67.5 million venture capital for start-ups

Good news for Dutch start-ups in the early phase. From now on they can call on € 67.5 million in venture capital, which is divided over 6 new investment funds. No less than € 32 million of this came from the most recent tender for the Seed Capital scheme from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.

With this scheme, private investors and the government together fill funds for start-ups, with the government contributing up to 50%.

Need for capital and knowledge

Start-ups put the Netherlands on the world map with their new products and services, thus providing income and jobs, says State Secretary Mona Keijzer (EZK). “To ensure that start-ups in our country continue to get off the ground and can continue to grow, they need capital and knowledge. The Seed Capital scheme provides for this: private, experienced investors bring in expertise and capital, and the government doubles their investment. It is good to see that confidence in our start-ups is high, as evidenced by the participation of the ABP pension fund. ”

The 6 new funds

• Rockstart Energy Fund: with this, pension fund APB invests through investor APG in start-ups involved in the energy transition.
• Borski Fund: female entrepreneurs can go here.
• Rubio Impact Ventures: for start-ups with a focus on sustainability.
• CapitalT: focus on data and software for healthcare, education and business operations, among others.
• LUMO Fund II: focused on the software behind the latest technologies, such as AI and Virtual Reality.
• Percival Participations III: for entrepreneurs who want to grow a company based on a patented or protected technology.

15 years of Seed Capital

The Seed Capital scheme has existed for 15 years this year. Since 2005, 468 start-ups have been provided with venture capital by a total of 87 Seed Capital funds. The total investment amounts to more than € 400 million, of which about € 197 million comes from the government.

New tender open to investors

As an investor, do you want to invest in start-ups together with the government? A new tender for the Seed Capital scheme has been opened from 1 to 31 October 2020. The budget is € 20 million and the maximum loan per fund is € 10 million. By submitting an application, investors can apply for a loan to set up an investment fund. Start-ups can contact the funds themselves for more information and applications.