Klaus Hommels is one of Europe’s leading venture capital investors and business angels, and a prominent voice within the European technology ecosystem. He is widely recog- nised for his advocacy of digital sovereignty, technological competitiveness and strategic resilience in an era of profound geopolitical and technological change. Repeatedly recognised as one of Europe’s top venture capital investors, Klaus has backed many of the sector’s most influential compa- nies. He was an early investor in Skype, King, Facebook, Spotify, Airbnb, Revolut, Klarna, SumUp, Zoom, Coinbase, Isar Aerospace, Helsing and Neko Health. He founded Lakestar in 2012 after managing his own venture capital firm, Hommels Holding. A committed advocate for European innova- tion and capital markets, Klaus works closely with policymakers, regulators and corporates to strengthen Europe’s global competitiveness and ensure the continent’s technological and strategic autonomy. In recent years, his focus has increasingly expanded to security, defence innovation and critical technologies essential to Europe’s resilience. Klaus currently serves as Chairman of the Geopolitical and Strategic Advisory Council of the NATO Innovation Fund, having previously chaired the Fund itself from 2023 to 2025. He has served on the Innovation Board of the Munich Security Conference and chaired Invest Europe, the global association representing the private capital industry. He also served on the UK Capital Markets Industry Taskforce, advising the Chancellor of the Exchequer under the leadership of the London Stock Exchange Group. Beyond his professional roles, he is actively engaged with Ashoka, supporting entrepreneurs who drive innova- tion for the benefit of society. Klaus began his career at Bertelsmann before joining the board of AOL Germany in 1995. He later became a Venture Partner at Benchmark Capital Europe. He holds a PhD in Finance from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.