Our letter to founders

Dear founder,

Atomico is a different sort of venture capital firm. We created Atomico in 2006 to be the investor Europe’s entrepreneurs needed but hadn’t had. The way we operate is not typical. But it is carefully designed to help the most gamechanging founders build technology to rewire the world for the better.

In the early 2000s Silicon Valley was considered to be the only place to build a global technology company. The belief was that only that small pocket of the US had access to the spirit of innovation, the talent and the capital for scale-ups to thrive.

Skype changed the game. It became Europe’s first breakout technology success, with a mission to connect people all over the world. It proved that Europe could be the home of a global technology firm, and changed worldwide communication forever. 

Atomico is built upon that experience. It fueled our conviction that exceptional companies can come from anywhere, and that profit and purpose can be mutually reinforcing. But nobody can do this alone.

Our promise to you

When you partner with Atomico, you don’t just get capital. You get a seasoned team from some of the world’s biggest tech companies to help you scale, and deep domain understanding. A firm built on founder DNA, that will sit with you on the same side of the table through your hardest day.

We are principled. We think a little differently and it’s our responsibility to ensure your experience matches our philosophy. We invite you to take note of the below.

Founder driven

You are the Captain of your rocket ship. We respect the unconventional and encourage the contrarian. We act as one team to realise your vision.

A partnership, not a deal

We value relationships over transactions. That means supporting founders through ideas, companies and beyond. Many stay with Atomico as investors in future funds.

We act with integrity

We’ll always be honest with you, even when it’s uncomfortable. We continue to show up for you through your lowest moments, alongside the wins.  

Bold and progressive

We will challenge you. World changing results mean grit, focus and perpetual hard decisions. The path won’t be easy but when we have conviction we put everything we’ve got into helping you succeed.

What we ask in return:

You are building with a purpose

You intend to rewire the world for the better. We are uncompromising in our belief that profit and purpose are mutually reinforcing, and we work best with founders who agree. 

Your business will scale consciously

You’re mindful about the opportunities and unintended consequences of technology at scale. You share our commitment to sustainable growth, the environment, diversity and inclusion.

You have unrestrained ambition

You have a global mindset and a product that solves a universal problem. You are one of the rare few with the relentless drive to make it happen.

With immense ambition the risk of failure is high - never moderate your ambition to moderate that risk.

Welcome to Atomico.

Best,

Niklas Zennström (co-founder Skype, founder and CEO Atomico) and the whole Atomico team