Investing Team

Maria Rotilu

Founder & General Partner, OpenseedVC

I invest first checks into experienced operators building companies at day zero, before institutional capital shows up.

‍I am an operator turned investor, and I scaled products and teams at Uber and Branch (a16z backed Neo-bank) in complex, emerging market environments. Those years taught me how fragile early execution really is, and how quickly small, "day zero" decisions compound into either massive scale or, structural failure.

I entered investing the same way many founders start: by reaching out cold to an investor. After this, I completed my MBA at University of Oxford, where I led the Oxford Seed Fund, and later went on to build and co-lead Octopus Ventures’ £10m First Cheque Fund for Europe.

Along the way, I have reviewed over 7,000 startups and invested in more than 70 across Europe, the US, and Africa and my operating and investing experience shaped a singular conviction: Most early-stage failure is not about just the idea; it is about execution under uncertainty and finding  partners who lead with conviction.

The next generation of world-changing technology solutions will be built by operators who have deep domain expertise and the grit to navigate that uncertainty. I built Openseed to be that partner who leads with conviction on day zero, long before VCs arrive.


supported by an incredible

OPERaTOR NETWORK

The Openseed Operator Network has over 50+ seasoned operators across Software Engineering, Product, People, and Go-To-Market to help you get from zero to one  

meet the operator network

Our Operators

are alumni or are affiliated with leading global insitutions

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