Lakestar

Funds and resilience work

Lakestar is a European investment firm founded in 2012. Both institutional venture funds and personal investment vehicles sit within the firm, covering several stages and regions, and it frames its work around the resilience and sovereignty of European technology. Its site says it is building targeted investment products to help its companies grow and to support Europe's prosperity.

The firm works through two teams, Funds and Resilience. Its venture funds invest from seed through to growth, and its Resilience work builds products aimed at strengthening Europe's position in critical technologies. The firm says its team of partners and venture partners spans investment, finance, legal, communications and investor relations. Advisers from international security institutions support the work.

Platform for portfolio founders

Beyond funding, Lakestar offers founders access to its platform, which provides advice on go-to-market strategy, product, technology, talent, communications and capital markets. The firm says it aims to remain a partner through the whole journey, from seed to growth, so that the full potential of a founder's idea is realised.

Principles and sector focus

Lakestar sets out four principles. The first is that great companies are built across market cycles, which is why it takes a long-term view. The second is that technology is no longer neutral, so Europe's sovereignty in critical technologies is essential and resilience is now a requirement. The third is that it makes fewer bets and shows up fully for the ones it makes. The fourth is that trust is built through relationships that outlast valuations.

The firm says it chooses a set of sectors it knows well, which lets it bring deep insight and a forward-looking view to founders. It says it works with a network of advisers and co-investors in many ecosystems.

Companies it has backed

The firm's partner companies include Revolut, a digital banking platform, Spotify, the music streaming service, and HomeToGo, a vacation rental marketplace. Isar Aerospace develops low-cost European launch solutions for satellite constellations, and Sennder is a digital freight forwarder. Others named on the site are OneFootball, a football media platform, Pitch, which makes presentation software, Eigen Technologies, which automates processes, and Terra Quantum, which develops quantum applications.