Atomico
European VC firm; Niklas Zennstrom; $6bn managed; Klarna, Graphcore backer.
Atomico, the London venture firm Niklas Zennstrom founded in 2006, manages around $6bn and counts Klarna and Graphcore among its backers; its annual State of European Tech report, produced with Dealroom and Slush, remains one of the most cited measures of European startup health.
Last refreshed: 31 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can European VC firms compete with US funds for the best London startups?
Timeline for Atomico
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UK Startups and InnovationBackground
Atomico invests from seed through to growth equity in technology companies across Europe, having been founded in 2006 by Niklas Zennstrom, the co-founder of Skype. Headquartered in London, the firm manages approximately $6bn in capital and has backed companies including Klarna, Supercell, Graphcore and MessageBird. Zennstrom's own history 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.
