Olivia Nicoletti is General Partner at Haystack Ventures, a pre-seed and seed venture capital firm focused on pan-European sustainable technology infrastructure.
She has a strong background in venture capital and early-stage deep tech venture growth. Her previous roles include Director and National Lead in the Venture Growth team at PwC Italy; Investment Manager at Eureka! Venture, Italy’s first deep tech venture capital firm with €70 million under management; and Senior Associate at Angel CoFund, a £100 million generalist VC firm based in Sheffield and London with a strong angel co-investment mandate.
Prior to her VC career, Olivia was Commercialisation Manager at Cambridge Enterprise, where she worked across the Technology Transfer and Seed Funds teams for five years. During this time, she supported numerous academics in bridging the commercialisation gap, leading to successful spin-outs and significant licensing deals. She also contributed to the development of an Associates’ Training Programme and introduced a more hands-on approach to coaching founders and founding teams.
Before joining Cambridge Enterprise, Olivia was an editor and writer for Nature Materials. She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge, as well as the equivalent of an MSc and a BSc in Physics from Università Statale di Milano.
Olivia is an active mentor for women in tech, women entrepreneurs, and women seeking to transition into venture capital.