About Lakestar
Lakestar is a venture capital firm founded in 2012. It is primarily based out of Zurich, Switzerland. As of Aug 2026, Lakestar is an active investor, having invested in 177 companies, with 15 new investments in the last 12 months. It primarily invests in Seed round in Germany based startups. Its investments are spread across a wide range of sectors from Enterprise Applications to High Tech and FinTech. Most recently it participated in the $***** Series C round of Cambridge Aerospace Overall, Lakestar portfolio has seen 14 unicorns, 9 IPOs and 36 acquisitions including key companies like Facebook, Airbnb and SoFi. A lot of funds co-invest with Lakestar, with names like Andreessen Horowitz sharing a substantial percentage of its portfolio. Lakestar has team of 37 people including 10 partners.Key Metrics
Team Members
Portfolio Sectors
Portfolio Locations
Rounds of Entry
Seed, Series A & 4 more
Portfolio Acquisitions
Portfolio Soonicorns
Deals in last 12 months
Lakestar's List of Top Investments
Lakestar has a portfolio of 177 companies, including 14 unicorns. Their most notable investments are in Mindgard and Helpling.Their portfolio spans across Germany, United States, United Kingdom and 17 more locations. They have invested in Enterprise Applications, High Tech, FinTech and 27 other sectors, across stages such as Seed, Series A and 4 more. Here is the list of top investments by Lakestar:
1. Facebook
Operator of a social networking service facilitating connection and communication. Its services allows users to connect with friends, family, and other individuals. It provides tools for sharing updates, photos, and videos. The platform also offers features for creating and joining groups, following interests, and discovering content.
Key facts about Facebook
- Founded Year: 2004
- Location: Menlo Park (United States)
- Annual Revenue: $1B+ as on Dec 31, 2025
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $2.27B
- Employee Count: 26,594 as on May 31, 2026
- Investors: Meritech, Sprout Capital Partners and 120 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Grant (prize money), Jan 15, 2017, $*****
- Highlight: Public
2. Airbnb
Provider of accommodations, experiences, and related services through an online platform. The platform facilitates connections between hosts and individuals seeking lodging and activities. It offers a variety of options for stays and curated experiences. The platform also provides resources for individuals interested in becoming hosts.
Key facts about Airbnb
- Founded Year: 2008
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Annual Revenue: $1B+ as on Dec 31, 2025
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $3.07B
- Employee Count: 71,147 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: T. Rowe Price, 2020 Ventures and 163 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series E, Apr 06, 2020, $*****
- Highlight: Public
3. SoFi
Online bank offering consumer loans and insurances. It offers multiple loan products including personal loans, student loans, home loans, business loans, and more. It also offers insurance including life insurance, home insurance, and more. It also features an app-based platform for trading stocks, ETFs, crypto, and accessing financial services. The app is available on IOS and Android devices.
Key facts about SoFi
- Founded Year: 2011
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $3.04B
- Employee Count: 6,757 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: Silver Lake, InvestX and 77 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Feb 18, 2024, $*****
- Highlight: Public
4. Spotify
Provider of a platform for streaming digital music and podcasts. The platform allows users to listen to a wide variety of audio content. It is accessible via web browsers and dedicated applications.
Key facts about Spotify
- Founded Year: 2006
- Location: Stockholm (Sweden)
- Annual Revenue: €1B+ as on Dec 31, 2025
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $2.06B
- Employee Count: 18,512 as on Mar 31, 2026
- Investors: ADS Ventures, 2020 Ventures and 125 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Feb 10, 2023, $*****
- Highlight: Public
5. Revolut
Provider of banking solutions for retail customers and businesses. It provides users with a platform that offers a comprehensive suite of features designed to simplify financial management and enhance user experience.
Key facts about Revolut
- Founded Year: 2015
- Location: London (United Kingdom)
- Annual Revenue: £1B+ as on Dec 31, 2025
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series E
- Total Funding till date: $1.99B
- Employee Count: 19,524 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: Star Tech NG, TSG Consumer Partners and 149 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series E, Feb 18, 2025, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
Lakestar's Year-on-Year Investment Trends
Lakestar has invested in 177 companies over the last 14 years, with an average of 12 new investments annually in the last 10 years. In 2025, it made 19 investments, while as of Aug 2026, it has made 14 investments in this year. Its most recent first time investment was in Defend the Dominion and most recent follow-on round was in Cambridge Aerospace.Year | No. of Investments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1st Round | Follow-on | Total | |
2026 (YTD) | 8 | 6 | 14 |
2025 | 11 | 8 | 19 |
2024 | 15 | 7 | 22 |
2023 | 9 | 6 | 15 |
2022 | 12 | 4 | 16 |
2021 | 16 | 15 | 31 |
2020 | 14 | 12 | 26 |
2019 | 12 | 5 | 17 |
2018 | 9 | 6 | 15 |
2017 | 10 | 2 | 12 |
Lakestar's Investments by Stage
Lakestar has made 61 investments in Seed stage with an average round size of $9.59M, 40 investments in Series A stage with an average round size of $19.7M and 20 investments in Series B stage with an average round size of $47M.Stage of entry | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Seed | 61 |
Series A | 40 |
Series B | 20 |
Series C | 12 |
Series D | 4 |
Others | 2 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Lakestar's Investments by Sector
Lakestar has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the Enterprise Applications, FinTech, Consumer, High Tech and Vertical SaaS. Notably, it has invested in 162 Tech companies, 114 Enterprise (B2B) companies, 97 Software companies and at least 65 companies focusing on Consumer (B2C).Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Enterprise Applications | 76 |
FinTech | 38 |
Consumer | 30 |
High Tech | 27 |
Vertical SaaS | 23 |
Others | 143 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Lakestar's Investments by Geography
Lakestar has made most investments in Germany (38), followed by United Kingdom where it has made 33 investments.Country | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Germany | 38 |
United Kingdom | 33 |
United States | 33 |
France | 7 |
Sweden | 6 |
Others | 22 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Lakestar's recent investments
Lakestar has made 14 investments in 2026 so far. Cambridge Aerospace and Neko Health are the latest among them.Here are the most recent investments by Lakestar:
Filter this listDate | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aug 10, 2026 | United Kingdom | Series C | 9266 | [+5] | |
Jul 15, 2026 | Sweden | Series C | 5558 | ||
Jun 30, 2026 | Canada | Series A | 8113 | [+12] | |
Jun 23, 2026 | Belgium | Series A | 7627 | [+2] | |
Jun 09, 2026 | Germany | Series D | 8071 | [+4] |
Unicorns in Lakestar's Portfolio
Lakestar has 14 unicorns in its portfolio - Auterion, Uforce, Varda Space Industries and others. The most recent unicorn in their portfolio is Auterion. It became a unicorn in 2026, 7 years after Lakestar first invested in it.Here is a list of unicorns in Lakestar's portfolio:
Tracxn Score | Company | Short Description | Founded year | Sector | Location | Company Stage | First Investment/ Acquisition Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
64 | Developer of operating systems and software for autonomous robot fleets | 2017 | Zurich | Series B | zidarvz | ||
39 | Developer of unmanned systems for air, land, sea, and C2 | 2025 | London | Seed | nkokhpk | ||
65 | In-orbit material testing and manufacturing | 2020 | El Segundo | Series C | cmiyboy | ||
63 | Platform offering solutions for preventive health scans | 2018 | Stockholm | Series C | mlqkmqh | ||
59 | Developer of artificial intelligence models and systems for software engineering | 2023 | San Francisco | Series B | yz{awox |
IPOs and Publicly Listed companies in Lakestar's Portfolio
9 of Lakestar's portfolio companies have become public. Figure got listed on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ), in Sep 2025 at marketcap of $4.34B and Klarna got listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at marketcap of $15.1B.Here are Lakestar's portfolio companies that went public:
Company | IPO Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sep 11, 2025 | - | - | 7568 | |
Sep 10, 2025 | - | - | 7337 | |
Jun 01, 2021 | - | - | 2810 | |
Mar 03, 2021 | Feb 22, 2016 | Series D | 6788 | |
Dec 21, 2020 | Dec 12, 2016 | Series D | 4184 |
Acquired companies in Lakestar's Portfolio
36 companies from Lakestar's portfolio have been acquired. The most recent acquisition was Aleph Alpha in Apr 2026 by Cohere for $*****.Here are Lakestar's portfolio companies that got acquired most recently:
Company | Acquisition Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Apr 26, 2026 | Jul 27, 2021 | Series A | 2874 | |
Mar 31, 2026 | - | - | 2960 | |
Feb 24, 2026 | Feb 23, 2021 | Series B | 4959 | |
Oct 06, 2025 | Jan 20, 2020 | Series B | 3257 | |
Sep 02, 2025 | Dec 02, 2021 | Seed | 1660 |
Team profile of Lakestar
Lakestar has a team of 37 members including 10 Partners, 3 Venture Partners and 15 Principals located in United Kingdom, Switzerland and 4 more locations. Lakestar's team sits on the board of 1 company.Here is a list of top team members in Lakestar:
Name | Designation | Location | Board Memberships | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | Zurich | - | - | |
Partner | Zurich | - | - | |
Partner | Berlin | - | - | |
Partner | London | - | - | |
Partner | Zurich | - | - | |
Partner | Munich | - | ||
Partner | London | - | - | |
Partner | Switzerland | - | - | |
Partner | - | - | - | |
Partner | London | - | - | |
Venture Partner | Zurich | - |
Co-investors of Lakestar
Over the past 14 years, 1157 investors have co-invested in Lakestar's portfolio companies. This includes funds and angels.
- Invested before Lakestar: Thrive Capital, Global Founders Capital and 376 others have invested in rounds before Lakestar. There are 5 companies where Thrive Capital has invested before Lakestar and 5 companies where Global Founders Capital has invested before Lakestar.
- Top Co-investors of Lakestar: 403 investors entered a company along with Lakestar. These include investors like Andreessen Horowitz (5 companies).
- Invested after Lakestar: A total of 376 investors have invested in Lakestar's portfolio after their investments. Top Investors include Tiger Global Management (6 companies), Baillie Gifford (4 companies) and Insight Partners (4 companies).
Recent News related to Lakestar
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Lakestar Closes €262.2 Million Resilience I Fund for European Defence and Dual-Use CompaniesEU-Startups•Jul 17, 2026•Lakestar
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Neko Health, co-founded by Spotify's Daniel Ek, raises $700M, valued at nearly $7BMy Company Polska•Jul 15, 2026•Neko Health, Lightspeed Venture Partners, O.G. Venture Partners, Liberty City Ventures and 5 others
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SE3 Labs Secures €5.5M Funding to Expand Spatial AI PlatformThe SaaS News•Jun 29, 2026•SE3, Lakestar
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Timefold Raises $13 Million Series A Led by Alstin CapitalStartup Rise EU•Jun 23, 2026•Alstin Capital, Timefold, Kompas, Lakestar and 2 others
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Swedish AI Startup Pit Raises $16M Seed Funding for Custom Enterprise SoftwareStartup Rise EU•May 07, 2026•The Pit, Andreessen Horowitz, Lakestar, and 4 others
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The Hill & Valley Forum Announces New Slate of Speakers for 2026 Annual EventPR Newswire•Mar 10, 2026•Ohalo, Airbnb, Varda Space Industries, Coatue and 5 others
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Validio Raises $30M to Automate Data Quality for AI ProjectsSiliconAngle•Mar 06, 2026•J12, Plural, Validio, Lakestar and 1 other
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Become a unicorn. Drone manufacturer Magura raises $50 million in investmentThe New Voice of Ukraine•Mar 05, 2026•Ballistic Ventures, Shield Capital, Lakestar, in.ua
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Constellr Raises €37 Million for Thermal Imaging SatellitesTrending Topics•Feb 10, 2026•constellr, Alpine Space, VSquared Ventures, Cardumen Capital and 8 others
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D’Adhemar’s Antidote Raises $5m Seed For Billing ComplianceArtificial Lawyer•Jan 21, 2026•LegalTech, Lakestar, Antidote, Concept and 1 other
