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Niklas Zennström and Germany: The Swedish VC Patriarch Whose Most Painful Bet Was Bavarian
Swedish-born Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström runs Europe's largest founder-led venture firm — Atomico, $5.5B+ AUM across six funds. Germany is Atomico's largest single non-UK/Nordic market. Berlin is one of four Atomico offices. DeepL is the flagship current bet. Lilium was the most expensive write-off in the firm's history. Inside the Bundestag's €50M loan refusal that killed Munich's electric-aviation pioneer and why a Swedish patriarch built his German position.
Jörn Menninger
Jun 2614 min read
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