Ana-Maria Andronic, the woman that brought founders and investors at the same table in Romania

Find out the story of Ana-Maria Andronic and how she helped create the first events that gathered the few Romanian startup founders from the Romanian Startups: Roaring Tigers of Europe - The Extended Series, following the documentary launched at the end of 2023.

The documentary "Romanian Startups: Roaring Tigers of Europe", made by the start-up.ro team, spans across 33 years of history, from the first entrepreneurs in the transitional years to the initial technology company transactions that brought Romania into the international spotlight.

Romanian Startups: Roaring Tigers of Europe - The Extended Series will present the people who built the Romanian ecosystem and who discussed with the VideoCorp and start-up.ro team for this documentary. In this series you will find the extensive interviews and find out the stories of those who built entrepreneurship in Romania.

In our interview for the Romanian Startups: Roaring Tigers of Europe, Ana-Maria Andronic, a Founding Partner for the Andronic & Partners law office, describes her journey from being a law student with a passion for intellectual property to becoming a key figure in the Romanian tech startup ecosystem.

She was initially fascinated by the protection offered by intellectual property laws to innovations and trademarks, which prompted her to study in the United States. 

After returning to Romania, Ana-Maria Andronic, or Mary Andronic, as she is known to founders and investors as well to other lawyers in Romania and beyond our borders, worked on a significant venture capital investment with Green Horse Games, which opened doors to her involvement in the tech sector.

Mary Andronic went through law firms such as Biriș Goran, DLA Piper, and in 2010-2011 she cofounded Venture Connect, the first event that brought Romanian startups and investors to the table.

She is currently an investor in the Bravva Angels community, dedicated to supporting companies founded by women, but she is also the founder of the Professional Support Company, a company that trains the administrative staff necessary for companies.

For the Romanian Startups: Roaring Tigers of Europe we’ve talked at length with Mary Andronic about her experience in helping build the Romanian startup ecosystem, about the investment and founders landscape during the 2009-2010 period, how tech entrepreneurship was viewed and how this entire ecosystem evolved during these years.

Mary recognized the need to connect startups with investors, leading to the creation of Venture Connect in 2010. Despite initial challenges with engaging startups and investors, Venture Connect became a pioneer event for the Romanian tech ecosystem, offering a platform for startups to pitch to investors.

"They didn't talk to each other. They were sitting there, the entrepreneurs at their table and the investors at their table. And then we realized that we need to help the community even more and to explain to them what an event like this is. It's a networking event. It's an event where you as an entrepreneur go to the investor", Mary Andronic told us.

Mary shared her early career journey, emphasizing a strong interest in intellectual property during law school, which later led her to study and specialize in this field in the United States.

A key moment was when she acquired her first Apple laptop, realizing the importance of intellectual property in protecting design and technology, which intensified her desire to work in this area.

After completing a master's degree in the U.S., Mary returned to Romania and engaged with Green Horse Games, a significant venture capital investment, marking her entry into the tech and investment ecosystem.

We've discussed with Ana-Maria Andronic at lenght for the documentary Romanian Startups: Roaring Tigers of Europe. Read her statements below and watch the entire interview in the video.

• During the 2009 Christmas period, Mary realized the potential to connect startups with investors in Romania. She had an interesting perspective, her area of knowledge being at the intersection of law, tech, and investment.
• To contribute to the emerging tech ecosystem, Mary Andronic co-founded Venture Connect in 2010, aiming to connect investors and startups, with support from her law firm.
• The initial Venture Connect event, although awkward with poor interaction between investors and startups, highlighted the need for education and fostering a networking culture in the Romanian tech landscape.
• Mary talks about the lack of business skills and mentality among Romanian tech founders, noting that many were initially reluctant to share their ideas.
• Venture Connect became a pivotal networking and accelerator event in Romania, also helping startups prepare pitches and connecting them with investors.
• Although Venture Connect eventually ended after completing its mission to foster a tech community, other similar events and initiatives began to emerge, broadening the ecosystem's support network.

• Over time, the ecosystem has grown with more startups and investors, and events like Venture Connect and How To Web have contributed to this growth by offering opportunities for learning and networking.
• "After, I don't know, three years or something like that, other similar events started to happen, which was something that we wanted. And I remember that somebody said, look, this organization is copying your event and is doing the same. And I said, that's the idea. That was the idea". 

• Mary also reflects on the impact of public funding and the role of foreign venture funds in shaping the ecosystem.
• She stated that while significant progress has been made, there is still a need to develop Series A level companies and better integrate with the broader European market.
• The true impact of Venture Connect was in laying the groundwork for a more robust startup ecosystem in Romania, although progress has been slower than desired, partly due to limited early investment.
• Finally, Mary Andronic identifies key challenges, including the need for improved business-related skills among founders, better public funding distribution, and a supportive legal framework.
• Romanian founders today are characterized by passion and drive but often lack strong business models or commercial strategies, a gap that still needs addressing.
• Past and current efforts have seen more funds being invested in Romanian tech startups, with increasing interest from both local and foreign investors, with room still for growth. 
• She remains optimistic about the future, emphasizing the untapped potential in the Romanian tech ecosystem and the value of involving women more actively in the industry.

Roaring Tigers of Europe is a production by start-up.ro and Videocorp, part of the Romanian publishing company InternetCorp, active for almost 20 years on the market. The documentary was made with the support of partners BCR, Orange, and 2Performant. Community partners included Guran Consulting Global, How to Web, Launch, Impact Hub Bucharest, Flaviu Simihaian, Rubik Hub, SoftServe, and the Romanian-American University.