Klaus Hommels

Klaus Hommels (born February 17, 1967) is a German venture capitalist and one of Europe's most prominent technology investors. He earned a Master of Science in Business Administration and a PhD in Finance from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. He began his career at Bertelsmann before joining AOL Germany in 1995 as a board member, where he gained early exposure to the internet economy during its formative years. In 2006, he was named Europe's most successful entrepreneurial private investor by leading European business schools IESE, INSEAD, and the University of St. Gallen.

After six years as a private investor making landmark early bets on companies like Skype and Facebook, Hommels moved to London in 2006 as a venture partner at Benchmark Capital. After a year with Benchmark, he founded Hommels Holding in 2007, resuming independent investing in internet and technology businesses. In 2012, he formalized his activities by founding Lakestar, which has since grown into one of Europe's most recognizable venture capital firms, managing an aggregated volume of over EUR 2 billion across multiple funds. In 2017, Forbes ranked Hommels third on its inaugural Midas Touch list of European tech investors.

Beyond investing, Hommels is a passionate advocate for European technological sovereignty. He frequently engages with politicians, regulators, and corporates to bring European technology and capital flows onto the global agenda. In early 2023, he was appointed founding Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), a role he held until October 2025 when he transitioned to Chairman of the NIF's Geopolitical and Strategic Advisory Council. He also served as Chair of Invest Europe, the world's largest association of private capital, from July 2022 to June 2023.

Hommels and Lakestar focus on founder-centric, conviction-driven investing across both early-stage and growth-stage technology companies, primarily in Europe. Core themes include:

Hommels is known for the view that "portfolios are merely a construct to make LPs happy" -- he prioritizes deep conviction in individual founders and companies over portfolio construction theory. His 2019 keynote "Cold War 2 and the Role of Tech" laid out a coherent framework arguing that European sovereignty in critical technologies should be a core concern, a thesis that has since been validated by geopolitical developments and increasing defense spending across Europe.

• B2B Commerce & Enterprise Software -- digitization tools and productivity platforms
• Fintech -- payments, banking infrastructure, and financial services (Revolut, Klarna, SumUp, Coinbase)
• Defense, Aerospace & Deeptech -- European sovereignty plays in critical technologies (Helsing, Isar Aerospace, Auterion); Hommels made his first defense investment in 2017, well before the category gained mainstream VC attention
• Healthcare -- next-generation health platforms (Neko Health)
• Games & Media -- consumer digital entertainment
• Logistics, Travel & Mobility -- platform businesses transforming physical industries

| Company | Sector | Stage / Note | |---|---|---| | Skype | Communications | Early angel; landmark exit | | Facebook (Meta) | Social Media | Early-stage; pre-IPO | | Spotify | Music Streaming | Early-stage | | Airbnb | Travel / Marketplace | Early-stage | | Revolut | Fintech / Neobanking | Early & growth stage | | Klarna | Fintech / BNPL | Early-stage | | SumUp | Fintech / Payments | Early-stage | | Zoom | Video Communications | Early-stage | | Coinbase | Crypto / Fintech | Early-stage | | King | Gaming | Early angel; exit (Activision acquisition) | | Helsing | Defense AI | Growth stage | | Isar Aerospace | Aerospace / Launch | Growth stage | | Neko Health | HealthTech | Early-stage | | Auterion | Defense / Drones | Growth stage | | Factory Berlin | Co-working / Community | Early-stage | | Glovo | Delivery / Logistics | Early-stage |