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 129 organisations across 16 cities.
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Picnic
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
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.
Pieter Welten
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.
PortXL
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
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
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
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.
Rockstart
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.
Rockstart Amsterdam
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.
Rocsys
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
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.
Sander Görtjes
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)
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
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
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
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.
Spacegoods
Spacegoods is a direct-to-consumer wellness brand founded in Amsterdam that sells functional-mushroom and adaptogen drink blends, including a coffee alternative (Rainbow Dust), a matcha blend, an evening relaxation blend (Astro Dust) and an electrolyte blend (Hydro Dust). The company sells through its own online store with UK and international shipping.
StartDock
StartDock provides coworking, office space, virtual offices and meeting rooms, with locations in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht. It positions itself around a member community rather than desk rental alone.
StartLife
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.
Startup Fest Europe 2026
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.
