Helen McBreen

Dr Helen McBreen is an accomplished venture capital investor and technology leader with over 20 years of experience scaling innovative deep tech companies.  She is a Partner at Atlantic Bridge a global deep tech investor and Founder of the Atlantic Bridge University Fund, which has catalysed over €1 billion in investment into early-stage deeptech startups. Since 2015, she has led the creation and deployment of multiple institutional funds, invested in 45 deep tech companies, and successfully exited companies acquired by Apple, Quantexa, and Cambridge Education Group.

Helen holds a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence from The University of Edinburgh, where she was awarded multiple prestigious scholarships. Her expertise spans seed-stage investing, IP commercialisation, international M&A, and institutional fundraising. She was previously an investor at the National Digital Research Centre, co-founding Europe’s first dedicated science ventures accelerator.

Helen sits on several boards across sectors such as quantum computing, AI, cybersecurity, and medtech, and chairs Ireland’s leading Integrated Photonics Centre (IPIC). A Kauffman Fellow, former VP of Tech Tour Europe and an active voice for women in technology and venture capital, Helen is widely recognized among the Top 100 Women in STEM. Helen is proud to be a Judge at the world recognised Young Scientist and Technologist Exhibition and is a recent addition to the board of Kinia an education focused non-profit focused on skills and learning for children.