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 110 organisations across 16 cities.
110 entries.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A week-long programme powered by the Dutch Society for Precision Engineering, spanning the System Engineering Conference, the Dutch International Precision Conference, and the Precision Fair. Relevant for hardware and deeptech founders in precision engineering and photonics.
Established 2010. EU-backed accelerator and investor driving sustainable energy transition with funding, IP support, and industry partnerships; 248 investments and 8 exits, including early backing of Northvolt. Scope: International (EU).
A one-day conference at Kromhouthal Amsterdam drawing 2,000+ professionals across tech, media, e-business, and marketing. Relevant for e-commerce, martech, and digital-media founders targeting the Dutch market.
Emma Johnson is Senior Principal at M Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Merck KGaA, one of the world's leading science and technology companies. Based in the Netherlands, M Ventures invests globally in life sciences, healthcare, and biotechnology, and Emma focuses on identifying and supporting early- to mid-stage biotech companies across Europe and beyond. She is an active participant in the European life science VC ecosystem.
Endeit Capital is a growth-stage venture capital firm founded in 2006 and headquartered in Amsterdam, with additional offices in Hamburg and Stockholm. It manages a €303 million fund focused on AI-enabled fintech, climate tech, future of work, and security companies across the DACH, Benelux, Nordic, and UK markets, investing €7–15 million at late Series A to early Series B. The firm has made 64 investments and 25 exits, including the $330 million acquisition of 3D Hubs by Protolabs.
Cloud-native time series platform for energy data management and smart grid analytics, automating ingestion, processing and visualization for DSOs and utilities like E-REDES. Acquired by Gridspertise in 2025.
A Radboudumc spin-off developing a patented AR projector that overlays anatomical data — blood vessels, muscles, nerves — directly onto a patient's skin during surgery, without screens or headsets. Used in 400+ surgeries.
Fashion for Good is an Amsterdam-based innovation platform and accelerator dedicated to making the fashion industry more sustainable and circular. Launched in 2017 with backing from founding partner Laudes Foundation (formerly C&A Foundation), Fashion for Good runs a 9-month accelerator program for startups developing technologies or business models that improve fashion’s environmental or social impact. Focus areas include innovative materials (e.g. bio-based fibers, textile recycling), new dyeing and finishing processes, circular business models (rental, resale), and supply chain traceability solutions. Each batch (around 10 companies) receives coaching, pilot opportunities, and a small grant; uniquely, the program is venture client-oriented: Fashion for Good’s corporate partners – which include Adidas, Kering, PVH, Stella McCartney, C&A and other major brands – collaborate with the startups to test and implement their innovations. For example, early cohort member Ambercycle (USA) has partnered with Adidas on textile recycling pilots, and Pili Bio (France) worked with brands on microbial dyes. In addition to the accelerator, Fashion for Good runs Scaling Programs for more mature innovators to facilitate larger deals (often joint ventures or first-of-a-kind factory deployments). It also operates a public Experience Museum in Amsterdam showcasing sustainable fashion and educating consumers. By 2022, Fashion for Good had accelerated over 125 startups, helping many secure follow-on funding – alumni have collectively raised hundreds of millions. Notable graduates include Renewcell (Sweden, textile recycling, IPO’d), Natural Fiber Welding (US, plant-based leather, now partnering with Ralph Lauren) and Circular.Fashion (Germany, circular design SaaS acquired by Zalando). Fashion for Good’s success lies in its consortium approach: besides brands, it engages manufacturers and investors (like AccelR8, a fashion-focused VC) to ensure innovations can actually be adopted at scale. Its impact is tangible – alumni like Orange Fiber (Italy, citrus-based silk) have seen their materials used in collections by H&M and Ferragamo. As the fashion industry faces pressure to reduce waste and emissions, Fashion for Good has positioned Amsterdam as a key nexus of fashion tech and sustainability, proving that collaboration across the value chain can accelerate the transition to a Good Fashion future.
Finch Capital is an Amsterdam-based venture capital firm founded in 2013, specialising in early-stage investments in European fintech, insurtech, and financial infrastructure. The firm manages approximately $400 million across three funds, with its third European fund targeting €150 million. Finch has invested in 51 companies across the UK, Netherlands, and wider Europe, focusing on seed and Series A rounds in companies applying technology to financial services including payments, lending, insurance, and wealth management. Notable portfolio companies include BUX (European retail investing), with the firm also backing Grab in Asia, and exits including 12 acquisitions from its portfolio.
Finom is an Amsterdam-based fintech company offering digital financial services for small and medium-sized enterprises, freelancers, and entrepreneurs across Europe. Its platform combines a business account with local IBANs, invoicing, business debit cards with cashback, payment processing, expense tracking, and accounting software integrations. The company operates in markets including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, and Austria. In 2025 Finom raised a €115 million Series C round led by AVP, in addition to non-dilutive growth capital from General Catalyst's Customer Value Fund.
Expo and conference in Amsterdam focused on the latest trends and innovations in financial technology. Covers payments infrastructure, open banking, embedded finance, and crypto regulation. Attracts fintech founders, banking executives, and investors. Valuable for fintech startups seeking partnerships and market expansion in the Benelux region.
Chief Information Security Officer at NN Group, the Dutch insurance and asset management company, responsible for cyber security strategy across the group. She is a confirmed speaker at TechEx Europe 2026 in Amsterdam on enterprise cyber resilience.
Enterprise content creation platform founded in Amsterdam in 2013, enabling teams to build interactive digital documents and microsites at scale with brand governance and analytics.
Forbion is a leading European life sciences venture capital firm headquartered in Naarden, Netherlands, managing approximately €5 billion across multiple fund strategies covering all stages of biopharmaceutical drug development. The firm has a team of over 30 investment professionals and a track record of more than 130 investments across 11 funds, resulting in numerous approved therapies and successful public exits. Its newest funds—Forbion Growth Opportunities III (€1.2 billion) and Forbion Ventures VII (€890 million)—represent its largest capital raise to date.
Fourthline is an Amsterdam-based regtech founded in 2018 that provides identity verification, know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money-laundering compliance software using proprietary AI. It serves banks, fintechs and regulated financial institutions across Europe, running high-accuracy identity checks to onboard customers and detect fraud.
Framer is a Dutch no-code platform for designing, building, and publishing professional websites, used widely by designers and teams. Founded in Amsterdam by Koen Bok and Jorn van Dijk, who had previously sold their design studio Sofa to Facebook in 2011, Framer originally launched as an interactive design and prototyping tool before pivoting to full website creation. The product now spans design, CMS, SEO, hosting, and enterprise features. In August 2025, Framer raised a $100 million round at a $2 billion valuation, led by Meritech and Atomico.
Senior-level utility summit focused on net-zero transition. Price: about EUR 1800-2500. Great for grid tech, smart metering, and energy analytics startups.
A global deep tech innovation platform known for its annual Global Summit in Paris and Deep Tech Pioneers program. Founded in 2011, Hello Tomorrow has built a community of 15,000+ researchers, founders, and investors, identifying and supporting science-driven startups across biotech, energy, AI, and new materials through competitions and mentoring.
Selection process for deep-tech startups seeking curated access to Investor Day matchmaking during Amsterdam Deep Tech Days. Deadlines for Pioneer status typically close in early spring 2026 ahead of June programming.
Amsterdam deep-tech flagship structured across Investor Day (June 10) and Global Summit (June 11-12), with LP/GP and founder-investor tracks. Startups targeting curated Investor Day access typically apply via Deep Tech Pioneer selection, with deadlines usually in early spring 2026.
henQ is an Amsterdam-based venture capital firm that invests early-stage (pre-seed to Series A) in B2B software companies, known for a contrarian thesis of backing unconventional founders often outside the main tech hubs. Its portfolio includes companies such as Mews, Sendcloud, Orderchamp and SEOshop. henQ typically leads or co-leads first institutional rounds across Europe.
Chief Data Officer at ABN AMRO, the Dutch banking group, where she leads enterprise data strategy and analytics. She is a confirmed speaker at TechEx Europe 2026 in Amsterdam, addressing data and AI leadership in financial services.
High Tech Campus Eindhoven is one of Europe's most concentrated technology innovation ecosystems, hosting over 300 companies and 12,000 researchers, developers, and entrepreneurs on a single 100-hectare campus in the south of the Netherlands. Originally developed by Philips as its corporate research campus in the 1990s, HTCE was opened to external companies in 2003 and has since evolved into a thriving open-innovation community often called 'the smartest square kilometer in Europe.' The campus specializes in hardware, semiconductors, photonics, medtech, AI, and IoT, anchored by the presence of NXP Semiconductors, Philips, and ASML nearby. Startups on the campus benefit from shared R&D facilities including cleanrooms, prototyping labs, and testing equipment that would otherwise be inaccessible at early stages. HTCE also operates the HighTechXL accelerator on-site, providing deep-tech startups with structured programs, ESA and CERN technology transfer partnerships, and investor introductions.
Deep-tech venture builder at High Tech Campus Eindhoven (est. 2015). Runs a 9-month venture-building program turning advanced tech from CERN, ESA, and others into startups; exits include Accerion. Support: co-founding teams, seed funding, R&D ecosystem access. Scope: International.
Organizer of HLTH Europe, a major health innovation conference connecting digital health startups with healthcare decision-makers in Amsterdam. Launched as the European sister event of the US-based HLTH conference, it brings together thousands of healthtech founders, hospital administrators, and investors to drive digital transformation in healthcare.
Pan-European health innovation conference at RAI Amsterdam connecting providers, payers, pharma, policymakers, and digital health startups. Strong entry point for navigating fragmented national healthcare systems through centralized buyer and partner access.
Homerun is an Amsterdam-based recruitment and applicant tracking system (ATS) founded in 2015, purpose-built for small and medium-sized businesses that prioritise employer branding and candidate experience. The platform enables companies to create customised career pages, manage candidate pipelines, and collaborate on hiring decisions. In January 2024 Homerun was acquired by ISH Holding, a B2B SaaS group, while continuing to operate independently under its own brand.
The Benelux's leading B2B games-industry event at WTC Rotterdam, bringing together game developers, publishers, and investors. The key annual deal and showcase venue for gametech and interactive-media founders in the region.
INKEF Capital is an Amsterdam-based venture capital firm launched in 2010 with backing from APG, one of the world's largest pension fund asset managers. The firm manages over EUR 500M and invests at Series A in healthcare, enterprise software, and fintech companies across Europe. INKEF typically writes checks of EUR 3-10M and takes board seats, providing patient institutional capital with a long-term investment horizon. The portfolio includes companies like Adyen (early investor), Meatable, and MessageBird. INKEF's unique LP structure gives it the ability to support companies through extended growth cycles without typical fund-life pressure.
The European private equity and venture capital association, representing investors managing capital across the continent. Invest Europe organises the Venture Capital Forum, an annual gathering connecting limited partners and general partners through debate and curated networking on VC performance, allocations and exits.
Invest Europe’s flagship annual gathering for the European venture capital community, connecting limited partners and general partners through debate and curated networking. The 2026 programme centres on VC performance, allocations, exits and liquidity, with a Single Family Office Roundtable and sector-specific roundtables held at Felix Meritis in Amsterdam.
Jaarbeurs is a leading event venue and organizer based in Utrecht, Netherlands, with a history spanning over a century. The organization hosts a diverse portfolio of events including trade fairs, conferences, exhibitions, and seminars across multiple industry sectors. Jaarbeurs is the official organizer of Cybersec Netherlands, one of the most prominent cybersecurity conferences in the Benelux region, connecting security professionals, government bodies, and technology vendors.
Just Eat Takeaway.com is an Amsterdam-headquartered online food delivery marketplace formed from the 2020 merger of Dutch Takeaway.com and British Just Eat. The combined company became one of the world's largest food delivery platforms, operating in over 20 countries across Europe, North America, and Australasia. The company briefly owned Grubhub in the US before divesting it. Listed on the London and Amsterdam stock exchanges, Just Eat Takeaway connects millions of consumers with hundreds of thousands of restaurant partners. The company has faced intense competition from Uber Eats and Deliveroo but remains a dominant player in many European markets.
Keen Venture Partners is an Amsterdam-based venture capital firm founded in 2015, investing at Series A and B in enterprise software, fintech, and consumer internet companies across Europe. The firm manages over EUR 200M and writes checks of EUR 2-10M, often leading or co-leading rounds alongside top-tier European and US co-investors. Keen's partners bring extensive operating experience from companies like Booking.com and Adyen, and the firm focuses on data-driven businesses with strong unit economics and clear paths to profitability.
Invite-only denim supply-chain trade show at Amsterdam's Westergas drawing 5,000+ trade buyers, mills, and brands with a strong sustainability and circularity focus. Access is trade-only and free for approved attendees. Strong entry point for fashion-tech, sustainable textiles, bio-materials, and circular manufacturing startups seeking global brand pilots.
Flagship Kubernetes and cloud-native conference with a busy Startup Hall. Price: about EUR 1500 corporate, EUR 750 individual. Ideal for DevOps, observability, and container startups.
Managing Partner at Newion, the Amsterdam B2B software venture firm. He leads early-stage investments in enterprise SaaS across the Benelux, DACH and Nordic regions, taking active board roles with founders during the critical first phase after a seed or Series A round.
MessageBird is an Amsterdam-based cloud communications platform (CPaaS) that provides APIs for SMS, voice, chat, and email, enabling businesses to communicate with customers across any channel from a single platform. The company rebranded parts of its offering under Bird and has served over 25,000 enterprise clients including Uber, SAP, and HelloFresh. MessageBird competes with Twilio and has raised over $1 billion in funding, making it one of the Netherlands' most valuable tech companies.
Partner at Northzone based in Amsterdam, focused on enterprise software, AI and infrastructure investments across Europe. He previously invested at Accel and brings an operating background to early-stage portfolio companies.
Payments infrastructure provider helping EU businesses accept local and global methods. Mollie is a startup based in Amsterdam, Netherlands at the growth stage. The company operates in the Payments, Fintech space. Learn more at their website.
Organizer of Money20/20 Europe, a flagship fintech and payments conference in Amsterdam. Money20/20 is an event organiser based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Organising events in the Events, FinTech, Payments, Financial Services space.
The premier global event for the fintech and financial services industry in Europe, held annually in Amsterdam, showcasing innovation and future trends in payments and commerce.
Monumental is an Eindhoven-based construction robotics startup developing autonomous bricklaying robots designed to address chronic labor shortages in the European building industry. The company's robots use computer vision and AI to lay bricks with high precision on active urban construction sites, automating one of the most physically demanding trades. Backed by leading European deep-tech investors, Monumental is scaling deployments across the Netherlands and targeting broader European expansion.
Mosa Meat is a Maastricht-based food-technology company founded in 2016 by the team behind the world's first cultured hamburger, presented in 2013. It develops cultivated (lab-grown) beef produced from animal cells rather than slaughtered livestock, aiming to make real meat with a far smaller environmental footprint as it works toward regulatory approval and scale-up.
Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, known by his online moniker Nalden, is a Dutch entrepreneur and angel investor who co-founded The Next Web (TNW), one of the world's most influential tech media platforms and conference series. Starting as a blogger in the early 2000s, Nalden built TNW into a global brand with millions of readers and an annual conference in Amsterdam attracting thousands of founders and investors. Through his media network and personal investments, Nalden has backed dozens of early-stage European startups, especially in media, creative tech, and consumer internet. He is known for investing in founders with strong brand sensibility and storytelling ability, and his network across European tech journalism and event organizing gives his portfolio companies exceptional visibility.
Grows wood from tree stem cells in bioreactors without logging, producing material far faster than conventional forestry. Founded in 2023 on Wageningen Campus, it raised an oversubscribed €2.1M pre-seed to advance cultured-wood technology.
Newion is an Amsterdam-based venture firm founded in 2000 by Jaap van Barneveld and Patrick Polak, and one of the Netherlands' most established early-stage B2B software investors. It backs seed and Series A rounds exclusively in business software across the Benelux, DACH and Nordic regions, managing roughly €300M across four funds — including Fund IV (€130M first close, 2022) backed by the European Investment Fund, BNP Paribas, PMV and Reggeborgh. Initial cheques range from €1M to €10M with reserves for follow-on. Newion applies a hands-on 'controlled growth' philosophy, taking active board roles during the critical first 12–18 months after investment. Across 60+ companies it has cultivated three unicorns — Collibra (data governance, Belgium), Deliverect (food-tech SaaS, Belgium) and Parloa (conversational AI, Germany) — and recorded exits including airfocus (acquired by Lucid Software, 2025). The team is led by Managing Partner Mathijs de Wit with partners Pieter Welten and Dorus Olgers.
Extends the life of lithium-ion batteries through repair, remanufacturing, diagnostics and maintenance using original parts. Founded 2019; operates hubs in the Netherlands and France with capacity for 120,000+ batteries per year.
Otrium is an Amsterdam-based e-commerce company founded in 2016 that runs an online fashion outlet marketplace, giving premium and designer brands a dedicated channel to sell past-season and surplus stock to consumers instead of destroying or heavily discounting it in stores. It combines a curated shopping experience with data tools that help brands manage end-of-season inventory more sustainably.
Fintech payments provider founded in 2002 and headquartered in Hoofddorp, Netherlands, owned by Prosus/Naspers. Processes online payments for merchants across CEE, LatAm and Africa.
Peak is an Amsterdam-based seed venture capital firm founded in 2013 by a group of serial European founders — Johan van Mil, Daniel Hennes, Madeline Lawrence, and later Luc Mader — who wanted to build a fund explicitly aimed at first-time SaaS, marketplace, and platform founders in Europe. The firm writes initial checks of EUR 500K to EUR 4M at pre-seed and seed, reserves meaningful follow-on capacity through Series A, and takes a hands-on partner model that is unusually involved in hiring, pricing, and product-strategy work for portfolio companies. Peak's portfolio has included Trengo, Creative Fabrica, Catawiki, Miinto, Homerun, and Recruitee, and the firm is one of the most consistent seed-stage names in Benelux/DACH venture. It closed its fifth fund in 2023 and remains a reference seed investor for founders across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and the Nordics.
Picnic is a Dutch online supermarket that rebuilt grocery delivery around planned logistics instead of adapting the economics of traditional retail stores. Customers order through an app, while Picnic fulfills from dedicated infrastructure and delivers on optimized neighborhood routes using tightly managed electric vehicles. That routing-first model makes the company structurally different from on-demand marketplaces because it reduces waste, increases drop density, and improves unit economics over time. As a result, Picnic is often discussed less as a consumer app and more as a logistics and software company disguised as a supermarket. It is a useful addition to the directory because it represents a European scale-up that won by controlling operations, data, and delivery cadence rather than by pursuing convenience at any cost. The company also broadens the dataset's coverage of e-commerce and supply-chain innovation, showing how category-defining startups can emerge from dense urban operations and disciplined software-led execution. For founders and investors studying European tech, Picnic is a strong reference case for how operational complexity can become a defensible moat rather than a burden.
Pieter Cobelens is a former Director-General of the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD), the Netherlands' agency responsible for military intelligence collection, counterintelligence, and signals intelligence. He has extensive experience in strategic national security, international intelligence cooperation, and military cyber operations. Following his government career, Cobelens has been active as a speaker, commentator, and advisor on intelligence and security policy topics.
Partner at Newion focused on early-stage B2B software companies in Europe. He works with technical founders building enterprise SaaS, supporting go-to-market and scaling from first institutional capital through growth.
Founded 2015. World's first port and maritime industry accelerator based in Rotterdam (now also Antwerp and Singapore). Three-month program with 100+ mentors and a Shakedown demo day; alumni include We4Sea and CargoLedger. Scope: International.
Prime Ventures is one of the longest-running growth-stage venture firms in the Netherlands, founded in 1999 and operating from Naarden with additional presence in London. The firm writes Series B and later checks of EUR 10-40 million into European technology companies with proven revenue traction, with a sector focus spanning B2B SaaS, digital marketplaces, fintech, and consumer internet. Over more than two decades Prime has backed companies including Just Eat, Takeaway.com, Gemalto, TaxiCaller, Brandbank, Recommind, and Impraise, and has produced several of the most profitable Dutch venture returns on record. The firm is a useful example of a Benelux-headquartered fund that plays a growth-round role traditionally occupied by US crossover investors, and it is often one of the first calls for a Dutch or wider European scale-up raising its first big post-PMF round.
Prosus Ventures is the venture and growth investment arm of Prosus, the Amsterdam-listed international technology investor that was spun out of South African conglomerate Naspers in 2019 and today stands as one of the largest technology investors in the world, anchored by a historically ~25 percent stake in Tencent that funds the rest of the portfolio. Beyond Tencent, Prosus Ventures and its strategy teams actively invest in growth-stage technology companies across food delivery, fintech, edtech, classifieds, and AI, owning stakes in Delivery Hero, iFood, Swiggy, Stack Overflow, PayU, Udemy, and Brainly among others. With many billions of euros of investable firepower and an explicit willingness to lead USD 100M+ rounds, Prosus is effectively one of Europe's only indigenous late-stage growth investors that can compete at scale with US crossover funds on late rounds of European technology companies.
Recruitee is an Amsterdam-based applicant tracking and recruitment collaboration platform, founded in 2015 and serving talent acquisition teams globally. The platform offers structured hiring workflows, branded career sites, and candidate pipeline management. In 2021 Recruitee and Finnish HR software firm Sympa joined forces under the Tellent group backed by PSG, with both products continuing to operate independently. The combined group serves over 4,000 customers across Europe and the USA.
Spring 2026 application windows for Rockstart domain programs (including energy, agrifood, and emerging tech) with initial investment and follow-on funding pathways. Programs are opening through March 2026 with track-specific deadlines.
Amsterdam-founded accelerator and seed investor with domain-specific programs in energy, agrifood, and emerging tech. Spring 2026 application windows are opening in March with track-specific deadlines. Model combines acceleration, initial capital, and potential follow-on funding for scaling teams.
Rijswijk-based robotics startup that automates EV charging for commercial fleets with a soft robotic arm guided by AI computer vision. Its M1 system serves up to ten robotaxi bays from a single overhead unit, eliminating the need for human cable connection in depot and industrial port operations. Raised $56M total, latest $13M from Capricorn Partners.
Ruben Nieuwenhuis is a Dutch entrepreneur, angel investor, and ecosystem builder who co-founded StartupAmsterdam, the city's official public-private initiative to support tech entrepreneurship. He later co-founded Startup Delta (now Techleap.nl), the national platform connecting Dutch startups with government, corporates, and investors. As an angel, Nieuwenhuis invests in early-stage tech companies across the Netherlands, with a focus on marketplace models, SaaS, and civic tech. His deep connections to Dutch government, corporate, and VC networks make him an especially valuable angel for founders who need more than capital. He is widely considered one of the architects of Amsterdam's rise as a top European tech hub.
Co-founder and CEO of HELLO Labs, a Web3 entertainment and media company, and a confirmed speaker at Web3 Warsaw 2026. Develops blockchain-based interactive media and content platforms.
Security Delta (HSD) is the Dutch national security innovation cluster, headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, bringing together over 300 companies, government organizations, and knowledge institutions since 2013. The organization facilitates collaboration in cybersecurity and safety through knowledge sharing, innovation programs, talent development, and market access initiatives. HSD serves as the central hub of the Dutch cybersecurity ecosystem, managing thematic programs in Cyber Security & Resilience, Data & AI, and Smart Secure Societies.
SET Ventures is an Amsterdam-based venture capital firm that invests in digital technologies for a carbon-free energy system, spanning smart grids, energy storage, electrification, energy efficiency and grid intelligence. Investing across Europe, it backs early-growth companies whose software and data platforms accelerate the energy transition.
Silverflow is an Amsterdam-based fintech that provides a cloud-native card payment processing platform. It offers a direct connection to the card networks via easy-to-use APIs, with features including 3D-Secure, network tokenisation, direct-to-card payouts, and dispute management based on enriched data. The company positions itself as a modern alternative to legacy payment infrastructure, serving payment service providers, payment facilitators, acquirers, and merchants. It was founded by former Adyen executives Anne Willem de Vries, Robert Kraal, and Paul Buying. Customers cited in press coverage include Deutsche Bank, Bolt, Payabl, and Buckaroo.
Slingshot Ventures is an Amsterdam-based venture capital firm founded in 2014, focused on late seed and Series A investments in consumer digital brands, e-commerce, and direct-to-consumer startups. The firm invests EUR 500K-3M and works closely with founders on brand building, growth marketing, and customer acquisition strategies. Slingshot's portfolio spans emerging consumer platforms across the Benelux and broader European market, with the team bringing operational experience from scaling digital-first brands and marketplaces.
StartLife is a Wageningen-based incubator and accelerator specialising in agri-food-tech, located on the Wageningen University campus, a leading centre for food and agriculture research. It supports startups working on food, agriculture and biotechnology with programmes, access to funding and connections to the region's science and corporate ecosystem.
Pan-European startup festival in Amsterdam connecting early and growth-stage founders with investors, corporate innovation teams, and ecosystem builders. Features pitch competitions, workshops, and structured networking across multiple stages.
Organizer of recurring Amsterdam tech job fairs and startup networking events connecting pre-seed founders with local angel communities. Also operates as a media platform covering the Dutch and German startup ecosystem, offering editorial features, event calendars, and visibility for emerging startups seeking talent and early-stage funding.
Amsterdam hub of Startupbootcamp (est. 2010) running 3-month accelerators in fintech, cybersecurity, smart cities, IoT, and commerce. Provides EUR 15K seed funding, 6% equity, mentorship, and partner deals; alumni include early Adyen mentoring. Scope: International.
StuDocu is an Amsterdam-based platform where students share and access study materials such as lecture notes, summaries and practice exams. Operating under the legal entity StudeerSnel B.V., it launched as StudeerSnel.nl before expanding internationally under the StuDocu brand, serving students across many countries and disciplines. In recent years it has added AI-based study tools for generating quizzes, summaries and structured notes. The company raised a $50 million Series B round in 2021 led by Partech.
Swapfiets is a Dutch mobility company founded in 2014 in Delft that pioneered the bicycle-as-a-subscription model: for a fixed monthly fee members get a bike, recognisable by its blue front tyre, with maintenance and repairs included and a replacement swapped in within days if anything breaks. It operates in cities across the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and beyond, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
A large enterprise-technology event of eight co-located shows under one roof at RAI Amsterdam, spanning AI and Big Data, Cyber Security and Cloud, IoT, Digital Transformation, Intelligent Automation, Edge Computing and Data Centres. It draws thousands of attendees, 200-plus speakers and exhibitors, targeting CTOs, data and AI leaders and digital transformation executives.
TechForge Media portfolio organiser behind the TechEx series of co-located enterprise technology shows, spanning AI and Big Data, Cyber Security and Cloud, IoT, Digital Transformation, Intelligent Automation and Edge Computing. TechEx Europe convenes thousands of CTOs, data and AI leaders and digital transformation executives at RAI Amsterdam.
Techleap.nl (formerly StartupDelta) is the Dutch national nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of the Netherlands' tech startup ecosystem. Originally founded in 2015 as StartupDelta by special envoy Neelie Kroes (former European Commissioner for Digital Agenda), the organization was rebranded to Techleap.nl in 2019 to reflect its expanded mission. Techleap works at the intersection of government, startups, investors, and corporates to remove barriers to scaling tech companies in the Netherlands. Key programs include the Techleap Rise benchmarking tool for startups, talent attraction initiatives, and policy advocacy on topics such as stock option taxation and visa procedures for international founders. Techleap also produces the annual State of Dutch Tech report and facilitates connections between Dutch scale-ups and international investors.
Organiser of the TECHSPO technology expo series, which brings developers, brands, marketers and technology providers together across internet, mobile, AdTech, MarTech and SaaS. TECHSPO Amsterdam is co-located with the DigiMarCon Europe digital marketing conference.
A two-day technology expo bringing together developers, brands, marketers, technology providers, designers and innovators across internet, mobile, AdTech, MarTech and SaaS. It is co-located with DigiMarCon Europe, letting attendees move between the expo floor and the digital marketing conference sessions.
Skills-based pre-employment assessment platform offering 350+ tests, AI video interviews and resume scoring to help companies hire on real skills. Founded 2019 in Amsterdam.
Historical organizer profile for TNW Conference, which was one of Europe's most recognized tech festivals held annually in Amsterdam from 2006 to 2024. At its peak, TNW attracted 20,000+ attendees including founders, investors, and media. The event has been discontinued and is not scheduled to return.
Historical TNW Conference listing for June 19-20, 2025 in Amsterdam. The conference has been officially discontinued and is not expected to return in 2026.
Major European technology conference in Amsterdam featuring curated tracks on AI, sustainability, and startup growth. Draws 10,000+ attendees including founders, developers, and investors for talks, expo, and networking at NDSM Wharf.
Trengo is a customer engagement platform headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands, founded in 2017. It consolidates customer communications across email, WhatsApp, live chat, social media, and voice into a single shared inbox, enabling teams to collaborate on customer requests. The company raised a $36 million Series A in 2021 and serves over 3,000 customers globally across industries including finance and e-commerce. Trengo is backed by Insight Partners and Peak Capital.
A community-driven startup festival at the Van Nelle Fabriek connecting pre-seed and seed founders with investors across port and maritime, health and wellbeing, and climate and energy tracks. Strong fit for early-stage founders raising in Rotterdam's ecosystem.
Founded 2009. University-affiliated incubator supporting ICT and biotech startups with a 4-month validation program, follow-on acceleration, labs access, and investor network. Supported 200+ startups including SnappCar. Scope: Regional (Utrecht).
Largest Vue.js conference with senior frontend engineers and tool makers. Price: about EUR 350-500. Strong for frontend tooling, UI libraries, and developer productivity startups.
WeTransfer is an Amsterdam-based file-transfer and creative-tools company founded in 2009, best known for its simple service for sending large files, alongside products for creative professionals. It grew into one of the Netherlands' most recognised consumer internet brands and was acquired by the Italian software group Bending Spoons in 2024.
WorkFlex is a travel compliance automation platform that helps companies manage international employee mobility, including workations, business trips, and work-from-abroad arrangements. Its software assesses cross-border compliance risks such as tax, labour law, and social security, and automates the related paperwork, handling A1 certificates, visas, posted-worker declarations, and tax requirements. Employers use it to track and approve temporary remote work from abroad while staying compliant. The company was founded in 2022 by Patrick Koch and Pieter Manden, the latter a tax lawyer who previously led PwC's remote work compliance function. WorkFlex is headquartered in Amsterdam.
The 10th-anniversary edition of one of the world's largest AI summits, near Amsterdam, centrepiece of World AI Week with 100+ side events. Strong investor and big-tech presence for AI founders, with enterprise-AI and AI-engineering tracks.
YES!Delft is a renowned tech incubator in the Netherlands, focused on turning university research and technical inventions into successful startups. Founded in 2005 by Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) – one of Europe’s top engineering schools – YES!Delft has grown into a deep-tech startup ecosystem supporting hardware and high-tech software ventures. The incubator offers a 3-4 month validation program for idea-stage teams, longer-term incubation for growth-stage startups, access to specialized labs and maker spaces, and connections to TU Delft’s extensive research facilities. Over the past 20 years, YES!Delft has incubated nearly 500 startups, collectively valued at over €1.2B. Notable alumni include Ampelmann (offshore access systems, now a global marine company) and E-nevia (electric mobility). The sectors span AI, robotics, medtech, aerospace, clean energy, and more – reflecting Delft’s engineering strengths. The incubator actively leverages partnerships: it works with corporates like KLM (aviation) and NS (railways) for pilot opportunities, and with government initiatives for grants. Startups at YES!Delft benefit from an entrepreneur-centric approach; the incubator was twice ranked a global top 5 university incubator by UBI Index. It offers an in-house venture fund (UNIIQ) that provides proof-of-concept funding (~€100k) to the most promising teams, bridging the gap to seed rounds. YES!Delft’s campus in Delft has co-working, an auditorium for events, and proximity to cutting-edge labs (e.g., quantum computing labs at QuTech). It has expanded with satellite branches in Rotterdam (focused on port and logistics tech) and The Hague (focused on AI and security) to tap regional industries. The name YES stands for “Young Entrepreneurs Society,” underscoring its community vibe: seasoned mentors, many of whom are TU Delft alumni entrepreneurs, guide newcomers. With continued support from TU Delft and the city, YES!Delft is a cornerstone of the Dutch innovation ecosystem – ensuring that inventions from classrooms and labs (like next-gen drones, solar cars, or medical devices) find their way to market via robust startups.