Ana-Maria Andronic is one of the people who laid the groundwork for what is now the Romanian startup ecosystem. In 2010 Romania had few examples, and Ana-Maria, inspired by her American experience, helped create Venture Connect, the event series that brought dreamers to the same table. Today she is an investor and gets involved in the life of startups helping founders and investors speak the same language and reach an agreement. This is her story.In our interview for the Romanian Startups: Roaring Tigers of Europe, Ana-Maria describes her journey from being a law student with a passion for intellectual property to becoming a key figure in the Romanian tech startup ecosystem.She was initially fascinated by the protection offered by intellectual property laws to innovations and trademarks, which prompted her to study in the United States. After returning to Romania, Ana-Maria Andronic, or Mary Andronic, as she is known to founders and investors as well to other lawyers in Romania and beyond our borders, worked on a significant venture capital investment with Green Horse Games, which opened doors to her involvement in the tech sector.Mary Andronic went through law firms such as Biriș Goran, DLA Piper, and in 2010-2011 she cofounded Venture Connect, the first event that brought Romanian startups and investors to the table.She is currently an investor in the Bravva Angels community, dedicated to supporting companies founded by women, but she is also the founder of the Professional Support Company, a company that trains the administrative staff necessary for companies.For the Romanian Startups: Roaring Tigers of Europe we’ve talked at length with Mary Andronic about her experience in helping build the Romanian startup ecosystem, about the investment and founders landscape during the 2009-2010 period, how tech entrepreneurship was viewed and how this entire ecosystem evolved during these years.