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.
Eindhoven, Netherlands
Innovation Hub
/netherlands/innovation-hub/high-tech-campus-eindhoven
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.
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.
Founded in 2004, Atlantic Bridge is a Dublin and Silicon Valley-based growth VC managing over EUR 800M across multiple funds. The firm invests EUR 5-30M from Series B through pre-IPO in deep tech, semiconductors, enterprise hardware, and software. Notable portfolio companies include Movidius (acquired by Intel for $400M+), Lincor, and Swrve. Atlantic Bridge leverages its transatlantic presence to help European deep-tech companies access US customers, partners, and capital markets.
Graphcore is a Bristol-based semiconductor company founded in 2016 that designed the Intelligence Processing Unit (IPU), a processor architecture built from the ground up for machine learning and AI workloads. The company raised over $700 million from investors including Sequoia Capital, BMW, Microsoft, and Samsung, reaching a valuation above $2.5 billion. Graphcore developed both hardware and a Poplar software stack to compete with NVIDIA in the AI accelerator market. Its IPU technology represented one of Europe's most ambitious attempts to build a homegrown AI chip ecosystem.
Deep-tech venture builder at High Tech Campus Eindhoven (established 2015) turning advanced tech from sources like CERN or ESA into startups through a nine-month program. Support: co-founding teams around tech IP, seed funding, access to Eindhoven's R&D ecosystem. Scope: International.
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.
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