Lakestar

Transformative day for sennder: We at Lakestar are thrilled to announce that our portfolio company has signed an agreement to acquire the European Surface Transportation Business of C.H. Robinson, one of the world’s largest logistics providers.    This acquisition marks a significant milestone in sennder's journey, already Europe’s leading digital freight forwarder. This transaction will deliver substantial growth, and leverage sennder’s advanced proprietary technology, sennOS, to unlock the full potential of network density and technology for the European freight industry.   sennder has gone from strength to strength since we led the Series B in 2019 and is now set to become one of Europe’s Top 5 Full Truck Load players, operating from over 20 locations upon closing. This expansion not only strengthens sennder’s market position but also enhances its network density, data capabilities, and service offerings. By integrating C.H. Robinson’s EST team, following closing of the transaction, sennder's enhanced talent pool will deliver even better service to the continent, combining 30 years of industry expertise with its cutting-edge technology platform, sennOS.   This strategic move will drive the European road freight industry towards a more sustainable and efficient future.   Congratulations to David Nothacker and his fantastic team at sennder.   Susanne Schroeter Kollen Glynn Julius Koehler Katherine Boesen Anja Maassen van den Brink David Vismans Lukas Biehl Sonali De Rycker Caspar W. Ben Fischer Edoardo Eminyan Christoph Schuh Felix Klühr Nicolaus Schefenacker Laurent Hautefeuille Christian Zeuchner Full press release here: https://lnkd.in/g2x3da-6

We were very pleased to see our deeptech portfolio company constellr feature in Forbes last week. The article discusses constellr's innovative use of satellite technology, and how it is transforming how we monitor and manage agricultural landscapes globally. By creating a bio-physical atlas, constellr provides essential insights into the chemical and physical realities of our environment, crucial for optimising water usage, enhancing food security, and addressing the challenges posed by climate change. In 2023, constellr's contributions were recognised with the prestigious Fraunhofer Prize for their efforts in promoting sustainable agriculture through advanced satellite technology. The upcoming launch of constellr's HiVE satellite constellation later this year will allow the company to further our understanding of land surface temperatures, and support sustainable agricultural systems worldwide. Their data-driven approach is essential for mitigating the impacts of global warming and enhancing the resilience of our cities and agricultural systems. We at Lakestar are immensely proud of constellr's achievements, led by Dr. Max Gulde and his talented team, and look forward to their continued success in driving innovation and sustainability across deeptech. #Innovation #Sustainability #Agriculture #SatelliteTechnology #DeepTech

Congratulations to our portfolio company lemon.markets, who have secured additional funding to advance their ambition and become the leading Brokerage-as-a-service platform in Europe. With the fresh capital, lemon.markets will accelerate their platform expansion and introduce innovative products. 2024 has been a milestone year for lemon.markets, achieving BaFin licenses and launching partnerships with industry leaders like Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, and Tradegate. We are particularly impressed by the vision of Max Linden, Founder and CEO of lemon.markets, and his exceptional team. Their commitment to transforming the brokerage and custody landscape aligns perfectly with our investment philosophy at Lakestar. We look forward to supporting lemon.markets as they continue to innovate and scale, bringing more partners and products to market and further enhancing their robust platform. With thanks to Lakestar's Oliver Heimes and Nina Feussner, along with co-investors CommerzVentures, Creandum, Lightspeed, and System.One. #FinTech #Investment #Funding #Innovation

We are thrilled to announce the largest funding round in the European space technology sector since 2021.   Today, our space tech portfolio company, Isar Aerospace, announced a Series C extension to take its overall close to over EUR 220m, bringing total funding to more than EUR 400m. This funding round re-affirms Isar's position to become Europe’s leading launch service provider ensuring access to space from Europe.   And, in another first for Isar Aerospace, the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) has invested in what is the Fund's first direct investment in a satellite launch service provider - signalling a pivotal moment for European and global defence capabilities.   Lakestar has been proud to support and champion the European space tech industry, and we believe that much of Europe’s digital sovereignty will be decided in space. That’s why we are laser-focused on strengthening the European space tech ecosystem, which is home to some of the most developed scientific institutions and universities globally. We have backed Isar Aerospace since leading their Series B in 2020, then the biggest funding round in European space tech, and it has now become the most capitalized independent New Space company in Europe. The company is currently developing a launch service provider for small and medium-sized satellites that will offer Europe sustainable and cost-effective access to space.   Lakestar is committed to backing transformative players in space tech, and we can't wait to see how the sector evolves in the near future as we approach a new age of European-led space technology.   For more information, please follow this link to Isar's press release: https://lnkd.in/dBj93PVq Daniel Metzler Tina Schmitt #NATO #SpaceTech #Fundraising #VentureCapital #Europe

Building on our 2021 Lakestar study regarding the German Financing Gap, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung recently featured an insightful interview with Verena Pausder, Chief of the German Startup Association (Deutscher Startup Verband), and Prof. Dr. Helmut Schoenenberger, Co-founder and CEO of UnternehmerTUM. The interview highlights the critical need for increased university support to foster startup growth.   In related news, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action announced the winners of the concept phase of their 'Startup Factory' Leuchtturm competition last week. We would like to congratulate the 15 universities and their partners who were recognised for their 'Startup Factories' initiatives. This achievement marks a significant milestone for the startup ecosystem, promoting greater collaboration in science and innovation.   Since 2022, Lakestar has been working closely with Prof. Schönenberger and UnternehmerTUM München to create Europe's largest center for startups, innovation, and enhanced collaboration. Together, we are dedicated to nurturing young entrepreneurial talent and steering the next generation of startups towards success.   We are excited to continue our partnership with TUM, with our Founder and Chairman Klaus Hommels set to lead mentoring sessions in the upcoming months.   Please find the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dBATBryT #Innovation #Lakestar #UnternehmerTUM #StartupFactory #GermanStartupEcosystem

We are pleased to share that our portfolio company, Eigen Technologies, has been acquired by Sirion. The acquisition brings together Sirion’s leadership in AI-native Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) with Eigen’s expertise in Document AI for financial services and insurance to drive future innovation and growth. By combining Sirion’s contract intelligence with Eigen’s Document AI and intelligent document processing (IDP) platforms the two companies will be at the forefront of contract intelligence. We wish Lewis Z. Liu and the entire team at Eigen the very best on their next chapter of their journey with Sirion. Please find the full press release here: https://lnkd.in/dMb8ytDK

SuperReturn is only one day away, and tomorrow we will be in Berlin to meet new and familiar faces! Our Investment Partner Stephen Nundy is on a panel tomorrow at 11:10am in Charlottenburg, discussing how GenAI’s disruptive potential can create value in private equity portfolios. You can also drop by our Lakestar bike stand for free coffee tomorrow and June 5 in front of the InterContinental Hotel, or get in touch with our team if you would like to schedule a meeting with us. See you there! #SuperReturn #PrivateEquity #VentureCapital

We are delighted to announce that our portfolio company, Rows.com, has successfully closed a $9M (€8M) funding round. This investment will enable Rows to continue to expand its functionality and reach into larger teams. Spreadsheets remain essential in all walks of life, generating billions of documents annually. Rows is revolutionizing the traditional spreadsheet by incorporating built-in integrations, AI-powered auto-suggestions for formulas and data insights, and a real-time sharing experience. This innovation empowers everyone, not just programmers, to create custom tools and automate tasks, making spreadsheets more powerful and user-friendly. By democratizing access to data, processes, and tools, we believe Rows is contributing to a better digital world. We look forward to witnessing their continued growth. Well done Humberto Ayres Pereira and Torben Schulz.  Indico Capital Partners, Cherry Ventures, Armilar, Accel, Shilling VC, #AI #Digitalisation #Fundraise

Lakestar will be attending SuperReturn in Berlin! As with last year, we would love to welcome you for a free coffee in front of the InterContinental Hotel on the 4th and 5th June! Don't miss our Investment Partner Stephen Nundy's panel participation on June 4th, at 11:10am on the topic of "Real world case studies on GenAI to create value in PE portfolios". We are also looking forward to meeting LPs and GPs throughout the conference to catch-up and connect. Feel free to reach out directly to the team if you're interested in scheduling a meeting with us. We're very much looking forward to see some new and familiar faces in Berlin! #SuperReturn #VentureCapital

As part of adding value along the founders' journey, Lakestar launched a series of expert conversations focussing on building a strong organisation.    First in our series was a webinar focussing on B2B sales, led by our partner Akis Bratsos. Members of Lakestar's Industry Advisory Board Simon Collins, former Chair of KPMG, and Martin Hofmann, former CIO VW, as well as EIR Shankar Bhaduri, former VP Growth at UiPath and Mark Maxwell, former Head of Sales at DBT, shared their expertise around a number of topics. We addressed questions that are on many of our founders' minds when building and scaling an efficient B2B sales process: What is the right time to start building a sales team? What may this team look like and how do I scale it? How do I build partnerships with companies and community adoption? How can I sell into large enterprises and how can a start-up tailor their selling and use case to the right people within those organisations? Thanks to all involved for making the webinar a great success. #PortfolioGrowth #B2B #LakestarValueAdd