Melissa Donohoe

I come from a classic Irish family of 6. My parents are tirelessly hard workers, generous and humble. They taught me very early on that success is hard fought for, but that luck and goodwill plays a big role, so always be modest and grateful! My passion for entrepreneurship started with a younger me selling homemade perfume (water mixed with weeds) to the constant flow of friends and family through our house, for the price of a bag of jellies. Further down the line my business skills thankfully evolved! I moved to Switzerland to complete my master's degree, during which I helped set up a social entrepreneurship accelerator and funding platform. I also worked for an impact and microfinance investment fund called Symbiotics.

After a stint in academia (I am an economics and data nerd at heart) I got further into the world of business with Accenture Strategy, where I focused on technology M&A. I quickly realised I wanted to move beyond advisory, so I joined Kreos Capital in 2017 - a venture debt fund. Here I focused on SaaS and deep tech, working with some incredible companies along the way. This is also how I met the Notion team, who impressed me from the get-go with their operational expertise and the support they provide to their portfolio. They also happen to be a fun bunch of people ;)Fast forward to 2021, I feel so fortunate to now work with this incredibly smart and hard working team.

When I'm not helping entrepreneurs build great companies, you will find me either outdoors (running, hiking and looking for my next challenge) or with friends (having a laugh and planning my next trip).

Contact Melissa on mdonohoe@notion.vc to discuss startups in the UK and Ireland.