12 Best Venture Capital Firms in the Netherlands 2024

Venture capital firms are often very important to the success of startups and young companies by providing them with the necessary funding, expertise, and networks required to scale their businesses. The Netherlands entrepreneurial ecosystem has several notable venture capital firms that focus on a diverse range of sectors from technology and healthcare to sustainable energy and more. Let's take a closer look.

• Industries Include: Agriculture, Clean Energy, Food Processing
• Notable Portfolio Companies: eDRV, HydroNeo, Viezo, Lanterne

Rockstart is a venture capital (VC) organization with a unique mission to empower founders contributing to global positive change through their startup ventures. With offices in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Bogota, Rockstart operates on a global scale. The company was initially envisioned as "the ultimate startup machine" and over time it has grown and evolved with the help of hundreds of individuals. Today they offer fast-track scaling solutions specifically designed for purpose-driven founders in energy, agrifood, and emerging technology. Providing not just funds but also solid mentoring to founders, their programs aim to help startups right from the pre-seed stage up to Series B funding.

Their focus is not limited to just the initial stages of a company’s lifespan, however. Rockstart extends its support for several years ensuring sustainability and success in the longer term. And despite being involved in seed stage investing, they distinguish themselves from a "classical" seed investor, preferring to define their role as one that's hard to pin down. With over €75 million under management, Rockstart is all about ambition, empowerment, and support of founders concentrating on sustainability and technological issues.

• Industries Include: Clean Energy, Energy Storage, Power Grid
• Notable Portfolio Companies: Bamboo Energy, Ecoligo, CorPower Ocean

Venture capital firm EIT InnoEnergy is taking the lead in driving Europe towards a decarbonized economy. They believe in sustainability that doesn't just reduce emissions but also promotes commercial viability, innovation, and smart competitiveness. EIT InnoEnergy focuses on supporting energy innovations that provide industry-leading technologies to lower energy costs and emissions. 

Their InnoEnergy Skills Institute is hailed as a premier destination for cutting-edge sustainable energy training in Europe, and the firm helps companies discover commercially viable technologies across the entire energy value chain. They are passionate about supporting entrepreneurs with global impact and sustainable solutions while fueling their ambitions with well-rounded education offerings. EIT InnoEnergy's primary focus is sustainability with initiatives like battery storage, green hydrogen, and solar photovoltaics being part of their portfolio.

• Industries Include: Biotechnology, Healthcare, Life Sciences
• Notable Portfolio Companies: Orbis Medicines, VectorY, Kynexis

Forbion Capital Partners is a leading VC firm with a strong focus on life sciences companies. Originally part of ABN AMRO Capital Life Sciences, Forbion has established its independence and built an impressive track record over two decades. The firm has a wealth of experience assisting life sciences companies and facilitating the birth of many breakthrough therapies. With an approach that emphasizes collaboration in transaction reviews, they leverage operational and management expertise to provide guidance.

Managing considerable assets across ten investment funds, Forbion handles over €3 billion. As of October, 2022 they hold 43 active portfolio companies and have made a total of 95 investments to date. Their strategy extends beyond the mere “provision” of capital and they aim to add substantial value to portfolio companies in various ways. Apart from funding they also have significant strength in their extensive experience in guiding life sciences firms on their journey.

• Industries Include: Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Pharmaceuticals
• Notable Portfolio Companies: Nouscom, Lightcast, CellFE

M Ventures is a strategic corporate venture capital fund linked to Merck KGaA. They are known for investing in biotechnology and tech startups and their interest areas encompass healthcare drug development, life science tools, electronics, frontier technology, and sustainability. M Ventures not only focuses on financial gains from their investments but also on strategic growth.

They target visionary companies that are exploring new ways to address disease treatment, empower scientists, develop information technologies, and tackle sustainability challenges. Along with their investment, they actively participate in their portfolio companies, teaming up with entrepreneurs and co-investors to ensure commercial success.

• Industries Include: Healthtech, Therapeutics, Healthcare
• Notable Portfolio Companies: Mainstay Medical, NightBalance, Sapiens

Gilde Healthcare is a specialized healthcare investor with an impressive 40-year history in the business. Based in Utrecht, Netherlands they also maintain offices in Frankfurt, Germany, and Boston. Their unique focus lies on two distinct funds: Venture&Growth and Private Equity. The Venture&Growth fund which supports fast-growing companies in Europe and North America has 63 companies in its portfolio.

In contrast, the Private Equity fund targets profitable lower mid-market European healthcare companies such as healthcare providers and suppliers of medical products and services. This fund has 22 companies in its portfolio. Gilde Healthcare manages more than $2.5 billion across these two funds. The firm strongly believes in investing in businesses that enable better care at a lower cost, making healthcare more accessible to the masses.

• Industries Include: Edtech, Fintech, Healthtech
• Notable Portfolio Companies: Biome Makers, Airmeet, Neara, Corti

Prosus Ventures is the venture capital investing arm of Prosus, known for exploring new sectors and emerging technologies. They invest globally in sectors like fintech, payments, food delivery, edtech, and online classifieds. Prosus Ventures has a record of significant investments totaling over $30 billion across more than 90 portfolio companies globally.

Their long-term focus allows them to work without the constraints of short-term returns or exits. This freedom allows  Prosus Ventures to back businesses in large growing markets that have the potential to meet societal needs through technology. They are committed to supporting world-class entrepreneurs that are building leading tech companies with potential to revolutionize industries.

• Industries Include: Deep Tech, Fintech, Healthcare, Mobility
• Notable Portfolio Companies: Brex, Firefly, Alan 

Exor Ventures, a part of Exor, is known for investing in early-stage companies and providing them with benefits unique to the firm. Their investment approach is centered around exceptional founders who aspire to build incredible companies. Led by a family business that prioritizes company building over short-term goals, Exor maintains a principle of “permanent capital” allowing it to prioritize the interests of its portfolio companies.

Exor extends its global connections across industries and geographies to the founders it backs, providing them with an extensive support network. Their investment portfolio includes early-stage companies helmed by visionary individuals who intend to build powerful businesses. They emphasize the discovery of remarkable founders and maintain a dedicated focus on backing companies that aim to leave a strong mark on their respective industries.

• Industries Include: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Healthcare, Deep Tech
• Notable Portfolio Companies: Baserow, Precirix, GitLab

Inkef is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in healthcare and technology startups. Their interests within the healthcare sector span therapeutics, digital health, and medical devices. Meanwhile, in technology, their preferred areas range from the future of commerce to deep tech. Inkef’s typical investments are in seed and Series A rounds but they occasionally invest earlier or later for exceptional companies.

They partner with mission-driven entrepreneurs committed to actively working with their portfolio companies. When evaluating investment opportunities they consider many factors including the relevance of the problem the company is solving globally, the size of the addressable market, and whether the business has a unique product or service. Inkef believes in ambitious passionate teams seeking to scale their business globally with a strategic long-term vision.

• Industries Include: SaaS, Marketplace 
• Notable Portfolio Companies: DREM, Neople, Enersee

Peak is a venture capital firm focused on investing in early-stage SaaS, marketplace, and platform companies based in Europe. Their selection process puts emphasis on strong founding teams with complementary skills and founder market fit. They value customer validation, data-driven strategies, the quality of revenue over quantity, and solid go-to-market strategies. Peak generally favors companies that are solving major problems with compelling value propositions and large market opportunities.

Their average initial investment ranges from €250,000 to €4 million but they reserve a substantial portion of funds for follow-on investment up to Series B. Their investment process is extensive and focuses on deep diving into the company fundamentals while getting to know the founders beyond just business.

• Industries Include: Real Estate Tech, Financial Services, Insurance
• Notable Portfolio Companies: Webio, NomuPay, Tada

Finch Capital is not just a banking and wealth management firm; it's also a robust capital provider that supports companies to grow sustainably. They are deeply involved with company management in various areas including hiring, mergers & acquisitions, go-to-market strategies, capital raising, and international expansion. They focus on sectors like payments software, business applications, real estate tech, and insurance. 

Investment amounts from Finch Capital range typically from €5-15 million and up to €50 million if co-investing with other investors. The firm looks for companies with technology-led, capital-efficient business models with exceptional founders and management teams. Finch Capital takes an equity stake of 20% or more in companies through both primary and secondary shares.

• Industries Include: Blockchain, Web3, Infrastructure 
• Notable Portfolio Companies: Stardust, Maple, Visor 

Maven 11 Capital is a crypto-native fund that partners with dynamic founders working to redefine ownership through open inclusive and permissionless crypto networks. Positioned in Amsterdam and the Cayman Islands they deliver hands-on support to founders in all stages of development, being more than just a capital provider. Maven 11 actively participates in the companies it invests in by getting involved in day-to-day operations and creating a meaningful partnership.

They seek out bold founders ready to take on significant challenges and act early on innovative ideas, regardless of risk. Maven 11 values technical prowess believing that the most technically adept founders can enact the most significant impact. Strong long-term relationships between founders and investors are seen as the key piece to navigating obstacles and creating outstanding projects. With a strong belief in their founders, they remain committed long-term partners providing open advice and support through challenges.

• Industries Include: Software, Healthcare, Information Technology (IT)
• Notable Portfolio Companies: CarbonX, TheyDo, Spotr.ai 

InnovationQuarter is the regional economic development agency for the province of Zuid-Holland, known as the greater Rotterdam The Hague area in the Netherlands. Their mission is to strengthen the regional economic structure by stimulating innovation in this unique delta region which has transformed challenges into opportunities over centuries through ingenious solutions. The region has become a hub for collaboration and innovation that inspires metro regions globally.

InnovationQuarter offers business opportunities by connecting companies to key networks in sectors like maritime, horticulture, aerospace, life sciences, and more. They support business internationalization and attract foreign investment to the region. InnovationQuarter provides access to capital for innovative companies through various investment funds totaling over €350 million. They assist in fostering collaborations between entrepreneurs, knowledge institutions, and government to drive innovation. Their goal is to realize cross-sector innovations by connecting solutions with social impacts across different industries.