourced, our Conscious Scaling Programme to help our founders prepare responsibly for a world in which their products and services will impact potentially millions of people
We launched Our 12 months Atomico Angel Programme to activate a new generation of angel investors including tech clusters that have been underrepresented in the past. Only by relentlessly reaching new networks can we ensure maximum spread of opportunity for the next generation of founders. You can see our cohorts of angels, and their investments to date, here: Cohort 1, Cohort 2 and Cohort 3
We have also made a number of LP commitments to first time fund managers focusing on underrepresented founders.
We have published our Commitment to ESG
We are Carbon Positive, including triple offsetting our own carbon footprint, and we are proud that our new home in London was the first office in the UK to receive the Net Zero certification.