About Lakestar
Lakestar is a venture capital firm founded in 2012. It is primarily based out of Zurich, Switzerland. As of Sep 2026, Lakestar is an active investor, having invested in 199 companies, with 14 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 A round of Modulate Overall, Lakestar portfolio has seen 20 unicorns, 10 IPOs and 38 acquisitions including key companies like Airbnb, Coinbase 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 25 people including 11 partners.Key Metrics
Team Members
Portfolio Sectors
Portfolio Locations
Rounds of Entry
Seed, Series A & 4 more
Portfolio Acquisitions
Portfolio Unicorns
Lakestar's List of Top Investments
Lakestar has a portfolio of 199 companies, including 20 unicorns. Their most notable investments are in Mindgard and 1047 Games.Their portfolio spans across United States, Germany, United Kingdom and 21 more locations. They have invested in Enterprise Applications, High Tech, FinTech and 28 other sectors, across stages such as Seed, Series A and 4 more. Here is the list of top investments by Lakestar:1. 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: 72,846 as on Sep 30, 2026
- Investors: Silver Lake, 2020 Ventures and 167 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series E, Apr 06, 2020, $*****
- Highlight: Public
2. Coinbase
Online platform for crypto portfolio. It offers solutions for consumers such as regular trading platforms, wallets for storing cryptocurrencies, crypto exchanges, USD-backed stable coins, and more. It also provides solutions for businesses such as custodian services, crypto-based payment acceptance solutions, and more.
Key facts about Coinbase
- Founded Year: 2012
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Annual Revenue: $1B+ as on Dec 31, 2025
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $547M
- Employee Count: 7,025 as on Sep 30, 2026
- Investors: Intel, 2020 Ventures and 150 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Aug 13, 2021, $*****
- 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: 6,843 as on Sep 30, 2026
- Investors: Silver Lake, InvestX and 79 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: 19,363 as on Jul 31, 2026
- Investors: ADS Ventures, 2020 Ventures and 127 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Feb 10, 2023, $*****
- Highlight: Public
5. Glovo
Operator of an online platform for on-demand delivery services. The platform facilitates the ordering and delivery of various items. These items range from food and groceries to pharmaceutical products and other retail goods. The platform connects customers with local businesses and independent couriers.
Key facts about Glovo
- Founded Year: 2015
- Location: Barcelona (Spain)
- Last Known Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Acquired
- Total Funding till date: $1.16B
- Employee Count: 15,437 as on Jul 31, 2026
- Investors: GR Capital, La Maison Partners and 61 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series F, Apr 01, 2021, $*****
- Highlight: Acquired
Lakestar's Year-on-Year Investment Trends
Lakestar has invested in 199 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 Sep 2026, it has made 18 investments in this year. Its most recent first time investment was in Twin1 AI and most recent follow-on round was in Modulate.Year | No. of Investments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1st Round | Follow-on | Total | |
2026 (YTD) | 9 | 9 | 18 |
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 62 investments in Seed stage with an average round size of $9.8M, 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 | 62 |
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 179 Tech companies, 131 Enterprise (B2B) companies, 108 Software companies and at least 68 companies focusing on Consumer (B2C).Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Enterprise Applications | 77 |
FinTech | 35 |
Consumer | 30 |
High Tech | 27 |
Vertical SaaS | 23 |
Others | 146 |
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 States where it has made 34 investments.Country | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Germany | 38 |
United States | 34 |
United Kingdom | 33 |
France | 7 |
Sweden | 6 |
Others | 22 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Lakestar's recent investments
Lakestar has made 18 investments in 2026 so far. Modulate and Exein are the latest among them.Here are the most recent investments by Lakestar:
Filter this listDate | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sep 28, 2026 | United States | Series A | 4367 | [+1] | |
Sep 15, 2026 | Italy | Series D | 9206 | [+12] | |
Aug 20, 2026 | United States | Seed | 8308 | ||
Aug 12, 2026 | United Kingdom | Series A | 9177 | [+4] | |
Aug 10, 2026 | United Kingdom | Series C | 6743 | [+5] |
Unicorns in Lakestar's Portfolio
Lakestar has 20 unicorns in its portfolio - Exein, Kraken Technology Group, Auterion and others. The most recent unicorn in their portfolio is Exein. It became a unicorn in 2026, 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
62 | Provider of AI-powered cybersecurity solutions embedded directly into device firmware | 2018 | Rome | Series D | akhtw{{ | ||
58 | Developer of autonomous maritime platforms for defense and commercial operations | 2021 | London | Series B | gdxghoo | ||
66 | Developer of operating systems and software for autonomous robot fleets | 2017 | Zurich | Series B | pszxgia | ||
40 | Developer of autonomous unmanned systems for air land and sea | 2025 | London | Seed | yqsgunp | ||
67 | In-orbit material testing and manufacturing | 2020 | El Segundo | Series D | lrxxyku |
IPOs and Publicly Listed companies in Lakestar's Portfolio
10 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 | - | - | 9285 | |
Sep 10, 2025 | - | - | 4733 | |
Jun 01, 2021 | - | - | 3479 | |
Apr 14, 2021 | - | - | 9858 | |
Mar 03, 2021 | Feb 22, 2016 | Series D | 6183 |
Acquired companies in Lakestar's Portfolio
38 companies from Lakestar's portfolio have been acquired. The most recent acquisition was Soul Machines in Sep 2026 by AppDirect for $*****.Here are Lakestar's portfolio companies that got acquired most recently:
Company | Acquisition Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sep 28, 2026 | Jan 09, 2020 | Series B | 5769 | |
Sep 14, 2026 | Jun 27, 2022 | Seed | 9564 | |
Apr 26, 2026 | Jul 27, 2021 | Series A | 7607 | |
Mar 31, 2026 | - | - | 4932 | |
Feb 24, 2026 | Feb 23, 2021 | Series B | 2913 |
Team profile of Lakestar
Lakestar has a team of 25 members including 11 Partners, 1 Venture Partner and 4 Principals located in United Kingdom, Germany and 1 more location. Lakestar's team sits on the board of 2 companies.Here is a list of top team members in Lakestar:
Name | Designation | Location | Board Memberships | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | London | - | - | |
Partner | Berlin | - | ||
Partner | Zurich | - | - | |
Partner | Berlin | - | - | |
Partner | Switzerland | - | ||
Partner | London | - | - | |
Partner | Zurich | - | - | |
Partner | Zurich | - | - | |
Partner | London | - | - | |
Partner | - | - | - | |
Partner | London | - | - |
Co-investors of Lakestar
Over the past 14 years, 1175 investors have co-invested in Lakestar's portfolio companies. This includes funds and angels.
- Invested before Lakestar: Thrive Capital, Global Founders Capital and 378 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: 416 investors entered a company along with Lakestar. These include investors like Andreessen Horowitz (5 companies).
- Invested after Lakestar: A total of 379 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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Modulate Secures $25 Million in Funding to Advance Voice AI TechnologyInside AI News•Sep 28, 2026•Modulate, Future Ventures, Hyperplane, 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
