Blog

Dutch startup ecosystem

According to the Global Startup Ecosystem Report, the Netherlands holds the third position for best startup ecosystems in Europe. Consequently, access to business funding is also rising. There is a surge in the number of opportunities and funding deals for startups and scaleups. 

Besides the government’s efforts, numerous venture capitalists and angels are focusing and investing in tech companies, strengthening the ecosystem. In this regard, we have listed out the list of Dutch startups that have raised over $10M in the first half of 2021 and are hiring right now. Check it out!

Certain details of these startups, such as founders’ names, founded year, and the total funding raised, have been sourced from Dealroom.

MessageBird 

Founder/s: Adriaan Mol and Robert Vis

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded: 2011

Messagebird is a cloud platform that powers communication between businesses and their customers globally. The company launched Inbox.ai this year, enabling customers to communicate with businesses on any channel including, SMS, Instagram, Whatsapp, Line, Telegram, and more. 

In April, the cloud communication unicorn raised $1B (approx €828.3M) in its extended Series C round. The fund was raised from Eurazeo, Tiger Global, Owl Rock, and other existing investors. At present, Messagebird is hiring for various positions. If you are looking out for a job, click here. 

Mollie

Founder/s: Adriaan Mol

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded: 2004

The fintech startup offers a simple, API-based method to integrate payments into a site or app. The Dutch company aims to make online payment simple for merchants through a simple and powerful API. Right now, Mollie serves more than 120,000 monthly active merchants of all sizes across the continent. Mollie operates in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, and the UK. 

Last month, the fintech unicorn raised $800M (approx €672M) in a Series C funding, at $6.5B (approx €5.4B) valuation. The round was led by Blackstone Growth (BXG), with other investors participating including, EQT Growth, General Atlantic, HMI Capital, TCV, and Alkeon Capital. 

Mollie is hiring! If you consider yourself a right fit, check out here.

bunq

Founder/s: Ali Niknam

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded: 2012

Amsterdam’s bunq is all about free banking. The challenger bank offers mobile banking with no branch visits, no queues, no paperwork. At present, the company operates in 30 European markets. Recently, bunq reached €1B in user deposits based on May 2021 data. 

Last month, bunq reportedly raised €193M investment from an undisclosed British private equity firm for 10 per cent of the equity. The investment round valued the company at €1.65B. If you think fintech is the future, bunq has a lot of opportunities for you. Check here. 

Otrium

Founder/s: Max Klijnstra and Milan Daniels

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded: 2015

Otrium is an online fashion outlet marketplace that enables designer brands to sell their leftover stocks at a discounted price. The Dutch startup offers brands an online outlet channel and digital tools to connect dynamically-priced end-of-season collections with fashion lovers. Notably, Otrium arranges the storage, sale, and shipment of the relevant collections.

In March, Otrium raised $120M (approx €102.27M) in a Series C round co-led by BOND and Index Ventures with participation from Eight Road Ventures. Want to become a part of Otrium, check out the vacancies here. 

Lumicks

Founder/s: Andrea Candelli and Olivier Heyning

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded: 2014

Lumicks, a spin-off from the VU University in Amsterdam, develops lab equipment that allows biologists and medical scientists to view and study biomolecules. 

The life science tools company aims to improve human health by unlocking the power of Dynamic Single-Molecule and Cell Avidity analysis to provide insight into the fundamental cause of disease and potential for drug optimisation.

A couple of months back, the Dutch startup raised $93M (approx €77.6M) in a Series D round led by Farallon Capital Management and Lauxera Capital Partners. 

Other investors including Softbank Vision Fund 2, Parian Global Management, Pura Vida Investments, Irving Investors, Gilde Healthcare, and select members of the Lumicks management team also contributed to this round.

Are you into life science and biological research? If yes, this Dutch startup is hiring across various designations. Click here to check.

BUX

Founder/s: Egbert Pronk, Joost van de Wijgerd, Nick Bortot, and Robbert Bos

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded: 2014

BUX lets people invest in shares and ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) without any commission. The Dutch startup claims to have over 500,000 customers in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, France, and Belgium. Besides its flagship platform BUX Zero, the company offers BUX Crypto (crypto investment) and BUX X (Contracts For Difference).

A couple of months back, BUX raised $80M (approx €66.47M) funding led by Prosus Ventures and Tencent, with participation from additional new investors ABN Amro Ventures, Citius, Optiver, and Endeit Capital. Existing investors including HV Capital and Velocity Capital Fintech Ventures also participated. 

With the funding, BUX is planning to software developers for the expansion of the company. If you are interested, click here. 

StuDocu

Founder/s: Marnix Broer, Jacques Huppes, Lucas van den Houten, and Sander Kuijk

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded: 2013

StuDocu is a knowledge exchange platform where students can share knowledge, college notes, and study guides. The company wants to help everyone to excel in their studies by providing the tools to students who want to study more efficiently. The Dutch startup has served more than 15M students at 2000 universities across 60 countries. 

Not so long ago, the edtech platform raised $50M (approx €41.1M) in its Series B round of funding from Paris-based VC firm Partech. The Dutch startup is aiming to hire 30 more new talents in roles like tech, product, design, marketing, and operations in the coming months. If you are interested, check out here. 

Meatable

Founder/s: Krijn de Nood, Daan Luining, and Dr. Mark Kotter

HQ: Delft

Founded: 2018

Meatable is a cell-cultured meat company that aims to cultivate meat without slaughtering any animals. The Dutch startup uses a patented Opti-Ox cell technology to grow a single cell under controlled differentiation into any cell type. The cell is sourced from a real animal in a completely harmless way. 

Earlier this year, the Dutch startup raised $47M (approx €39.68M) in its Series A round led by Dr. Rick Klausner, Section 32, Dr. Jeffrey Leiden, and DSM Venturing. Existing investors including, BlueYard Capital, Agronomics, Humboldt, and Taavet Hinrikus, also participate in this round.

If you want to make an impact on the future of food, Meatables is hiring. Check it out here. 

Leyden Labs

Founder/s: Koenraad Wiedhaup, Jaap Goudsmit, Ronald Brus and Dinko Valerio

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded: 2020

Leyden Labs is developing intranasal medicines to stop viruses before they infect the lungs. The Dutch startup utlises its platform targets commonalities of viral families to protect humanity from known and future viruses. 

In March, the company secured €40M in its Series A round led by GV (formerly Google Ventures), with participation from F-Prime Capital, Casdin Capital, LLC, and Brook Byers. Besides advancing the platform and portfolio of intranasal products, the company is also investing in hiring talented people. 

Check out the vacancies here. 

Dott

Founder/s: Henri Moissinac, Maxim Romain

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded: 2018

Dott offers dock-less, shared e-scooters and bikes as alternatives for short-distance travel. The company raised $85M (approx €70.47M) in a Series B round led by Sofina, along with the participation of new and existing investors including EQT Ventures, Prosus Ventures, Aberdeen Standard Investments, Medtech (as co-lead), Expon Capital, Felix Capital, FJ Labs, Invest-NL, McRock Capital, Quadia, and various angel investors. 

The Dutch startup operates around 30,000 e-scooters in cities including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland. The company is also planning to expand its operation into new countries like Spain and the UK. 

The Dutch startup is hiring too. Click here to apply. 

Lightyear

Founder/s: Arjo van der Ham, Koen van Ham, Lex Hoefsloot, Martijn Lammers, and Qurein Biewenga.

HQ: Helmond

Founded: 2016

Lightyear is a solar electric car company that develops an ultra-energy-efficient automotive platform. The Dutch company is working on Lightyear One, a long-range solar electric vehicle designed to be grid-independent and to drive anywhere. 

As per the company’s claim, Lightyear One consumes only 83 Wh/km, which is two to three times less energy than any other electric vehicle on the market today. The car can also recharge from its solar roof up to 80 per cent of the annual yield for an average driver in San Francisco. 

Earlier this year, the Dutch startup raised $48M (approx €40.2M) funding led by Zero Point Holding BV – an investment vehicle of a Swiss family.

Lightyear One is hiring across the various department including operations, strategy, finance and commerce, and more. Click here to apply.

VectorY

CEO: Alexander Vos 

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded: 2020

VectorY is a biotech company focused on developing innovative gene therapy approaches for the treatment of muscular and neurodegenerative disorders through vectorised antibodies. The Dutch startup has offices and labs at the Amsterdam Science Park in The Netherlands.  

The Dutch startup is developing a pipeline of vectorised antibodies based on a novel AAV platform and innovative antibody-based targeted degradation technologies.

Last month, the company has raised €31M in a seed financing round co-led by founding investor Forbion and a leading global investment firm. BGV and Eli Lilly and Company also joined the syndicate. You can check out the job vacancies here. 

Crisp

Founder/s: Tom Peeters, Michiel Roodenburg, and Eric Klaassen

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded: 2018

Crisp is an online-only supermarket that delivers groceries 7 days a week. The Dutch startup stocks more than 2000 products from more than 650 farmers, growers, and makers. The platform runs on proprietary software to enable zero inventory and negative working capital. In 2020, Crisp witnessed 7-times growth and claims to have become the fastest growing online supermarket in the Netherlands.

Earlier this year, the Dutch startup raised €30M in its Series B round led by Target Global, joined by Keen Venture Partners. Other entrepreneurs also participated including founders of Adyen and Just Eat Takeaway.com, as well as Thomas Plantenga, Vinted CEO. 

Crisp is hiring people in finance, HR, Marketing, Operations, and more. If you are interested, check here.  

Onward 

Founder/s: Tom Peeters, Michiel Roodenburg, and Eric Klaassen

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded: 2018

Onward is a medtech company that aims to create innovative therapies to restore movement, independence, and health in people with spinal cord injuries. 

Onward’s ARC Therapy, which is designed in two ways — implantable (ARC-IM) or external (ARC-EX) systems, delivers targeted, programmed stimulation of the spinal cord to restore movement and other functions in people with spinal cord injury. 

The company has secured $32M (approx €26.54M) funding led by Invest-NL, the Dutch impact investor, and Olympic Investments. Other investors including LSP, INKEF Capital, Gimv, and Wellington Partners, participated in the round. 

The Dutch startup is looking for new team members to work on breakthrough technologies and life-changing therapies. Click here to apply. 

Quin

Founder/s: Bart Malenstein

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded: 2014

Quin is a health tech company that provides an AI digital platform offering comprehensive personalised medical insight to consumers and general practitioners, from symptoms and medical complaints to diagnosis and indication of the medical condition. 

Digital care is provided via an app that gives users access to, for example, a symptom checker and video consultations. Earlier this year, the Dutch startup has raised €25M led by Partners in Equity (PiE). If you are interested in a healthcare platform, Quin is hiring. Click here. 

Felyx

Founder/s: Quinten Selhorst and Maarten Poot

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded: 2016

Felyx is an electric scooter company that offers ride-sharing services through its app, which is available for both Android and iOS users. Users can use the app to sign up, locate and reserve, and activate the nearest e-scooter. 

Since its inception, the Dutch startup has covered around 14 million kilometres in the Netherlands and Brussels on the green e-scooters, saving around 1.117 tons of CO2 emissions.

In February, Felyx secured €24M in its series A investment round led by De Hoge Dennen Capital, the investment vehicle for the De Rijcke family, and current major shareholder and entrepreneur Anne-Marie Rakhorst. 

The Dutch startup is looking out for passionate and ambitious people to join our team. If you are the one, click here to apply. 

HousingAnywhere

Founder/s: Niels Van Deuren

HQ: Rotterdam

Founded: 2013

HousingAnywhere is a rental accommodation marketplace for young professionals and international students. Those who are looking to rent a home are matched with accommodation providers, ranging from private real estate owners to large-scale property managers. 

Through its platform, tenants book for longer stays and typically rent accommodation for 3 to 12 months. As per the company’s claims, it gets 10 million unique visitors per year and has more than 60,000 properties for rent. 

The Dutch startup raised €24M in Series C funding led by the current investors VNV Global and Real Web. Ergeny Investments, a single-family investment firm, joined as a new investor in January last year also participated. The startup is focused on 32 key cities throughout Europe, with plans to rapidly expand its footprint.

Click here to see the job vacancies.

Nearfield Instruments

Founder/s: Roland van Vliet and Hamed Sadeghian

HQ: Rotterdam

Founded: 2016

Nearfield Instruments is a Rotterdam-based startup that produces semiconductor scanning probe metrology equipment. The Dutch startup’s process control metrology solutions can measure essential 3D nanostructures in a non-destructive manner during the manufacturing process of microchips.

A few weeks back, the company raised €17.5M as part of its Series B round led by Invest-NL and the existing shareholder of Innovation Industries. With the fund, Nearfield Instruments is planning to develop new metrology technologies, hire new talents, and expand its infrastructure. Click here to apply. 

Wonderflow

Founder/s: Giovanni Gaglione, Michele Ruini, and Riccardo Osti

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded: 2013

Wonderflow is a B2B tech company that delivers AI-based software designed to improve the customer experience. The Dutch startup helps companies understand what consumers think about their products and services through AI. The Dutch startup analyses the unstructured feedback, from multiple sources, and helps brands improve the overall customer experience.

A few days back, Wonderflow raised $20M (approx €16.7M) funding in a Series B round led by Toronto-based Klass Capital. Existing investors including, Italian venture capital firm P101, ITALIA 500 (Azimut Group), and renowned Dutch top manager Jan Bennink, also participated in the financing round.

The company is hiring new talent across its three offices in Amsterdam, Milan, and Trento. Check it out here. 

Orderchamp

Founder/s: Joost Brugmans, Max Verduyn, Menno Wolvers, and Ruud Stelder, Dennis Cuijpers

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded in: 2019

Orderchamp is an online B2B marketplace where brands and retailers come together to remain relevant to local consumers. The company collaborates only with brands that meet specific criteria like handmade, natural, sustainable, or ethical.  

A couple of months back, the online wholesale marketplace secured $20M (approx €16.6M) funding in a Series A round led by Prime Ventures. Other investors including, henQ and several angel investors, also participated.

The Dutch startup is planning to double the headcount from 40 to 80 within this year. If you are interested, click here. 

Protix Biosystems

Founder/s: Kees Aarts

HQ: Dongen

Founded in: 2009

Protix Biosystems breeds insects for animal feed since it offers a low-impact protein replacement that can be cultivated on a variety of food scraps. It helps prevent overfishing and deforestation for soy cultivation. Earlier this year, the company secured €15.5M funding led by Aqua-Spark. Currently, the Dutch startup is looking for a front runner in the insect industry, if you are interested, check here.

Founda Health

Founder/s: Jan Joost Kalff

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded in: 2019

Founda Health is a technology company that builds infrastructure for the global healthcare sector. The company uses software to develops applications, techniques, and tools for the healthcare sector. In February, the company raised $15M (approx €12.3M) from a group of healthcare and fintech entrepreneurs. As of now, the Dutch startup employs around 25 people and around 8 roles open in all teams including engineering, product, sales, marketing, and HR. You can check the vacancies here. 

Naduvi

Founder/s: Itai Gross

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded in: 2020

Naduvi is an online platform that offers a wide range of interior design products of various brands to decor residential projects. The brands sell directly to consumers through NADUVI with discounts ranging from 30 per cent to 80 per cent. 

In May, the Dutch startup raised $10M (approx €8.17M) in its Series A round led by Begin Capital with participation from All Iron Ventures, FJ Labs, Slingshot Ventures, and several undisclosed Angel Investors. Naduvi is planning to hire talent in various roles. Click here to know more. 

TestGorilla

Founder/s: Wouter Durville and Otto Verhage

HQ: Amsterdam

Founded in: 2020

TestGorilla is a pre-employment testing software platform that helps companies hire the right talent by assessing all factors relating to job success for the candidate, including, cognitive abilities, soft skills, specific job skills, and more. Around 1,500 businesses, including the NHS, Sony, PepsiCo, and Bain & Company, use TestGorilla tests to hire better, more diverse talent. Do you wish to change the way companies hire? Click here to check out the vacancies that suit you. 

Oh, and while we have you, be sure to keep an eye on SiliconCanalsJobs for even more exciting startup opportunities!