Prima Materia
Investment company of Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek and Shakil Khan, registered in Sweden in 2020 after Ek's €1B pledge for European tech; led Helsing's 2025 Series D.
USEFUL FOR Founders · Co-investors
Investment company of Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek and early Spotify investor Shakil Khan. It states it has no connection to Spotify and is not a venture capital firm.
Family & background
- FAMILY
- Ek
- WEALTH ORIGIN
- Technology (co-founder of Spotify)
- HEADQUARTERS
- Sweden
- FOUNDED
- 2020
Investment approach
- GEOGRAPHY
- Europe
- STAGES
- Pre-SeedSeed
- ROUTES
- Companies (own capital)
- STRATEGIES
- Direct investments
Overview
Prima Materia was created by Daniel Ek and Shakil Khan after Ek announced in September 2020 that he would commit €1 billion to European technology companies; Bloomberg reported that it was registered in Sweden at the end of 2020 and began operating in February 2021. It describes itself as a European company that builds and develops new companies for the long term, acting as builder and active owner of a small number of companies rather than as a venture capital firm, and says its founders are its principal investors and that it no longer makes new fund investments. It took its first stake in defence AI company Helsing in November 2021 and led Helsing's €600 million Series D in June 2025.
Investment thesis
Finances 'moonshots': ambitious scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs developing technologies that change society's trajectory for the better, in areas including clean energy, AI, healthcare and natural resources, with the aim of building global champions out of Europe; prefers to meet founders at the beginning of their journey and intentionally works with a small portfolio over a very long time horizon.
Holdings & investments (1)
- HelsingNOTABLEDeep Tech · since 2021
People
Frequently asked questions
Prima Materia is a family holding based in Sweden, founded in 2020.
Prima Materia invests on behalf of the Ek family (Technology (co-founder of Spotify)).
Prima Materia invests its own capital into companies. Its stated asset mix includes direct investments.
Prima Materia invests at Pre-Seed and Seed stages in Deep Tech, Artificial Intelligence, Climate & Energy and HealthTech.
Key people at Prima Materia include Daniel Ek (Founder), Shakil Khan (Co-Founder) and Pia Michel (Head of New Projects).
Prima Materia's holdings and investments include Helsing.
The most recent publicly reported investment by Prima Materia is Helsing (Series D (lead, €600M round)), announced in Jun 2025.