Chris Magazzeni is an Investment Director at Lakestar, where he leads investments across Aerospace, Defence, Industrialisation, and Resilience technologies throughout Europe. His work focuses on backing founders building critical capabilities for the future of European security and industrial sovereignty.

Chris began his career as an aerospace engineer, completing a PhD in partnership with Rolls-Royce at the University of Oxford, before moving on to work at the European Space Agency. Prior to joining Lakestar, Chris was a VC at IQ Capital, where he led the firm’s aerospace and defence investment practice.

In early 2023, Chris co-founded and now co-chairs the UK Defence Investor Network — a cross-sector community that convenes UK defence and security-focused VCs with senior military, political, and end-user stakeholders. The initiative aims to accelerate and inform capital allocation into national security innovation by fostering collaboration between the investment community and key decision-makers.