Lakestar
Venture capitalPre-Seed–Late Stage
Investment thesis
Lakestar invests in sector-defining companies with emphasis on Europe's technological sovereignty and resilience. The firm prioritizes long-term value creation across economic cycles rather than quarterly returns, maintains concentrated conviction through selective bets with deep founder engagement, and believes Europe's future depends on building critical technology leaders globally. The firm recognizes that technology is no longer neutral and geopolitical considerations are integral to investment decisions.
Source: firm website, verified Jul 21, 2026.
What they invest in
from 12 of 12 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×7Enterprise Software ×6SaaS ×4Cybersecurity ×3Deep Tech ×3Defense Tech ×2Developer Tools ×2E-commerce ×2
HQs:Germany×4United Kingdom×3Ukraine×1United States×1South Africa×1
Investments · 12 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathYapily provides open banking APIs and infrastructure that enable financial services companies to build and deliver better financial products. The company serves innovative fintech and financial services firms across Europe.
Cloud ComputingData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareFintechLondon, GB
Aleph Alpha develops specialized language models and AI solutions for enterprise and public sector organizations in Europe, prioritizing data sovereignty, regulatory compliance, and domain-specific customization on European infrastructure.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechEnterprise SoftwareHeidelberg, DE
Samuel Weinbach(Co-Chief Research Officer, Co-Founder)Ilhan Scheer(Co-Chief Executive Officer)Reto Spörri(Co-Chief Executive Officer)
Auterion develops products and services around open standards for autonomous systems technology, contributing to open source projects and supporting academic institutions.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechDefense TechDeveloper ToolsRoboticsn/a
Cosine Red Team is an AI-powered security testing platform that identifies attack paths and vulnerabilities in critical systems through automated scanning and adversarial exploitation. The platform serves enterprise customers seeking to strengthen their security posture across APIs, code, authentication systems, data flows, and infrastructure.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareLondon, GB
HomeToGo is a vacation rental marketplace that aggregates listings from multiple providers, offering travelers access to over 15 million properties worldwide with AI-powered search, verified reviews, and transparent pricing. The platform serves leisure travelers seeking short-term accommodation options across popular destinations globally.
MarketplacesSaaSTravel & HospitalityBerlin, DE
Marley Spoon is a meal kit delivery service that provides fresh food and recipes to consumers. The company operates an affiliate program for content creators and publishers with relevant audiences.
Direct to ConsumerE-commerceFoodTechBerlin, DE
Matta develops industrial AI systems that integrate vision and sensor data to monitor and optimize factory operations. The platform provides real-time defect detection, dimensional measurement, parts counting, and traceability for manufacturers.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningDeep TechLondon, GB
Mindgard provides AI security solutions that help enterprises identify, assess, and mitigate threats across AI models, agents, and applications throughout the AI lifecycle. The platform uses offensive security techniques to help organizations understand exposure and reduce risk from AI-driven threats.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareBoston, US
Dr. Peter GarraghanJames Brear(CEO)Aaron Portnoy(Head of Research)Rich Smith(Offensive Security Lead)
Modulate provides AI-powered conversation monitoring and moderation for detecting fraud, abuse, and harmful behavior in human-to-human and human-to-AI interactions. The platform serves enterprise customers seeking real-time fraud prevention, customer satisfaction improvements, and AI agent guardrails.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Mike(CEO)Carter(CTO)
UFORCE manufactures unmanned military systems including naval, ground, and aerial drones for defense applications. The company serves allied governments seeking cost-effective deterrence capabilities, operating under a NATO-compatible architecture based on battlefield experience.
Defense TechHardwareRobotics
Unspecified Ukrainian-born founder(CEO)Oleksiy Honcharuk(Co-founder)Unspecified UK Defence Secretary(Co-founder)
VOIDS provides AI-powered demand forecasting and inventory management software for e-commerce brands. The platform optimizes purchasing decisions, stock levels, and supply chain operations to maximize product availability while reducing inventory holding costs and manual planning effort.
AI & Machine LearningE-commerceMarketing TechSaaSHamburg, DE
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Lakestar invest at?
- Lakestar invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth, Late Stage stages.
- What sectors does Lakestar focus on?
- Lakestar focuses on Sector Agnostic.
Similar investors
500 Global's Sustainable Growth practice designs and implements sovereign-aligned strategies that unlock resilient, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth across the Global Majority—Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. The practice bridges public priorities and private capital through ecosystem development, blended finance, and localized innovation programs addressing health, agriculture, gender, climate, and education.
August Capital is a venture capital firm headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area that has invested in early-stage startups across information technology since 1995. The firm manages approximately $2 billion in assets and combines capital deployment with operational support and networking assistance to help entrepreneurs build successful companies.
B Capital is a venture capital firm managing over $12 billion in assets with a stage-based fund approach. The firm invests across early to late-stage companies in technology, healthcare, and energy & resilience sectors, with 200+ portfolio companies and 9 global offices.
DCVC is a deep tech venture capital firm with over a dozen years of experience backing entrepreneurs using computational approaches to solve trillion-dollar problems across industries including AI, climate, materials science, robotics, space, and biology.
Drive Capital is a venture capital firm operating across multiple North American cities including Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Columbus, Denver, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Toronto, and others. The firm invests from idea-stage through IPO.