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Investigations

November 19, 2025

Klaus Hommels: the divisive VC at the centre of European defence tech

Hommels has earned a venerable reputation in European VC and defence — but his web of investments have raised questions about potential conflicts of interest


Klaus Hommels, founder of Lakestar

Earlier this year, Zurich-headquartered VC firm Lakestar distributed a pitch deck, seeking backers for a new defence tech fund. The pitch offered a new opportunity for investors to take a stake in an industry that has ballooned in the four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

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Anne Sraders

Anne Sraders is a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covers the VC industry and deeptech startups. She also writes Sifted's weekly VC newsletter Up Round. Follow her on X and LinkedIn

Freya Pratty

Freya Pratty is Sifted's associate editor. She covers UK tech and leads Sifted's investigations. Follow her on X , LinkedIn and Bluesky

Miriam Partington

Miriam Partington was a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covered the DACH region and the future of work, and wrote Startup Life , a weekly newsletter on what it takes to build a startup.

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