Invest-NL, Techleap and TNO sign collaboration to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship in the Netherlands

Only four of the top 50 global tech companies are European. In the Netherlands, there is a lack of priority to establish the right conditions so that tech companies can grow internationally. We need to make up ground in this area because tech companies play an important role in addressing major challenges such as the circular economy and the energy transition. 

The potential of Dutch tech entrepreneurship is not fully utilised. This is demonstrated, among other things, by the number of new startups in the Netherlands, which decreased for the first time last year (from 197 to 128). The Dutch scale-up ratio (the percentage that grow to at least €10 million in funding) increased from 13% to 21.5% over the past five years. As a result, the Netherlands still performs below the European average (23%) and the United States (54%). 

Knowledge, guidance and financing

TNO, Techleap and Invest-NL are launching the Compute theme; innovations in quantum, semicon and photonics. The Netherlands already has a strong position in these technologies in terms of talent and research, but the potential to capitalise on this knowledge is still underutilised. The three organisations are conducting joint research into the most promising companies, international competitive position, what the IP/research pipeline looks like, how the entrepreneurial climate for these companies is, and where the specific financing challenges lie. 

 Companies with the most potential will be guided, financed, and supported by opening our facilities and programmes. The organisations are also seeking C-suite talent and (international) experts to accelerate their growth. At a later stage, other themes will also be jointly tackled. 

Constantijn van Oranje, special envoy Techleap: “Technology and innovative entrepreneurship are increasingly part of the global geopolitical game. This collaboration ensures that we can jointly make choices in supporting tech entrepreneurs in strategic sectors that make a difference for the Netherlands. We bring together expertise and capacity to help Dutch tech companies grow into international successes to be proud of, which also contribute to a stronger position for the Netherlands.” 

Tjark Tjin-A-Tsoi, CEO TNO: “Impact is only achieved when innovations are broadly applied and implemented on a large scale. That’s why we pool our strengths and help companies through the ‘valley of death’ so that promising innovations can scale from research to broad practical application more often and faster. Besides our technological expertise, including due diligence, we ensure the availability of facilities such as labs and cleanrooms and IP guidance from TNO. Additionally, we make sure startups can benefit from a strong international network of research institutes and companies.” 

Rinke Zonneveld, CEO Invest-NL: “The Netherlands has beautiful, innovative companies. But our startups scale less quickly than in other countries. Financing is a crucial factor to help these companies grow faster. That’s why we make substantial investments in patient venture capital. And we mobilise as much European, private, and institutional capital as possible, precisely for our future earning capacity. Because the Netherlands deserves and can do better.”