The Netherlands has a thriving startup ecosystem, particularly centered in Amsterdam, which is becoming a major European tech hub. As of 2023, the Netherlands is home to around 6,000 startups. The Dutch government supports innovation through initiatives like TechLeap.NL and the Dutch Venture Initiative, which provide funding, resources, and mentorship for startups. In 2022, Dutch startups raised approximately €3 billion in venture capital. These factors collectively highlight the dynamic and evolving nature of the Dutch startup landscape.
As of 2023, the Netherlands' startup ecosystem includes around 6,000 startups. In 2022, these startups attracted approximately €3 billion in venture capital funding. This substantial investment underscores the ecosystem's growth potential and robust nature. The market's size and financial backing reflect its capacity to foster innovation and maintain a competitive edge within Europe and beyond.
The Netherlands' startup ecosystem is characterized by several key strengths, including a highly educated workforce, a strong focus on innovation, and a strategic location in Europe. The country excels in sectors such as fintech, healthtech, and deep tech. These strengths are bolstered by the Dutch government's support and the country's robust industrial base, positioning the Netherlands as a leader in the European startup scene.
Amsterdam is the primary hub of the Netherlands’ startup ecosystem, known for its strengths in fintech, healthtech, and deep tech. The city attracts significant investments and has produced notable startups like Adyen and Booking.com. Other cities like Rotterdam and Eindhoven are also making significant contributions to the startup landscape, with Rotterdam excelling in logistics and Eindhoven known for high-tech systems and innovation. These cities drive the Netherlands' economic growth and technological advancements.
In addition to Amsterdam, emerging hubs like Utrecht and The Hague are gaining prominence in the Netherlands’ startup ecosystem. Utrecht is known for its strengths in education technology and sustainability, while The Hague is becoming a hub for security technology and international law. These emerging hubs are expanding the reach and diversity of the Netherlands’ entrepreneurial landscape, offering new opportunities for innovation and growth.
The Netherlands’ startup ecosystem benefits from a strong network of incubators, accelerators, and co-working spaces that provide essential support and resources for entrepreneurs. Initiatives like StartupDelta and YES!Delft have significantly boosted the ecosystem by offering mentorship, resources, and international exposure. This supportive infrastructure is crucial for nurturing early-stage companies and fostering a collaborative entrepreneurial environment.
Despite its strengths, the Dutch startup ecosystem faces challenges such as high living costs and regulatory complexities. Navigating these hurdles can be time-consuming and complex for startups. Addressing these issues requires strategic efforts and supportive policies to sustain growth and competitiveness in the global market.
The Netherlands has significant opportunities for growth in sectors like fintech, healthtech, and green technology. The country's strong focus on sustainability drives innovation in renewable energy and environmental technologies. The Netherlands' strategic location in Europe and strong trade relationships provide startups with opportunities for international expansion. With continued investment and innovation, the Dutch startup ecosystem is poised for further growth, contributing significantly to the European and global markets.
The Netherlands' startup ecosystem demonstrates remarkable resilience and adaptability. The country's commitment to innovation, coupled with strong government and institutional support, enables startups to navigate challenges and capitalize on opportunities. The diverse talent pool and high level of digitalization attract entrepreneurs and investors alike, ensuring sustained growth and success in the face of global economic shifts and market dynamics.
Latvia, U.S.A. - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Iceland, Monaco
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • PropTech • Education • Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Retail (& E-Commerce) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Robotics • Real Estate (& Construction) • Woman Focused
Managing Partner @Change Ventures. Kauffman Fellow Class 22. Chairman @TechHub Riga. Co-founder @TechChill.
Backing ambitious Baltic founders from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, building global success stories.
Most Interested In
The best Baltic founders building global businesses.
Not Interested In
Any investments that don't have Baltic founders - sorry, but it is outside our investment scope. Founders who don't have the "grit" (passion and perseverance) to build big, global, scalable businesses.
Denver - Colorado, U.S.A. - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Iceland, Monaco
PropTech • AgroTech • CleanTech • Impact • Real Estate (& Construction)
President PeakChange
Social Venture Investor, Tech Executive & Leadership Mentor
San Francisco Bay Area - London - New York - Los Angeles - Hong Kong, U.S.A. - Canada - U.K. - Netherlands
PropTech • BioTech • AgroTech • Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Impact • Real Estate (& Construction) • Consumer
Most Interested In
Looking for things that can change the way we act, think, live, and co-exist.
VC @vectr-ventures. Co-founded @ipiao-1. Worked @goldman-sachs. Always @duke-university Blue Devils.
London - New York, U.S.A. - U.K. - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Iceland,
PropTech • BioTech • Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Retail (& E-Commerce) • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Insurance (& InsurTech) • Real Estate (& Construction)
Partner at Index Ventures
Martin Mignot serves as a Partner at Index Ventures. He also serves as Advisory Board Member at TheFamily. He specialises in SaaS, marketplaces, bitcoin and mobile. He worked on 50+ transactions to date, including Assistly, Auxmoney, BaseCRM, Cloud.com, Codecademy, DimDim, Factual, Farfetch, Flipboard, Funding Circle, Gluster, HouseTrip, Just Eat, Lookout, Nasty Gal, Notonthehighstreet, onefinestay, PeoplePerHour, TrustPilot, Soluto and SoundCloud. He is actively looking after Index's investments in Algolia, Capitaine Train, Drivy, Rad and Swiftkey. Prior to joining Index, Martin was in the TMT team at UBS Investment Bank and cofounded the beauty subscription business Boudoir Prive (acquired by Joliebox/Birchbox) and a student web radio service.
London - Amsterdam, Netherlands - U.K.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • PropTech • Businesses Solutions • Retail (& E-Commerce) • Autonomous vehicles (& Cars) • Food & Beverage • Human Resources • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • Real Estate (& Construction) • Healthcare (& Wellness)
Piton Capital - Investor in Network Effects Businesses
Andrin Bachmann is a Co-Founder and serves as Partner at Piton Capital. He serves as the Board Member at Booksy. He also serves as a Board Member at Network Locuml. He brings both entrepreneurial and investment experience to Piton. He was a co-founder of Glocalnet, which became Sweden's 3rd largest consumer telecom service provider and was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange before being acquired by Telenor. He was a partner at M/C Venture Partners, one of the leading private equity investors in the US telecom services space. He was also one of two principals establishing an investment company that became QXL Ricardo PLC's largest shareholder in 2005, and was instrumental in the transformation of QXL leading to its sale to Naspers for around $1.9 billion. He holds an MSc degree in Computer Science from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH).
Los Angeles - California, U.S.A. - Germany - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Icela
PropTech • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • Energy • CleanTech • A.I. (& Big Data) • Robotics • Real Estate (& Construction) • DeepTech • Mobility • Woman Focused
Most Interested In
We're interested in teams re-imagining cities in 3 areas - GHG reduction, climate adaptation and solving problems associated with high density (like traffic or public safety). Cities are complex, so founders continue inspire and amaze us by identifying new systemic issues and solutions. If you're re-imagining city life, we'd love to hear from you.
Not Interested In
We don't invest in edtech or healthtech. Certainly not a vote on whether we want to see these categories succeed, we just think they need additional focus/skills which we don't have. That said public health is a growing area of interesting.
Shaun Abrahamson is a Founder and serves as Managing Partner at Urban Us. Shaun is a Member of the Investment Committee, and he leads investment selection and communications with portfolio companies, members of the Network, and limited partners in Fund II. Before founding Fund I, Shaun was an active angel investor, investing in more than 20 firms between 2007 and 2013 in his personal capacity. Early-stage investing and advising is informed by his experiences building MediaSentry (acquired by SafeNet in 2005), Starmedia Network (acquired by France Telecom) and Oculus Technologies (MIT CADLab spin-out). In 1999, he was an early employee at govWorks, one of the earliest startups focused on serving local government. govWorks was ahead of the market and failed during the dot-com bust, becoming the subject of the documentary Startup.com in 2001. Shaun has written for organizations such as The Economist Intelligence Unit, The Huffington Post, and CNNMoney. Crowdstorm, published by Wiley, was his first book and is a guide to working with large online crowds to find and evaluate ideas. The book is based on Shaun's experience working with Starbucks, Omnicom Group, $300 House, and Life Edited. Shaun has an MSc from MIT; an MBA from the Berlin School of Creative Leadership; and a BSc from the University of Cape Town. He is also an Angel Investor.
New York, U.S.A. - Canada - Mexico - Global: U.S.A., Australia, Canada, Germany, U.K., Israel, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, Malta, Iceland - Brazil
PropTech • Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Entertainment (& Sports) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Web Security (& Privacy) • Insurance (& InsurTech) • Logistics (& Distribution) • Robotics • Real Estate (& Construction) • Mobility
Most Interested In
FinTech/InsurTech/PropTech/ESG/Enterprise Software - Seed to Growth Equity - Global Investment Mandate - Contact: jeff@rueoneinvestments.com
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • PropTech • Businesses Solutions • Sales (& Marketing) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Web Security (& Privacy) • Analytics • Human Resources • Real Estate (& Construction) • Woman Focused
digital product guy turned tech investor; supporting entrepreneurs in building digital businesses that change people's lives
Most Interested In
Newion is an Amsterdam-based VC firm, founded in 2000. We focus on early-stage (seed/series A) investments in B2B software (SaaS) companies in Netherlands/Belgium, Germany/Austria and Sweden, Finland and Denmark. We want to work with high integrity, low ego founders and their diverse teams supporting them in building digital business that have a real impact on businesses and people's lives.
Not Interested In
We don't in invest in pre-revenue companies. We don't invest in companies based outside our geographic scope. We don't invest in hardware.
Herman Kienhuis is the Founder & serves as Managing Partner at River Venture Partners. He serves as Managing Partner at KPN Ventures. He has experience in strategy, corporate finance, business, product development and venture capital.
Zurich - : Germany France Italy Spain Poland Romania Netherlands Belgium Czech Republic Greece Portugal Sweden Hungary Austria Switzerland Denmark Finland Slovakia Norway Ireland Luxembourg M, U.S.A.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • PropTech • Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Logistics (& Distribution) • Real Estate (& Construction) • Mobility • Woman Focused
Most Interested In FinTech, FreightTech, Future of Retail and Life Sciences Focused on European teams
, U.S.A. - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Iceland, Monaco
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • PropTech • FinTech (& Financials services) • Retail (& E-Commerce) • CleanTech • A.I. (& Big Data) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Web Security (& Privacy) • Payments • Real Estate (& Construction)
Founder & Managing Partner at THCAP
Dallas - Texas, U.S.A. - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Iceland, Monaco
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • PropTech • Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Retail (& E-Commerce) • A.I. (& Big Data) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Analytics • Cloud Services (& Infrastructure) • Real Estate (& Construction) • Woman Focused
Fractional CTO and Investor
I am a serial entrepreneur and technologist who started coding at 14, launched my first business at 19, and made by first angel investment before age 30. Including my companies, my portfolio, and my clients I have been involved in multiple exits as a founder, investor, advisor and team member. In this broad-ranging experience as an entrepreneur, investor, and consultant, I have worked in Group Travel, Telemarketing, Digital Out of Home Advertising, Light Manufacturing, Digital Marketing, Occupational Therapy, e-Commerce, Retail, Non-Profit, Ticketing, Sports & Entertainment, Public Agencies, Alternative Asset Management, Consumer Services, and Professional Services and bring domain-specific knowledge to these industries. I am looking to engage with people that want to leverage technology to make money, save money, or improve customer experiences. As a consultant, this means middle market companies looking to add strategic value to their technology investments. As an investor and advisor, it’s usually early stage, AI-enabled SaaS companies. Additionally, I have a passion for helping build sustainable social impact businesses that serve our communities with less reliance on philanthropic funding.