Lakestar

Lakestar will be attending SuperReturn in Berlin! As with last year, we would love to welcome you for a free coffee in front of the InterContinental Hotel on the 4th and 5th June! Don't miss our Investment Partner Stephen Nundy's panel participation on June 4th, at 11:10am on the topic of "Real world case studies on GenAI to create value in PE portfolios". We are also looking forward to meeting LPs and GPs throughout the conference to catch-up and connect. Feel free to reach out directly to the team if you're interested in scheduling a meeting with us. We're very much looking forward to see some new and familiar faces in Berlin! #SuperReturn #VentureCapital

As part of adding value along the founders' journey, Lakestar launched a series of expert conversations focussing on building a strong organisation.    First in our series was a webinar focussing on B2B sales, led by our partner Akis Bratsos. Members of Lakestar's Industry Advisory Board Simon Collins, former Chair of KPMG, and Martin Hofmann, former CIO VW, as well as EIR Shankar Bhaduri, former VP Growth at UiPath and Mark Maxwell, former Head of Sales at DBT, shared their expertise around a number of topics. We addressed questions that are on many of our founders' minds when building and scaling an efficient B2B sales process: What is the right time to start building a sales team? What may this team look like and how do I scale it? How do I build partnerships with companies and community adoption? How can I sell into large enterprises and how can a start-up tailor their selling and use case to the right people within those organisations? Thanks to all involved for making the webinar a great success. #PortfolioGrowth #B2B #LakestarValueAdd

We are pleased to see Handelsblatt and McKinsey & Company highlighting the strength of the European quantum sector. The "Quantum Technology Monitor", published by McKinsey, attributes the upward trend both to recent technological breakthroughs and an increase in government funding, for example, in Germany, but also in the U.K. and across other parts of Europe. We believe strong ecosystems emerge when we have a concentration of talent, capital and ambition. We are very proud to see our portfolio company Terra Quantum AG recognised in Handelsblatt alongside many other startups we respect and admire. You can read the full McKinsey report here: https://lnkd.in/gbbebPm4 #Lakestar #QuantumTechnology #Innovation #TerraQuantum

Last week, Lakestar hosted its first ‘Healthcare Symposium’ in the Hörsaalruine at the Charité in Berlin.    Former German federal ministers of health Jens Spahn and Daniel Bahr held insightful in-depth discussions on the state of German healthcare, and we were also grateful to be joined byProf. Dr. Karl Broich, President of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), who lent his view on public funding and the future of innovation.   The former Vice Chancellor of Germany and Lakestar board member Dr. Philipp Rösler was in attendance, and our symposium was expertly moderated by Lakestar Partner Oliver Heimes.   Events like these are key for our network of founders, innovators, investors and politicians to meet and discuss the important issues of our time as part of one-to-one and panel conversations.   Our partner Oliver expands on this: “To realise the full potential of healthcare innovation in spite of regulation and complex market structures, it is essential to bring together regulators, political actors and the most innovative founders together in one room to allow for a true exchange of ideas”.   We would like to thank all guests who made the time to share their expertise, and we very much look forward to hosting you all again very soon.   #Lakestar #Healthcare Nelly Solutions Aware

We are pleased to see that personalised healthcare is gaining traction with our portfolio company, Neko Health, featured in The New York Times over the weekend. Neko is at forefront of the patient first healthcare revolution. Their mission is to make early diagnosis of diseases affordable and routine, with the overarching goal of enhancing life expectancy and overall health quality through the use of AI and sensor technology. Neko has designed a series of examinations that can detect the onset of various skin, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Lakestar is incredibly proud to support them as they continue on their journey to champion preventative healthcare across Sweden, and soon, London.   We’re excited to see them push the boundaries of what’s possible in healthcare under Daniel Ek and Hjalmar Nilsonne!   #NekoHealth #HealthTech #PreventativeHealthcare #Innovation #NYTimes

We are delighted to announce the successful closing of Lakestar's latest fund generation, totaling $600 million. Lakestar Early IV will invest in Seed and Series A investments, while Lakestar Growth II will focus on series B+ rounds. Both funds underscore Lakestar's steadfast dedication to nurturing Europe's tech ecosystem, prioritizing sectors such as AI, digitalization, deeptech, healthcare, and fintech, to foster innovation and driving economic growth across the continent. Lakestar remains at the forefront of Europe's VC landscape, supporting disruptive startups and empowering exceptional entrepreneurs. Recent investments in pioneering ventures like Fuse Energy, Swan, Nelly, NEKO Health, and Colossyan highlight our commitment to driving innovation forward.   We welcome aboard both new and existing investors and would like to extend our thanks to all our LPs for their ongoing commitment. Klaus Hommels, Founder and Chairman of Lakestar: “With world class universities and leading research facilities, Europe is home to some of the world’s best centers of innovation which are at the forefront of sectors critical for Europe’s sovereignty such as AI, digitalisation, healthcare, deeptech, and fintech. With the closure of our early and growth stage funds, our focus is to nurture talent from seed to series B and beyond. We provide founders with the resources, mentorship, and network needed to succeed in building the technology that helps industries and countries capitalise on opportunities and solve the challenges reshaping the world.”   Ninja Struye de Swielande, Partner and Chief Communication Officer: “Despite the challenging market conditions, we welcome aboard insurance companies, pension funds and other institutional investors, signaling a new direction for the European tech ecosystem and demonstrating the growing recognition that Europe is home to some of the brightest and best entrepreneurs.”   For more information click here: https://lnkd.in/dHk8qSgR  

We are delighted to announce the successful closing of Lakestar's latest fund generation, totaling $600 million. Lakestar Early IV will invest in Seed and Series A investments, while Lakestar Growth II will focus on series B+ rounds. Both funds underscore Lakestar's steadfast dedication to nurturing Europe's tech ecosystem, prioritizing sectors such as AI, digitalization, deeptech, healthcare, and fintech, to foster innovation and driving economic growth across the continent. Lakestar remains at the forefront of Europe's VC landscape, supporting disruptive startups and empowering exceptional entrepreneurs. Recent investments in pioneering ventures like Fuse Energy, Swan, Nelly, NEKO Health, and Colossyan highlight our commitment to driving innovation forward.   We welcome aboard both new and existing investors and would like to extend our thanks to all our LPs for their ongoing commitment. Klaus Hommels, Founder and Chairman of Lakestar: “With world class universities and leading research facilities, Europe is home to some of the world’s best centers of innovation which are at the forefront of sectors critical for Europe’s sovereignty such as AI, digitalisation, healthcare, deeptech, and fintech. With the closure of our early and growth stage funds, our focus is to nurture talent from seed to series B and beyond. We provide founders with the resources, mentorship, and network needed to succeed in building the technology that helps industries and countries capitalise on opportunities and solve the challenges reshaping the world.”   Ninja Struye de Swielande, Partner and Chief Communication Officer: “Despite the challenging market conditions, we welcome aboard insurance companies, pension funds and other institutional investors, signaling a new direction for the European tech ecosystem and demonstrating the growing recognition that Europe is home to some of the brightest and best entrepreneurs.”   For more information click here: https://lnkd.in/dHk8qSgR  

At Lakestar, we are immensely proud to be part in the development of 'The Founders Engagement Toolkit', and congratulations to Diversity VC on leading and launching such an important initiative for the industry. Our contribution, alongside esteemed partners including Anthemis Group, BGF, Tomorrow Ventures, British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA), Frontline Ventures, Nesta, Pale blue dot, and The Craftory, will seek to create more inclusive deal flow and portfolio management processes. This toolkit represents a comprehensive consolidation of best practices, case studies, and essential resources. It marks a significant stride towards equity in the VC landscape, and we're pleased that Lakestar Partner and CTO Stephen Nundy played a pivotal role in its development as co-author of the toolkit. "Our collective efforts towards equity for diverse founders and enhancing DEI practices in the VC ecosystem are vital, and I'm proud to be a part of this journey, driving meaningful change." said Stephen Nundy, Partner at Lakestar. Stay tuned! The full toolkit will be available shortly. #DiversityVC #FoundersToolkit #InclusiveVentureCapital

Congratulations to UnternehmerTUM, the start-up lab of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), for securing the top spot in the Financial Times' ranking of Europe's Leading Start-Up Hubs 2023!   Our Founder & Chairman Dr. Klaus Hommels and Partner, Ninja Struye de Swielande have been supporters of UnternehmerTUM since its inception in 2002. We are proud to participate in this growth journey and to see this well-deserved recognition is truly inspiring. We congratulate Helmut Schoenenberger and the entire team at TUM on this prestigious achievement.   This accomplishment is a testament to the collaborative spirit and relentless pursuit of excellence that defines the UnternehmerTUM community. It underscores the crucial role of collaboration in strengthening the European Deep Tech ecosystem to advancing European tech sovereignty. Together, we've created a vibrant space where bold ideas flourish and transformative innovations take root.   “We deeply value our close relationship with uTUM and UVC and the incredible work Helmut and the team do to develop a rich ecosystem of exceptional startup founders and deep tech companies. It's an honor to have contributed to this journey and we eagerly anticipate shaping the future of the European Deep Tech ecosystem together with UnternehmerTUM. Congratulations once again!” - Ninja Struye de Swielande, Lakestar Partner. Find the full Financial Times ranking here:

We're thrilled to announce that Lakestar, alongside our esteemed Partner, Steven Jacobs, has been chosen as the EU ambassador for the #EuropeanDynamismTour. This tour will showcase the incredible depth of European tech innovation to US GPs and stands as a testament to Europe's successful journey towards becoming the leading hub of innovation and technological sovereignty.   We're particularly proud to note that many of our portfolio startups, such as Isar Aerospace, Aleph Alpha, constellr, Terra Quantum AG have been included in the prestigious European Dynamism 50 list.   In June, we'll embark on a journey across Europe's leading deep tech hubs in #Germany, #France, #Switzerland, and the #Netherlands. Our itinerary will include visits to Isar Aerospace, ETH AI Center & Soft Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zürich, CERN, and ASML's clean room.   A heartfelt thank you to Kyle O'Brien for spearheading this movement and bringing together like-minded pioneers who share our vision for Europe's tech future.   We're eagerly anticipating this adventure alongside our esteemed colleagues and friends from Vsquared Ventures, Elaia, Techleap, and Founderful. Together, we'll unite forces to drive innovation and catalyse the future of technology born in Europe. Read the full report below: