Netherlands startup ecosystem
The Netherlands punches well above its weight in European tech. Amsterdam's English-speaking, internationally minded workforce and progressive regulation have fostered leadership in sustainable tech, fintech, and marketplace platforms. Strong connectivity, a high quality of life, and government support for R&D make it a magnet for both founders and global talent. The directory currently lists 124 organisations across 16 cities.
Showing 1–20 of 124 Netherlands
Cities in Netherlands
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Netherlands results
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ACE Incubator
Launched 2013 by Amsterdam Center for Entrepreneurship. 12-week program for science and high-tech ventures from local universities; provides mentorship, workshops, and up to EUR 25K pre-seed. Notable spinoffs: Skytree, Knowingo. Scope: Regional (Amsterdam).
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Adyen
Adyen is a global payments technology company headquartered in Amsterdam that provides a single platform for accepting payments across online, in-store, and mobile channels. Listed on Euronext Amsterdam since 2018, Adyen serves major enterprise customers including Spotify, Uber, eBay, and Microsoft. The company processes hundreds of billions of euros annually and is one of Europe's most valuable public tech companies, with a market capitalization that has exceeded $50 billion. Adyen's end-to-end approach, combining gateway, risk management, processing, and acquiring in one platform, has made it the payments infrastructure of choice for global enterprises.
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AI Summit Brainport 2026
An annual AI summit at the Evoluon in Eindhoven, organised by the Eindhoven AI Systems Institute with Brainport Development. Focused on applied and industrial AI — strong fit for hardware-aligned and deeptech founders in the Brainport ecosystem.
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Amsterdam AI Conference 2026
Conference in Amsterdam focused on artificial intelligence, organized by Startup Network Europe. Brings together AI founders, researchers, and enterprise buyers for talks on applied ML, generative AI, and responsible AI deployment. Valuable for AI startups seeking early customers and visibility in the Dutch tech ecosystem.
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Amsterdam Tech Job Fair & Startup Networking 2026
Recurring startup pitch and talent-networking series in Amsterdam (often hosted at venues such as The Social Hub), designed for pre-seed founders, angel introductions, and technical co-founder hiring. Late spring to early summer editions run as frequent community meetups rather than a single expo format.
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Axelera AI
Axelera AI is a semiconductor and software company headquartered in Eindhoven, Netherlands, founded in July 2021. It develops AI acceleration hardware and software for inference workloads, spanning edge devices and edge servers. Its flagship Metis AI Processing Unit and next-generation Europa AIPU are paired with the Voyager SDK for model deployment, built on the company's proprietary digital in-memory computing and RISC-V dataflow architecture. The company targets sectors including security, manufacturing, retail, and healthcare, positioning its products as high-performance, power-efficient alternatives to GPUs. In March 2025 it was awarded a EuroHPC grant of up to 61.6 million euro for the DARE project.
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Azafaros
Azafaros is a clinical-stage biotech company developing oral therapies for rare genetic metabolic disorders, including lysosomal diseases. Its lead development strategy focuses on compounds designed to cross the blood-brain barrier and address severe neurological progression in underserved pediatric conditions.
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Bas Dunnebier
Bas Dunnebier serves as Chief Science and Technology Officer (CSTO) at AIVD (Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst), the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service. In this senior executive role he oversees the agency's technological research, cyber capabilities, and innovation programs. He is a key figure in the Dutch national security and cybersecurity landscape, bridging intelligence operations with advanced technology development.
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Bitvavo
Bitvavo is an Amsterdam-based cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2018 that lets retail and institutional users buy, sell and store digital assets, and is one of the largest crypto trading platforms in the Benelux region by volume. It is registered with the Dutch central bank and has expanded across Europe under the EU's MiCA regulatory framework.
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bunq
bunq is an Amsterdam-based digital bank founded in 2012 by Ali Niknam, a serial entrepreneur who self-funded the company with EUR 40 million of his own capital. bunq holds a full European banking license from the Dutch Central Bank and offers personal and business accounts with features like multi-currency support, real-time budgeting, automated savings, and fee-free international transfers. The bank has attracted over 12 million users and reached profitability, with a reported valuation of EUR 1.6 billion. bunq differentiates itself through its user-centric philosophy and sustainability focus, planting trees for every EUR 100 spent by users. It is one of the few European neobanks built without initial venture capital backing.
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BUX
BUX is an Amsterdam-based fintech founded in 2014 that operates a mobile neobroker, letting retail users across Europe invest in shares and ETFs, often commission-free, through an app aimed at first-time investors. It expanded across several European markets and positions itself as a simple, low-cost gateway to investing.
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Catawiki
Catawiki is Europe's leading curated online auction marketplace, founded in 2008 in the Netherlands and headquartered in Amsterdam. The platform hosts weekly auctions across more than 80 categories including art, jewellery, classic cars, collectibles, and fashion, with each listing vetted by category experts. Catawiki has served millions of buyers and sellers across Europe and raised €150 million in 2021. In 2026 it opened an additional office in Lisbon, Portugal.
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Cisco Live Europe 2026
Large-scale IT and networking conference with training labs, cloud infrastructure sessions, and the World of Solutions expo. Price: about EUR 700 expo-only to EUR 2700 full conference. DevNet Zone is strong for developer founders and platform integrations.
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Cleantech Venture Day Amsterdam 2026
Curated venture day focused on urban transition topics including climate infrastructure, mobility, district energy, and smart buildings. Program is aligned with Amsterdam deep-tech week and targets investor plus city-infrastructure stakeholder matchmaking.
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Cradle
Cradle is an Amsterdam-based biotech startup using generative AI to accelerate protein engineering. Founded in 2021 by former Google DeepMind researchers, the platform enables scientists to design and optimize proteins for therapeutics, vaccines, enzymes, and novel materials far faster than traditional methods. Cradle raised over $33 million, including a Series A led by Index Ventures, and works with pharmaceutical and industrial biotech customers globally. The company sits at the intersection of machine learning and life sciences, representing one of Europe's most promising AI-for-biology plays.
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Creative Fabrica
Creative Fabrica is an Amsterdam-based marketplace for digital design assets founded in 2016, offering fonts, graphics, craft designs, and premium content for designers and crafters worldwide. The platform hosts over 20 million listed products from more than 20,000 active designers, and attracts over 40 million monthly page views. The company has expanded into AI-powered creative tools through its Studio AI suite. Peak Capital led the company's Series A in 2021.
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Cybersec Netherlands 2026
The Netherlands' premier cybersecurity event at Jaarbeurs Utrecht, gathering security professionals, IT leaders, and solution vendors. A central exhibition-and-conference venue for cybersecurity startups selling into Dutch enterprise and government.
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Daniel Gebler
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Picnic, the Amsterdam-based online grocery delivery company, where he leads engineering, data and the in-house machine-learning platform that powers its app-only model. He is a confirmed speaker at TechEx Europe 2026 in Amsterdam, presenting on applied AI and data at scale.
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DataSnipper
DataSnipper is an Amsterdam-based software company that develops an intelligent automation platform, delivered largely as an Excel add-in, which uses AI to extract, cross-reference and validate data from documents for auditors and finance teams. It became a unicorn in 2024 after a 100 million dollar funding round led by Index Ventures and is used by audit firms and finance departments worldwide.
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Dorus Olgers
Partner at Newion investing in European B2B software founders. He backs enterprise SaaS and automation companies across the Benelux and DACH regions and supports portfolio companies on growth and operational execution.
