Lakestar

Lakestar is leading a €6 million funding round in Timefold, to free the world's largest enterprises from wasteful planning. Across the globe, businesses and government bodies ranging from airports, rail companies, and emergency services depend on effective planning to ensure smooth operations and keep society functioning. Timefold’s groundbreaking Open Core PlanningAI offers an easy approach to tackle complex, large-scale planning challenges like vehicle routing, job assignments, and employee scheduling - building on the global success of the OptaPlanner project. The company's solution is trusted and already in use by leading enterprises such as Palantir Technologies, Deutsche Bahn, NEC Corporation, ADP, and Advantage Solutions. We love to back teams that tackle the most complex problems. Maarten Vandenbroucke, Geoffrey De Smet and their team combine exceptional technological in-house capabilities with huge ambition - a combination we rarely see. Thank you for taking us on this journey with you! #AI #Investment #PlanningAI

Exciting times for the UK’s capital markets! Earlier this month our partner, Stephen Nundy, attended the 2nd Capital Markets Industry Taskforce (CMIT) Conference at the London Stock Exchange, where he participated in a panel discussion on global growth from UK private companies. Senior leaders from across the financial ecosystem gathered to discuss how we can keep UK capital markets globally competitive. This followed the launch of the new LSEG Main Market and significant listing rule reforms, with Dame Julia Hoggett, DBE and Tulip Siddiq MP opening the market. Separately, we were also at the BVCA Pension Summit last week, focusing on integrating private markets into pension returns - an important step toward unlocking new opportunities for long-term economic growth. Exciting progress ahead for #CapitalMarkets and #Pensions! Read more at: https://lnkd.in/eXwN9aec #MainMarket #IPO #PrivateMarkets #BVCA #BBB #BPC

We are excited to announce that our portfolio company Neko Health has launched its first UK Health Centre in Marylebone, London. Co-founded by Hjalmar Nilsonne and Daniel Ek, Neko Health offers a pioneering £299 body scanner that maps millions of health data points in minutes. The Neko Body Scan provides immediate results and a detailed consultation with a doctor, identifying risk factors for conditions such as stroke, heart attack, skin cancer, and metabolic syndromes. This proactive approach aims to shift healthcare from reactive to preventative care. With over 22,000 individuals on the waiting list, the London site follows the successful launch in Stockholm, Sweden. The scan takes approximately 10 minutes and uses advanced technology to deliver comprehensive health insights instantly. We are very proud of the Neko team for achieving this important milestone and to see them redefine preventative healthcare in our societies. For more information and to book your scan, visit Neko Health: https://lnkd.in/gQxaVKFq #PreventativeCare #NekoHealth #Lakestar #HealthTech

We at Lakestar are pleased to announce that our HealthTech portfolio company, Doccla, has successfully raised £35 million in a Series B funding round to accelerate its European expansion. This fresh investment, led by Lakestar with participation from Optum Ventures, Elaia, and existing investors General Catalyst, Bertelsmann Investments, and Speedinvest, will further develop Doccla’s operations in the UK and Ireland, and support its European expansion into France and the DACH region. Doccla is a leader in virtual ward and remote patient monitoring services, and has already monitored millions of patient days across more than 10 European countries. The company is trusted by the UK's National Health Service (NHS) Trusts in over half of the NHS regions, and is partnered with Ireland’s public health service (HSE). Doccla enables patients to be discharged from hospitals and receive continuous, high-quality care at home. This approach has yielded significant healthcare improvements, including a 63% reduction in A&E attendance and a 300% return on regional investment. Founded in 2019 by Martin Ratz and Dag Larsson, Doccla has established itself as the leading provider of remote patient monitoring services to the NHS, achieving over 4 million monitored patient days with a 95% patient compliance rate. The company’s comprehensive solution includes virtual care, software, hardware, logistics, and robust support to enhance operational efficiencies and improve clinical outcomes. We are excited to see Doccla aiming to expand its innovative remote monitoring technology into new markets, while continuing to support local healthcare systems by reducing costs and alleviating staff workload. We look forward to seeing them extend their services into the Life Sciences sector, and invest further in its data science capabilities. Well done team! Georgia Andrea Badia Serra Oliver Heimes Visit Doccla here: https://www.doccla.com/ #HealthcareInnovation #VirtualCare #HealthTech #EuropeanExpansion

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