On People and Ideas: Inside Marius Istrate’s Investment Philosophy

The Recursive podcast is back from a summer break and today we are taking you on a journey to Bucharest and inside the mind of a seasoned investor. Marius Istrate is currently the Chairman of the Board of TechAngels Romania, an investors’ community planning accelerated growth after a decade on the market. He is also a Venture Partner at 3VC and Crew Capital.

Among the companies he invested in are FlowX.AI, parol, Carsup, Snackable AI, Transition-One, Romania-Insider.com, Younichoice, SmartDreamers, Bunnyshell, and OxidOs.

In his previous modus operandi, Marius Istrate was an entrepreneur himself, CTO, and CEO at various IT companies. He also took on the role of Chief People Officer at the Romanian unicorn UiPath, leading the company’s growth from 100 people to 3K.

In a conversation with our Country Lead in Romania Elena Vrabie, Marius Istrate discusses the transition from being an entrepreneur to an investor, highlighting how his experience at Uipath shaped his thinking, but also the importance of embracing change and gaining diverse experiences in the business world.

“One of the things that people appreciate about working with me today is that I’m capable of asking questions from different angles that they haven’t really thought about before”, he explains.

Marius Istrate reflects that the most rewarding aspect of his work as an investor is the opportunity to continuously meet and learn from people with diverse backgrounds, values, and perspectives.

Join Elena and Marius’ conversation as they explore the value of education today, what it means to be a decent human being, and why founders should explore life in different cultural contexts.