[3] Hommels graduated with a Master of Science in Business Administration and a PhD in Finance from the University of Fribourg (Switzerland).
[8] After a year with Benchmark, he founded Hommels Holding in 2007, resuming his private investing in technology and Internet-based businesses.
[14] Following these initial successes, Hommels founded Lakestar, a venture capital firm based in Zurich, in 2012.
[15] The company focused on early and growth stage investments, with a priority in B2B commerce, digitization and deep tech, fintech, games and media, healthcare, logistics, as well as travel and mobility.
In 2021, Hommels/Lakestar was the first European venture capital fund to sponsor a special purpose investment vehicle (SPAC) totaling $332 million.
[23] Hommels is a member of the advisory and supervisory boards of various companies, including Revolut, Sennder and Isar Aerospace.
He actively advocates for the digital sovereignty of Europe, supporting the Scale Up initiative of Emmanuel Macron, for example.
[26][27] In 2006, Hommels was named Europe's most successful entrepreneurial private investor by leading European business schools IESE, INSEAD, and the University of St.