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

  • Jul 2026fundraise
    Lakestar closed its $300M Resilience Fund I, dedicated to defence and dual-use technology across Europe and NATO-allied countries. The fund marks a formal strategic shift away from generalist VC into defence tech, a sector Klaus Hommels has backed as an angel since 2017. Notable existing portfolio companies in scope include Helsing, ISAR Aerospace, Cambridge Aerospace, and ARX Robotics. tectonicdefense.com
  • Jul 2026investment
    SE3 Labs, a spatial AI startup for defence, raised €5.5M in a round that included Lakestar alongside Seedcamp, the Sequoia Scout Fund, Plug and Play, and others. SE3's technology is in active use by the Bundeswehr, in Ukraine, and by other allied forces. Lakestar's Enrico Mellis co-led the investment. resiliencemedia.co
  • Jul 2026press
    Portfolio company HomeToGo SE announced it will publish Q2 2026 financial results on 19 August 2026. finanzwire.com
  • May 2026investment
    Lakestar participated in a Series A round for Pit, marking its most recent tracked investment according to CB Insights data. cbinsights.com
  • Feb 2026press
    Portfolio company Rows was acquired, representing Lakestar's most recent tracked exit. cbinsights.com
  • 2025fundraise
    Lakestar closed a $265M continuation fund, anchored by Lexington Partners alongside Industry Ventures and Performance Equity Management. The oversubscribed vehicle transferred partial stakes from four existing funds into a new vehicle, offering liquidity to LPs while retaining upside in the original funds. Klaus Hommels described it as one of the largest continuation vehicles in European venture. fintechnews.ch
  • 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

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 August 8, 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 →