Atomico
European VC firm; Niklas Zennstrom; $6bn managed; Klarna, Graphcore backer.
Last refreshed: 13 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can European VC firms compete with US funds for the best London startups?
Timeline for Atomico
Mentioned in: Granola hits $1.5bn in three years
UK Startups and InnovationMentioned in: London VC hits £2.14bn, Nscale takes 70%
UK Startups and Innovation- Who founded Atomico VC?
- Atomico was founded by Niklas Zennstrom, the Swedish entrepreneur who co-founded Skype, which was sold to eBay in 2005 and later acquired by Microsoft.Source: uk-startups-and-innovation
- What companies has Atomico invested in?
- Atomico has backed companies including Klarna, Supercell, Graphcore, and MessageBird. It focuses on Series A through growth-stage European technology companies.Source: uk-startups-and-innovation
- What is the State of European Tech report?
- An annual report produced by Atomico in partnership with Dealroom and Slush that provides a comprehensive data picture of startup activity, funding, and talent across Europe.Source: uk-startups-and-innovation
Background
Atomico is a European venture capital firm founded by Niklas Zennstrom, the co-founder of Skype, and one of the most prominent investors in the London and pan-European technology ecosystem. The firm appeared in two events in this briefing cycle: backing Dexory, the warehouse robotics company, and appearing in the quarterly London VC activity data showing total investment of 2.14bn in the first quarter of 2025. related event
Founded in 2006 and headquartered in London, Atomico invests from seed through to growth equity in technology companies across Europe. The firm manages approximately $6bn in capital and has backed companies including Klarna, Supercell, Graphcore, and MessageBird. Zennstroms personal profile as a founder-turned-investor gives Atomico a credibility advantage when pitching to technical founders who want a lead investor with operational rather than purely financial experience.
Atomico also publishes an influential annual State of European Tech report in partnership with Dealroom and Slush, which has become one of the authoritative sources of data on European startup activity. This dual role as investor and research publisher gives the firm unusual visibility in policy circles: its data is regularly cited by UK and EU governments when making the case for intervention in the technology investment market.