Portrait photo of a smiling woman in front of a grey background

Katharina Baratta-Dragono

Investor

Katharina’s initial spark towards early-stage venture capital caught fire during her time at Rocket Internet. That’s where she learned everything about building and developing tech companies globally.

She then went on to scale the ecommerce aggregator Razor Group from 100 to 400+ employees before joining Cherry as an investor. At Cherry, combining her knowledge, experience and passion, Katharina’s main investment focus areas are healthcare, climate and sustainability, and consumer.

Like – at least some – great stories, it all started with golf. Katharina earned her BSBA in Finance and International Business from the University of Denver, where she played golf for the Division 1 NCAA team. Afterwards, she completed her studies with an MSc degree in Economics & Strategy from Imperial College London. She might have left the professional greens for now, but the Vienna-native still enjoys her time spent outdoors, hiking, biking, and with other sports-related activities.

What industries are you passionate about and why?

At Cherry, I really enjoy covering the climate and health verticals. I believe there is so much room left for value creation in both areas, and that innovations within those industries will be needed for humankind to develop in a positive direction. Lastly, there is a lot of talent looking to be found in impact areas, and I really love to back people who strive towards a bigger vision.

What's it like to work at Cherry?

Cherry is extremely collaborative and founders really do come first. No matter the area where support is needed in, Cherry makes sure to put the best people on the task, rather than fostering a hyper-competitive environment which could often lead to a worse outcome for the founder. I feel very lucky to be surrounded by such smart people, who in turn motivate me to become the best version of myself.

What has been your favourite time spent with founders?

It must have been during our 2023 Founder Retreat in Italy, where we had plenty of time to also get to know each other on a more personal level. It's great to work together, but it's also very valuable to build trust and lasting partnerships outside of work.