Irina is a Partner on the investment team based in London, where she focuses on investments in AI, enterprise software, and health and bio.
Irina Haivas
Irina is a Partner on the investment team based in London, where she focuses on investments in AI, enterprise software, and health and bio.
Irina is like having a late co-founder join your team. A true strategic partner that is fully behind the mission of the company, bold and ambitious, and relentlessly focused on helping the founders grow and scale towards their vision.
I’m on the lookout for bold, mission-driven and product obsessed founders, with undeniable clarity of thought. Founders who use first principles to take on hard, high stakes problems, architect a future state that ‘should’ exist - whether it’s by transforming complex markets, creating new ones, or driving human potential itself.
My first love was mathematics.
I found beauty in its logic, truth seeking and clarity. There is no room for ambiguity and every assertion requires evidence. I’m now in a field that involves instinct, ideas, and taking risks, but the love for solving hard problems remains, and the rigour and mental structure of mathematics still guides my judgement.
I eventually trained as a doctor.
I chose medicine because it was hard, and because it was human. I was a surgical fellow at Harvard Medical School before completing an MSc (Dist) in International Health Policy at London School of Economics. Medicine taught me empathy, resilience, listening to instinct, and comfort with ambiguity and unknowns - all of which are now highly relevant in my investing career.
I look for businesses that capitalise on platform shifts, category creation opportunities or sit at the intersection of domains - the hard bets for which there is a “why now” moment.
A lot of the investments I made have a few things in common. First, each harnesses a new technology that is starting to show potential of a generational platform shift, or that can be deeply transformative to an industry, a group of people, users or businesses, or to existing business models. They are often creating a category.
Second, because of the audacity and scale of ambition, it's essential that I believe in the founders as individuals. These founders have unique stories that drive their passion, deep insights into the problems they’re solving, and a relentless pursuit to build the world they want to see. I feel lucky to be spending my days looking into the future.
Stay hungry, reach higher
I grew up in Romania, and as an immigrant I will always carry an underdog mentality within me. Never take success for granted, always raise the bar a little higher, push the dream a little further, and always be learning.
Technology is an agent for change. It is one of the most impactful tools we have to build something that matters at a global scale. But with power comes responsibility - we need to remember to use it wisely and point it at the right problems.
Before joining Atomico
I was a late stage investor at GHO Capital Partners, where I invested in enterprise software, tech-enabled services, and applied AI/ML at the intersection of technology and life sciences. Earlier in my career, I was part of the senior team of Bain & Co, where I worked with over 30 companies in Europe and US on innovation, product strategy, go to market, and M&A.
I value deep relationships
Trust and honesty are fundamental to that. I tell it like it is and I’m not one to sugarcoat, but I deeply care and I’ll go to great lengths to be there when needed.
Irina has a rare combination of sharp intellect, strong values, refined instincts and tremendous resourcefulness. She has been an immense source of support in the journey of building our company. It's a true privilege to have her on our board.
I’ve seen myself as a global citizen since a young age
I worked in 10 countries and travelled to over 50, and can speak English, Romanian, German, French and enough Italian to get around. I find it exciting and humbling to dive into new unfamiliar places and cultures. I’m often planning my next adventure to some faraway place with a patchy network and great photo opportunities.
When the getting gets tough, the tough get going
The founder journey is an intense rollercoaster, and we are here 24/7 to support you on that ride. The best founders have it in their DNA to push through seemingly insurmountable barriers. Be your own hero. Make some magic.
