Multi-stage VC, London + Zurich

Lakestar

Venture capital firm · London · Founded 2012

Quick read

Lakestar is a pan-European multi-stage VC founded in 2012 by Klaus Hommels, with offices in London, Zurich, Berlin, New York, and Hong Kong. It manages over €2.8bn across four early-stage and two growth funds, with landmark early bets on Spotify, Revolut, Klarna, Skype, and Airbnb. In 2025, Hommels signalled a strategic pivot away from generalist funds toward focused themes — particularly defence tech — while the firm closed a $265m continuation vehicle to extend its hold on key portfolio companies.

Key facts

Founded
2012
Founders
Klaus Hommels
Employees
40-47
Sectors
generalist, fintech, enterprise, ai, healthcare
Website
lakestar.com

Investment thesis

Lakestar backs technology-enabled businesses from seed to growth, with a long-standing focus on fintech, deep tech, healthcare, and defence tech. Founded on early wins in consumer internet (Spotify, Airbnb, Revolut), the firm is now pivoting toward concentrated, theme-driven bets — particularly European defence and dual-use technology — rather than generalist fund cycles.

Recent activity

  • Jun 2026investment
    Lakestar backed SE3 Labs, a voice-controlled drones startup, alongside Seedcamp. sifted.eu
  • May 2026investment
    Lakestar participated in a Series A round for Pit, its most recent investment per CB Insights data. cbinsights.com
  • Mar 2026press
    Lakestar published its 2026 European Deep Tech Report, aiming to align definitions of Deep Tech across Europe and map trends and opportunities in the sector. lakestar.com
  • Feb 2026investment
    Portfolio exit: Rows was acquired, marking Lakestar's most recent portfolio exit as of Feb 23, 2026. cbinsights.com
  • Oct 2025leadership
    Founder and Chairman Dr. Klaus Hommels published a personal letter announcing a sharpened firm strategy, described as a return to Lakestar's core investment purpose. lakestar.com
  • Oct 2025leadership
    Lakestar announced two partner promotions from within its investment team. lakestar.com
  • 2025fundraise
    BAE Systems invested in Lakestar, expanding the defence contractor's footprint into European VC. resiliencemedia.co
  • May 2026fundraise
    Lakestar closed a $265M continuation fund anchored by Lexington Partners, with Industry Ventures and Performance Equity Management also committing. The oversubscribed vehicle transfers stakes from four existing funds into the new structure, giving liquidity to LPs seeking exits while extending exposure to high-performing portfolio companies. Klaus Hommels described it as one of the largest continuation vehicles in European VC. fintechnews.ch
  • May 2026investment
    Lakestar participated in a Series A round for Pit, a Swedish AI startup building custom enterprise software. The round raised $16M. cbinsights.com
  • May 2026fundraise
    Lakestar is raising a separate $300M fund targeting European defence technology companies, responding to increased defence spending across the region. fintechnews.ch
  • Mar 2026press
    Lakestar co-published the 2026 European Deep Tech Report with Walden Catalyst and Dealroom. The report values European Deep Tech companies at $690bn, with Helsing and Synthesia among those driving recent growth. It covers Novel AI, Future of Compute, Novel Robotics, Computational Biology & Chemistry, Novel Energy, Space Tech, and Defence. lakestar.com
  • Mar 2026investment
    Lakestar participated in a $3.5B Series A round for TYTAN Technologies. startupintros.com

Notable investments

Key people

Named individuals at the firm. We don't expose direct email or phone — use their LinkedIn for outreach.

  • Klaus Hommels · Founder & Chairman
    LinkedIn
  • Steven Jacobs · Partner & CPO
  • Stephen Nundy · Partner & CTO
  • Chris Magazzeni · Partner
    LinkedIn
  • Christoph Schuh · Partner
  • Markus Wagner · Partner
  • Manu Gupta · Partner

Sources

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Frequently asked

What is Lakestar?+

Lakestar is a pan-European multi-stage VC founded in 2012 by Klaus Hommels, with offices in London, Zurich, Berlin, New York, and Hong Kong. It manages over €2.

Where is Lakestar headquartered?+

Lakestar is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.

When was Lakestar founded?+

Lakestar was founded in 2012 by Klaus Hommels.

What sectors does Lakestar invest in?+

Lakestar focuses on generalist, fintech, enterprise, ai, healthcare. They primarily invest in these sectors.

How do I prepare for a meeting with Lakestar?+

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Generated by briefthecall.com from public web sources. Last updated July 9, 2026. Each claim is linked to its source above.

Automatically generated by AI from public sources. May be inaccurate or out of date. Remove or correct this profile →