Munich Startup: What motivated you to start?
Annabell Vacano: Art has always been my passion. But for as long as I can remember, I've also seen great, untapped potential in it. I believe the idea behind Atopia has the potential to strengthen art and culture for the future. Atopia creates an important new revenue stream for institutions and artists and builds enthusiasm among younger target groups. From day one, I was completely captivated by making this ambitious project a reality – founding the company was a no-brainer!
Munich Startup: What would you have liked to have known before starting your first business??
Annabell Vacano: Media reports often portray starting a business as an effortless process. But the reality is more complex. It was only after talking to other founders that I realized that even successful entrepreneurs constantly overcome challenges and setbacks.
This awareness would have helped me doubt myself less in the initial phase when I encountered obstacles or rejection. And that was often! Otherwise, our idea would hardly be "innovative." Building a company requires resilience, strength, courage, and perseverance. I would therefore recommend every aspiring founder to build friendships and relationships with other founders, to support each other, and to learn from each other. I highly recommend the Sigma Squared Society, the TUM Venture Labs, and this interview with Brian Chesky, the founder of AirBnB.
Munich Startup: How has your company been financed so far?
Annabell Vacano: We are venture-funded and have a Pre-seed financing round by two VC firms and several business angels.
Anabell Vacano: “Art is an incredible source of inspiration and reflection for me”
Munich Startup: When and where do you get the best ideas?
Annabell Vacano: At a concert or in a museum. I'm actually someone who almost always gets distracted when it comes to art—but that's exactly what makes it special for me. Art is an incredible source of inspiration and reflection for me. And my best ideas almost always arise there.
Munich Startup: What are your 3 favorite work tools?
Annabell Vacano: 1) Notion, because it allows us to make our entire game design and business processes transparent and collaborative within the team. 2) ChatGPT, because it helps me tremendously with brainstorming, drafting emails, and drafting grant applications. And 3) Midjourney, because it often provides a great foundation for design concepts—especially for visual design.
Inspire your counterpart!
Munich Startup: Your top tip on pitching?
Annabell Vacano: Keep it simple! Investors often speak to countless founders every single day. Staying focused with so many complex innovations is very difficult. Therefore, in your first pitch, I would always make sure to keep your idea as easy to understand as possible. It's best to summarize the idea in one sentence so that everyone understands the basics. If someone is interested, you have all the time in the world to explain all the studies, data, and technical fundamentals to them. But for now, the most important thing is to inspire your counterpart! And to do that, you should make it as easy as possible to understand each other. I sometimes got that wrong myself in the beginning.
Munich Startup: Does this seem like a good time to start a business? Why?
Annabell Vacano: Basically, yes. There are countless early-stage funds, support programs, and initiatives around the world that support founders. Furthermore, digitalization allows small, agile teams in particular to operate much faster. And investments in things like digital infrastructure are becoming increasingly affordable. But apart from that, every idea has its own "perfect time" to launch a company. And that's exactly what really matters in the end.
Munich Startup: Which technology or industry would you focus on for your next start-up?
Annabell Vacano: At this point, I can only think of the connection between virtual reality and the cultural industry. But I'd be happy to answer that question if I ever decide to start a second company.
More support beyond deep tech
Munich Startup: In your opinion, what could be improved at the Munich startup location?
Annabell Vacano: I would find it enriching to see more support in Munich outside of the deep tech industry. Munich has a strong focus on deep tech, which is spawning many incredibly great companies.
Sometimes, however, it feels a little like non-deep tech companies aren't taken as seriously. Examples like Facebook, Apple, Amazon, and Netflix show that companies can achieve incredible success by applying existing technologies. Because in the end, it all comes down to creating something that customers love. I think it would be great to loosen up this focus in some areas!
Munich Startup: Which founder would you like to meet in person? And what would you ask them?
Annabell Vacano: Mark Zuckerberg. I'd love to hear all about his vision for VR, as I think Meta has the potential to become a significant new success story in the coming years.
