Robin Eric Haak, co-Founder of Jobspotting and former global SVP at SmartRecruiters, has joined responsible growth-equity fund Gaia Capital Partners, where he will be responsible for heading the fund’s new Berlin office and establishing the firm in the DACH and Nordics markets.
Gaia Capital Partners has offices in Berlin and Paris, two powerhouses of the European technology ecosystem, along with operating partners in Toronto and New York.
Haak is joining the team of former private equity and growth investors and operators. He will lead Gaia Capital Partners’ expansion in the DACH and Nordics regions. He brings his international experience, both as an investor and an entrepreneur, in Software-as-a-Service platforms, international scaling, go-to-market and operational strategy. Prior to joining Gaia Capital Partners, Robin gained experience as a late-stage investor at Axel Springer SE before going on to co-found the Axel Springer Plug&Play accelerator in Germany, where he invested in over 40 companies, including N26.
From there, he co-founded and led Jobspotting, a high-tech startup in the fields of talent acquisition and big data with top investors such as Horizons Ventures. Robin led Jobspotting to profitability and helped the startup accrue three million users in 12 countries and 4 languages. He then oversaw the merge of Jobspotting with Silicon Valley-based SmartRecruiters, while helping the team raise $50m in Series D with Insight Partners and Mayfield and scale to more than 300 employees on both sides of the Atlantic.
“Germany is undoubtedly one of Europe’s main tech hubs and growth capital in the DACH region still mainly stems from international investors. We felt that this was both the right place and the right time to realize our European ambition,” says Alice Albizzati, Founding Partner of Gaia Capital Partners.
“Being both an entrepreneur and an investor, Robin is the right fit for our team. He knows the challenges faced by entrepreneurs while sharing our vision of what an investor should be like. He has high conviction, is mission-driven, and is always ready to roll up his sleeves to support founders to build ambitious companies in Europe. We are delighted to welcome him as a partner to support more firms in the DACH and Nordics ecosystem and launch our German office,” adds Elina Berrebi, Founding Partner of Gaia Capital Partners.
“I am excited to get back on the investment side of things again, with a diverse team who has not only been on its own entrepreneurial journey but believes in sustainability and is committed to taking risks to make the world a better place. I have known the team for years and I admire the depth of their work coming from over 10 years of Private Equity and tech experience. I’m honured to join them as a partner and support them in fulfilling their mission of helping companies grow sustainably while shaping the world of tomorrow. I’m looking forward to partnering with the bold, brilliant and brave entrepreneurs that we have in Europe!” says Haak.
