Sofia Dolfe

Sofia is based in San Francisco and invests across multiple sectors, from gaming to financial services to healthcare and AI. She started her career at Index in the London office, where she invested in fast-growing companies like Dream Games, Cradle, Atlar, Printify and Rohlik.

Before joining Index in 2018, Sofia worked as an investor at EQT Ventures in Stockholm and a consultant at EY-Parthenon in London and Paris. She also took part in the European Union Delegation to the OECD. Sofia graduated from the London School of Economics (M.Sc. in Management) and the University of Edinburgh (M.A.), where she graduated at the top of her class.

How would you describe your approach to investing?

SOFIA — I’m in the business of identifying and working with exceptional entrepreneurs. It always starts with the founder — nobody can share the vision like the founder can. I love the thrill of meeting a founder and feeling that strong spike. You have to be open-minded because you never know when that next meeting will come. Every day is gameday.

I get excited when a founder brings me into their world. Before I met Stef and Elise at Cradle, I knew nothing about biology. Now I spend my weekends reading biological papers because they sparked that curiosity. It’s the same with the team at Atlar. I didn’t know much about fintech before meeting them, but their deep domain expertise and execution hunger got me excited to work with them.

What qualities do you look for in a founder?

SOFIA — Above all, I’m looking for a clear spike. Ultimately, there’s no one-size-fits-all trait for entrepreneurs. Someone can spike in storytelling, in execution, in uniqueness of thought. I always ask myself, “What is this founder’s superpower?”

For me, I value self-awareness and founders who are open about what they don’t know. I see that as a strength. I love it when a technical founder comes to me and says, “I don't know what a best in class VP Sales looks like,” or “I don’t know how to build out my go-to-market organization.” They realize that to build an outstanding business they need to surround themselves with people who excel in areas where they may not.