Venture Capital

Lakestar

Lakestar is a Zurich-based venture capital firm founded by Klaus Hommels, one of Europe's most prolific tech investors. The firm invests across seed to growth stages in European technology companies, with a strong track record in consumer internet and enterprise software.

Lakestar was an early backer of Spotify, Skype, and Facebook in Europe, and has continued to invest in companies including Revolut and N26. The firm manages over $1 billion and maintains offices across Zurich, Berlin, and London.

SwitzerlandZurichSeed to GrowthGeneralistTechnologyConsumer

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Zurich, Switzerland

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Startups this investor has backed

Spotify

Stockholm, Sweden · Startup

Spotify is the world's largest audio streaming platform, offering music, podcasts, and audiobooks to over 600 million users including 230+ million paid subscribers across 180+ markets. Founded in Stockholm in 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, Spotify went public on the NYSE in 2018 and has fundamentally transformed the global music industry. The company pioneered the freemium streaming model and continues to expand into new audio formats, creator tools, and advertising technology. Spotify is often considered Europe's most iconic consumer tech company.

StartupLate StageMusicStreamingConsumer

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Revolut

London, United Kingdom · Startup

Revolut is a British fintech company offering a “super-app” for digital banking and financial services. Launched in 2015 by founders Nik Storonsky (a former Credit Suisse trader from Russia) and Vlad Yatsenko (Ukrainian developer), Revolut began as a multicurrency travel card allowing users to spend and transfer money globally with minimal fees. It quickly evolved into a full-featured neobank. As of 2025, Revolut operates in 48+ countries and has 65 million customers worldwide, making it one of the fastest-growing fintechs ever. The app provides a suite of services: GBP and EUR bank accounts, debit cards, currency exchange for 30+ currencies at interbank rates, stock and crypto trading, person-to-person payments, bill splitting, and more. Revolut’s growth has been astonishing – it surpassed £3.1 billion in annual revenue in 2024 with £1.1 billion operating profit. The company has raised over $1.7 billion from investors like SoftBank, Tiger Global, and TCV, reaching a private valuation of $33 billion in 2021. In late 2025, a secondary share sale reportedly valued Revolut at $75 billion, vaulting it among the world’s most valuable fintechs. Revolut’s journey has not been without challenges: it faced regulatory hurdles (e.g. its UK banking license was long-delayed), compliance scrutiny, and had to strengthen its governance as it scaled. Nonetheless, the company achieved profitability in 2021 and has continued to grow its user base across Europe, North America, and Asia. Revolut’s mission is to become a “global financial super-app”, consolidating banking, investing, insurance, and payments in one place. It has introduced products like “Revolut Junior” accounts for kids, pay-later services, and expanded into credit in select markets. With over 10,000 employees worldwide, Revolut is now a regulated bank in the EU and other jurisdictions. Its story from scrappy travel card startup to a $75B-valued fintech giant with 65 million users epitomizes Europe’s fintech rise and the potential of challenger banks to rewrite banking norms.

StartupLate StageFintechConsumer

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Amber Business Angels Network

Szczecin, Poland · Angel Investor

A network grown by the Polish Entrepreneurship Foundation in Szczecin, uniting ~50 investors from across Poland. Amber invests in projects that at least have a prototype or beta, focusing on those with high potential and market access. Notable focus: early post-prototype startups requiring angel funding to commercialize (diverse sectors, strong emphasis on the West Pomerania region).

Angel InvestorPre-Seed to SeedGeneralistTechnology

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aws Gruenderfonds

Vienna, Austria · Accelerator

An Austrian fund providing capital for startups and fostering entrepreneurial growth through various support programs.

AcceleratorLate Seed to Series ATechnologyGeneralist

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BackingMinds

Stockholm, Sweden · Incubator

Founded 2016. Seed fund focused on overlooked founders and underserved markets. BackingMinds is an incubator based in Stockholm, Sweden. The programme supports early-stage ventures in Generalist, Consumer, Enterprise.

IncubatorSeedGeneralistConsumerEnterprise

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Dawid Urban

Warsaw, Poland · Angel Investor

Serial entrepreneur and angel investor, Dawid is known for co-founding CHIC Group, which was acquired by British American Tobacco in a landmark transaction. He actively backs consumer-facing and technology-enabled brands, combining growth strategy support with capital. Notable startup involvements include TakeDrop and investments across lifestyle and tech ventures, including co-investments in projects such as Samurai Labs.

Angel InvestorPre-Seed to SeedConsumerE-commerceTechnology

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Nordic Makers

Copenhagen, Denmark · Angel Investor

Collective of Nordic angel investors backing early-stage founders. Nordic Makers is an angel investor based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Active in Generalist, Technology.

Angel InvestorPre-Seed to SeedGeneralistTechnology

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Sherry Coutu

Cambridge, United Kingdom · Angel Investor

Sherry Coutu CBE is a prominent angel investor and entrepreneur known for championing the UK’s scale-up ecosystem. Originally from Canada, Coutu moved to the UK and in 1994 founded Interactive Investor, an online brokerage, which she led to an IPO in 2000. After exiting that venture, she became a full-time angel in 2000 and has since invested in 50+ tech companies, focusing on consumer internet, education, and fintech startups. Coutu has been an early backer of notable UK startups like Zoopla and LoveFilm, and holds LP stakes in several venture funds. Beyond investing her own capital, Sherry Coutu is famed for her advocacy of “scale-ups” – mid-stage companies poised for high growth. In 2014, she authored the landmark Scale-Up Report for the UK government, highlighting the economic importance of helping startups grow into larger firms. This led her, alongside LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman, to found the ScaleUp Institute in 2015 – a nonprofit that provides resources, mentorship, and policy advocacy for scaling businesses. Coutu also founded Founders4Schools and Digital Boost, initiatives connecting students and small businesses with experienced entrepreneurs. She remains an active non-executive director on multiple boards – past roles include serving on the boards of the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), the University of Cambridge Finance Board, and Pearson plc. In the angel community, Sherry Coutu is respected not only for her investments but for her mentorship and network: she often provides board-level guidance and operational mentorship to founders. Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013 for services to entrepreneurship, Sherry Coutu is a pivotal figure helping UK tech startups navigate the jump from startup to scale-up.

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