Investing in Positron Ventures brings scientific breakthroughs to the market

Invest-NL invests € 5 million in Positron Ventures, an investment fund that supports scientists across Europe in developing solutions for major societal challenges. Positron invests from the very beginning and helps teams to develop groundbreaking science into impactful businesses.

Investing where science and entrepreneurship meet

Positron Ventures invests in a very early stage and seeks contact with scientists before a company has been established. The fund focuses on so-called ‘moonshots’ within the natural sciences and supports teams from day one in building a business by combining science with entrepreneurship.

Besides financing, the fund offers support with team formation, strategic choices, and clearly positioning the technology towards partners and investors. This ensures that technologies from the lab can grow faster into companies ready for follow-up investments.

Technology with impact

The fund is active in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe and plays an important role in early recognition and development of technologies that contribute to a sustainable and future-proof economy.

An example is Ore Energy, a spin-out from TU Delft that is developing an iron-air battery enabling renewable energy to be stored long-term and at low cost. Thorizon, in which Invest-NL also invested, is also part of the portfolio. Thorizon emerged from NRG and is developing an innovative reactor that uses nuclear waste as fuel. Additionally, Positron invested in CimCure, a biotech company working on a new generation of cancer vaccines.

An impulse for early innovation

With this fund investment, Invest-NL increases access to new technologies that are still in an early phase but have the potential to grow into companies with lasting impact. Together, we are building a sustainable and innovative Netherlands.