Catalin Rusu

Co-Founder & CEO Rusu+Bortun + Award Winning Creative Director + Brand Consultant + International Juror + Entrepreneur (Advertising, Branding, PR, Culture, Retail, Gaming) + Tech Investor + Board Member ADC Europe

📍 Romania🔄 Updated September 2026💼 8 investments📅 9 years investing🗓 Last invested May 2025
Operator-angel🌍 Romania
8
Total investments
3
Early stage
2
Mid stage
1
Late stage
9y
Years active

Portfolio

7 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Chief Brand Officer & Board Member
May 2025
Investor
Dec 2022
Revolutionising Speech Recognition with Superior Accuracy and Affordability. Vatis Tech’s API provides advanced speech-to-text technology that automatically converts audio or video files into text with over 95% accuracy, using proprietary deep-learning speech recognition algorithms. Vatis Tech offers its speech-to-text API engine and web platform to agile startups, behemoth enterprises, podcasters, journalists, and developers alike. This allows solution and service providers to integrate the technology into their applications, regardless of industry or use case. ✅ Deploy on-prem or on cloud 👨🏻‍💻 Build in any programming language with our API ⚙️ Get scalable GPU infra for training and inference 🔢 Contextual features like speaker diarization, entity detection, punctuation, and capitalization or numeral conversion. ✍️ Text editing features inside the web application 🔊 Transcribe in real-time or pre-recorded files Vatis Tech is proudly backed by the most prominent VCs in CEE.
Investor
Jan 2022
Tokinomo is the ultimate robot for in-store experiential marketing campaigns. Using a unique combination of technologies, sensors, motion, light, and sound, Tokinomo brings products to life on the shelf by giving them a voice and a personality and allows them to interact with the shoppers in a truly memorable way. FMCG brands from around the world use the Tokinomo solution to create immersive experiences for shoppers in supermarkets and brick-and-mortar stores. We partner with global retailers, in-store marketing agencies, and FMCG brands to increase brand awareness and sales. Our patented, certified, and award-winning device provides real-time campaign analytics and is easily managed remotely. Each Tokinomo device is connected wirelessly to our data servers, which means you can change campaign settings like audio files, sound volume, and motion pattern remotely and have real-time access to data, so you can monitor the campaign at all times, irrespective of the number of locations it is implemented in. Besides doing an amazing job of delighting shoppers through creative marketing experiences, Tokinomo is also one of the most efficient POP marketing solutions, as it manages to boost sales by an average of 200%.
Investor
Jan 2021
iFactor is a FinTech specialized in Credit Intelligence solutions, accelerating Bank analyst’s achievement, from sales to underwriting and monitoring, using advanced AI technology and proprietary modeling to revolutionize credit risk assessment. Additionally, our hybrid marketplace facilitates capital allocation by allowing lenders to bid for SME loans based on the right credit score. The philosophy behind it is to replace analytical time-consuming and error-exposed human research, and deliver real-time, alternative data decision support, while giving options to due-diligence the flag bases & sources. We are developing an EMBEDDED SEMANTIC SME LENDING & ANALYTICS ENGINE empowering AI backed decision making & bringing Business Intelligence and funding at the tips of SMEs fingers.
Board Member & Investor
Dec 2020
Blindspot is building the worlds first interconnected network of digital indoor & outdoor screens for advertisers. We bring digital billboards into the era of the internet of things by providing dynamic technology for more measurable, impactful and scalable campaigns. We strongly believe digital advertising screens should be available to everyone without budget and time limit constraints. Using Artificial Intelligence, we provide real-time data based on traffic, weather and time to drive contextual and dynamic contents to the audience. We also connect with advertiser data to bring additional context on specific requirements.
Member / Angel Investor
Nov 2020
TechAngels is an independent non-profit association established in 2013 with the objective to promote entrepreneurship and investments in tech industry in Romania and South-Eastern Europe. It is an open group of investors with proven track record in businesses as corporate experts in management, finance, HR, product development, business development, marketing and entrepreneurs and founders of successful Romanian startups, willing to provide a return to people starting their journey as either tech founders, or Angel investors. At this moment the group is formed by 70 angel investors with diverse portfolios and with experience in mentoring and coaching start-up teams from many industries. Investment decisions are made individually or in group during regular pitch sessions organized directly or via participation in other specialized events. TechAngels is also open to form partnerships with similar Business Angel associations from Europe as well as with other organizations such as universities, accelerators and venture capital funds sharing same objectives. During 2019 the group committed around 6 million Euro to the development of tech start-ups in Romania. Those interested to join are invited to fill in the forms available on the website.
Board Member
Jan 2017
Startarium, orașul antreprenorilor, este cea mai complexă platformă online dedicată antreprenorilor din România. Ea le oferă acestora resursele necesare pentru a învăța despre cum se construiesc afaceri de succes, pentru a lucra la modelul lor de business, pentru a interacționa cu experți sau mentori și, nu în ultimul rând, pentru a obține finanțarea afacerii lor, prin accesul la investitori și programe de finanțare sau în cadrul evenimentelor Startarium PitchDay. Startarium este o inițiativă a Impact Hub Bucharest și ING Bank.
Experience · 13 entries
All (13)
Investments (8)
Founder (4)
Board (4)
2025
Chief Brand Officer & Board Member
May 2025
Partner
Jan 2025
Dăescu Borțun Olteanu is an independent, award winning, public relations agency, focused on delivering the best communication guidance for its clients, to create meaningful and impactful campaigns. At Dăescu Borțun Olteanu, we have maintained a flawless track record in corporate, brand and internal communication across all major verticals.
2022
Investor
Dec 2022
Revolutionising Speech Recognition with Superior Accuracy and Affordability. Vatis Tech’s API provides advanced speech-to-text technology that automatically converts audio or video files into text with over 95% accuracy, using proprietary deep-learning speech recognition algorithms. Vatis Tech offers its speech-to-text API engine and web platform to agile startups, behemoth enterprises, podcasters, journalists, and developers alike. This allows solution and service providers to integrate the technology into their applications, regardless of industry or use case. ✅ Deploy on-prem or on cloud 👨🏻‍💻 Build in any programming language with our API ⚙️ Get scalable GPU infra for training and inference 🔢 Contextual features like speaker diarization, entity detection, punctuation, and capitalization or numeral conversion. ✍️ Text editing features inside the web application 🔊 Transcribe in real-time or pre-recorded files Vatis Tech is proudly backed by the most prominent VCs in CEE.
Board Member
Jun 2022
The ADCE was founded in 1990 as a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to foster and reward excellence in European design and advertising. It is owned and managed by professional design and advertising associations from twenty-one European countries. As an association, the ADCE is an authoritative voice in the international stage which brings creatives together through events and publications, thus benchmarking creativity across Europe, and deepening our understanding of creative diversity. The ADCE is the gateway to Europes creative communities. ADCE The Awards The ADCE Awards is the only event in the world to bring together the best of European award-winning work under one competition. The entries are showcased in the ADCE Awards Annual, providing a unique and impressive archive of the very best of European creativity.
Investor
Jan 2022
Tokinomo is the ultimate robot for in-store experiential marketing campaigns. Using a unique combination of technologies, sensors, motion, light, and sound, Tokinomo brings products to life on the shelf by giving them a voice and a personality and allows them to interact with the shoppers in a truly memorable way. FMCG brands from around the world use the Tokinomo solution to create immersive experiences for shoppers in supermarkets and brick-and-mortar stores. We partner with global retailers, in-store marketing agencies, and FMCG brands to increase brand awareness and sales. Our patented, certified, and award-winning device provides real-time campaign analytics and is easily managed remotely. Each Tokinomo device is connected wirelessly to our data servers, which means you can change campaign settings like audio files, sound volume, and motion pattern remotely and have real-time access to data, so you can monitor the campaign at all times, irrespective of the number of locations it is implemented in. Besides doing an amazing job of delighting shoppers through creative marketing experiences, Tokinomo is also one of the most efficient POP marketing solutions, as it manages to boost sales by an average of 200%.
Show all 13 entries ↓
Investment activity
2017–2025 · 8 investments
2017120202202112022320251
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