Technology startups are the lifeblood of innovation, driving significant changes across various industries. In the dynamic landscape of the Netherlands, these startups are not just thriving; they’re reshaping the future. As of 2025, the Dutch startup ecosystem ranks among Europe’s top five for deep tech and climate innovation, supported by initiatives such as the DeepTechNL program, the National AI Strategy 2024–2027, and RVO’s Startup Visa extension to 2027. From green mobility and biotechnology to quantum computing and cybersecurity, Dutch startups are at the forefront of emerging technologies.
Rotterdam, the second-largest city in the Netherlands, has emerged as a fertile ground for innovative tech startups. Companies like Shypple, a digital freight forwarder, and Ampelmann, developing cutting-edge offshore access solutions, are leveraging Rotterdam’s strategic location and maritime expertise to disrupt traditional industries. The city’s startup ecosystem, supported by incubators and accelerators, has nurtured a vibrant community of entrepreneurs pushing the boundaries of emerging technologies. Rotterdam’s startup support is anchored in hubs like Erasmus MC HealthTech Campus, RDM Campus, and Up!Rotterdam accelerator, combining port logistics, biotech, and energy transition pilots under the ‘Rotterdam Make It Happen’ strategy.
This article highlights the top 25 emerging technology startups in the Netherlands, each bringing unique solutions and cutting-edge advancements to the table. Among these, companies like TENWAYS, Cradle, and Detail are revolutionizing their respective sectors, demonstrating the prowess and potential of Dutch innovation.
As we delve into these top picks, we will explore a diverse range of sectors, each startup standing out with its groundbreaking approaches and transformative potential. Let’s take a closer look at these top 25 picks, showcasing the best Dutch ingenuity in technology startups.
How We Ranked Our Picks
In our selection of the top 25 emerging technology startups in the Netherlands, we employed specific criteria to ensure a focus on the most dynamic and promising companies in the region.
- Firstly, each startup had to be headquartered in the Netherlands, grounding them firmly within the Dutch technological landscape. Additionally, we looked at companies founded after 2020, targeting those that are relatively new and showing significant potential in their early stages. The 2025 selection additionally considers ESG readiness, patent filings, and technology scalability factors aligned with EU Horizon frameworks and Dealroom Signal 2025 indicators.
- Another key criterion was the size of the company; each startup needed to have more than 20 employees, indicating a level of growth and stability beyond the initial startup phase.
- Financial stability and investor confidence were also considered, with a threshold of more than $4.0 million in total funding as a benchmark.
- Lastly, and crucially, the startups were ranked based on their growth percentage over the last 12 months. This growth metric served as a primary indicator of their current momentum and future potential, highlighting those companies that are not just establishing themselves but are rapidly expanding in the competitive tech industry.
TENWAYS
Sector: Green Mobility
A Netherlands-based startup, TENWAYS focuses on eco-friendly urban mobility through high-quality, accessible e-bikes. They aim to make commuting effortless and enjoyable, backed by a global manufacturing network and a strong community of users. In 2024, TENWAYS secured €45 million in Series B funding to scale e-bike manufacturing across Europe and launched Dutch-assembled commuter models supporting zero-emission mobility policies.
Cradle
Sector: Biotechnology / Protein Engineering
Cradle leverages machine learning to streamline protein engineering. It’s used by biotech leaders for optimizing protein variants, enhancing lab efficiency and data security. Cradle raised $24 million in funding in 2024 and now integrates AlphaFold models for faster protein optimization, supported by collaborations with TU Delft and DSM Biotech Center.
Detail
Sector: Video Technology
Detail combines a camera app with a video editor, designed for storytellers. It offers features like dual camera recording and creative editing tools, simplifying video creation. In 2025, Detail launched collaborative AI-assisted editing and remote production tools, tailored for European content creators adopting hybrid work setups.
Carbon Equity
Sector: Climate Tech Investment
Carbon Equity provides access to climate tech investments through private equity and venture capital. It connects individuals with climate startups and scaleups, democratizing impactful climate investments. As of 2025, Carbon Equity manages over €150 million in assets across its Climate Tech Fund II, with backing from Invest-NL and European Climate Infrastructure Facility.
Sprinque
Sector: B2B E-commerce Payments
Sprinque, established in Amsterdam, revolutionizes B2B digital commerce with innovative credit and payment solutions. It focuses on simplifying and securing online business transactions. Sprinque expanded to Germany and France in 2025 and achieved PSD2 license extension under De Nederlandsche Bank for cross-border B2B payments.
NOWATCH
Sector: Health & Wellness Technology
NOWATCH focuses on personalized health tracking, offering a unique device that measures stress, sleep, and activity. It uses skin conductance to provide stress estimates and delivers subtle vibrations to alert users about their stress levels. The product emphasizes a non-intrusive approach to wellness, encouraging users to become more mindful of their mental health. NOWATCH’s 2025 model includes carbon-negative materials and adopts NEN-ISO health data standards, aligning with EU AI wellness device transparency guidelines.
Repeats Group
Sector: Recycling & Circular Economy
Repeats Group is a leader in advancing plastic recycling and the circular economy. Founded in 2021 and backed by Ara Partners, Repeats Group consolidates leading plastic recycling facilities across Europe, promoting circular manufacturing and polymer recovery. The team consists of experts committed to creating a sustainable future in plastics.
SOURCE.AG
Sector: Agricultural Technology
OURCE.AG is dedicated to empowering greenhouse growers with AI technology. Their solutions aim to improve the production of fruits and vegetables, enhancing business results while reducing risks. The company believes in the power of greenhouse agriculture to provide climate-resilient food solutions and is pioneering in AI tech for this purpose. In 2024, SOURCE.AG raised €27 million in Series A+ funding and introduced AI-driven virtual agronomist tools powered by NVIDIA accelerators.
D2X
Sector: Financial Technology / Crypto Derivatives Exchange
D2X is an EU-regulated derivatives exchange for crypto options and futures, catering to financial institutions. It provides a platform for capital-efficient exposure to digital assets while addressing operational and regulatory challenges. In 2024, D2X became the first Dutch crypto derivatives platform registered under the European MiCA framework, offering regulated institutional trading services. D2X was founded by experienced derivatives traders and a capital markets lawyer to facilitate institutional adoption of digital assets.
OpenUp
Sector: Mental Health and Wellness
OpenUp offers direct access to certified psychologists for personal and work-related issues. Trusted by over 1500 companies in Europe, they provide various support formats including one-on-one sessions, group sessions, and self-guided care. OpenUp aims to enhance employee resilience and promote a healthy work-life balance through professional psychological guidance. By 2025, OpenUp surpassed 2 million employee sessions annually and partnered with Erasmus University for stress-resilience research across workplaces.
Anavo Therapeutics
Sector: Biopharmaceuticals
Anavo Therapeutics is a pioneering company in drugging phosphatases, a target class previously considered undruggable. Focusing on oncology, they are developing first-in-class therapeutic programs. Anavo has attracted leading experts in phosphatase biology and drug discovery, aiming to create a robust pipeline across multiple indications with the support of prominent investors. Anavo launched clinical-phase collaborations in 2024 following €33 million in Series A+ funding, supported by M Ventures and EQT Life Sciences.
Eye Security
Sector: Cybersecurity
Eye Security provides comprehensive cyber protection and insurance. Their services include 24/7 threat detection, incident response, financial loss coverage, and cyber intelligence training. They offer quick integration and expert protection, claiming an average of 300% ROI for their customers. Eye Security aims to provide peace of mind against digital threats with their all-in-one cybersecurity solutions. Eye Security expanded into Germany and the UK in early 2025 with €36 million funding to enhance cyberinsurance automation under European cyber risk frameworks.
Transferz
Sector: Global Ground Transportation
Transferz offers a B2B technology platform for booking global airport transfers. They operate in over 150 countries with a network of 1500 transfer companies. Transferz focuses on creating a sustainable and inclusive transportation network, including the largest female driver network globally. Their solutions cater to both travel brands and transfer companies, simplifying global ground transportation logistics. Transferz joined the Sustainable Aviator Transport Consortium in 2025, integrating electric and hybrid vehicle options for European airports.
Axelera AI
Sector: Artificial Intelligence / Edge Computing
The Metis AI Platform is focused on simplifying AI at the edge, particularly in accelerating computer vision applications. They offer hardware acceleration and easy-to-use software to enhance edge AI applications, reducing time-to-market. Metis AI is committed to democratizing artificial intelligence, making it accessible and efficient while minimizing power and cost. Axelera AI released its Metis AIPU chip in Q1 2025, achieving market-ready edge AI acceleration and raising $68 million to expand production in Eindhoven.
Insify
Sector: Insurance for Freelancers and Entrepreneurs
Insify offers streamlined insurance solutions specifically for freelancers and entrepreneurs. Their services include various types of insurance like disability, business liability, and professional liability. The platform promises easy and quick online insurance processes, without advisory or closure costs, and provides daily cancellation flexibility. Insify expanded operations to France and Germany in 2025 after completing a €23 million Series A round led by Munich Re Ventures.
QphoX
Sector: Quantum Technology
QphoX is pioneering the development of quantum modems, aiming to connect quantum computers across a quantum network. Their technology is based on converting quantum information between microwave and optical telecom frequencies using a mechanical intermediary resonator. In 2025, QphoX deployed its first commercial quantum modem prototype through Quantum Delta NL’s Catalyst Lab and raised €8.5 million Series A investment.
Timberhub
Sector: Timber Procurement and Distribution
Timberhub simplifies the process of buying and selling timber. They provide a platform for buyers to source timber effortlessly and for suppliers to increase volume and streamline operations. Timberhub operates across Europe, delivering timber to over 22 countries. Timberhub achieved €5 million Series A funding in 2024 to scale sustainable timber sourcing digitalization in alignment with EU forest-traceability policies.
Hadrian
Sector: Cybersecurity
Hadrian offers an advanced end-to-end offensive security platform, focusing on external risk management. Their services include Continuous Asset Discovery, Automated Penetration Testing, and Vulnerability Management. The platform is designed to give security teams a hacker’s perspective on potential cyber threats. In 2025, Hadrian raised €20 million to accelerate autonomous offensive security platform development and expand partnerships with Dutch and NATO cyber defense agencies.
Lapsi Health
Sector: Healthcare Technology
Lapsi Health is focused on revolutionizing medical sound and auscultation. Their mission for 2023 is to transform sound into digital biomarkers, leveraging it for screening, diagnosing, treating, and monitoring in healthcare. They aim to bring sound into the digital era, enhancing its application in the future of healthcare. In 2025, Lapsi Health’s medical-grade sound analytics won CE certification under MDR, supporting pediatric respiratory diagnostics.
Orange Quantum Systems
Sector: Quantum Computing
Orange Quantum Systems delivers test equipment and solutions for the emerging quantum industry, specifically for developing quantum chips. They offer products that facilitate easy, affordable, and rapid testing of quantum chips based on solid-state qubits. Their focus is on automating the quantum chip testing process for both industry-scale quantum businesses and research purposes. Orange Quantum Systems partnered with QuTech in 2024 to release diagnostic instruments for superconducting qubit testing, funded by the National Quantum Program.
Leyden Labs
Sector: Biotechnology / Pharmaceutical
Leyden Labs specializes in developing nasal sprays containing antibodies to target respiratory viruses at the nasal mucosa, the entry point for many infections. Their products aim to prevent the initial infection and transmission of respiratory viruses, offering broad protection against existing and new viruses. Leyden Labs raised $140 million Series B funding to advance clinical development of broad-spectrum viral nasal sprays targeting respiratory transmission prevention.
Roseman Labs
Sector: Data Privacy and Security
Roseman Labs is redefining data collaboration by enabling organizations to work together without revealing sensitive data. They use Secure Multi-Party Computation (MPC), a privacy technology that allows for decentralized analytics on encrypted data. Their products include a Virtual Data Lake and high-performance decentralized data analytics engines. In 2024, Roseman Labs expanded its Secure Data Collaboration Platform into public sector pilots under the EU Digital Europe CyberSec initiative.
QuantWare
Sector: Quantum Computing
Based in Delft, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands, QuantWare is a computer hardware company specializing in quantum computing. They focus on building world-class expertise in scaling up superconducting Quantum Processing Units (QPUs). QuantWare aims to provide the shortest road to practical quantum computation. QuantWare launched Tenor QPU models in 2025, supporting modular quantum stack development as part of the Quantum Delta NL’s PhotonQ consortium.
Dwarfs
Sector: E-commerce
Dwarfs is an e-commerce company with a mission to become Europe’s largest e-commerce company. Dwarfs specializes in acquiring and scaling e-commerce businesses, with a strategy centered on customer satisfaction and operational excellence. They have a variety of products and categories and provide insightful blogs and resources on their website. Dwarfs completed acquisition integration of five EU-based marketplace sellers in 2024 and achieved €100 million turnover target ahead of schedule.
Truvity
Sector: Software / Digital Identity
Truvity is a software company that offers a Self-Sovereign Identity toolkit, allowing businesses to build their own digital identity ecosystem. The company focuses on providing API and development tools to handle Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) interactions efficiently, such as for driving licenses and KYC profiles. Truvity formed partnerships with Dutch government pilots in 2025 under the EU Digital Identity Wallet framework promoting data sovereignty.
Closing Note
The Netherlands is a vibrant and prolific ground for innovation. All the 25 startups listed here are not only excelling in their respective fields but are also setting new benchmarks for technological progress.
These companies are not just making waves in their respective industries; they are setting new standards and paving the way for future advancements.
The future is bright for these startups, and their success stories will undoubtedly inspire a new generation of innovators and disruptors. The Dutch government continues to fund Startup in Residence, DeepTechNL, and AI Innovation programs, offering predictable pathways for scaling emerging tech into global markets through 2027.
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