The Hydrogen Business Challenger

Making the transition to a carbon-neutral economy fundable has the highest priority for Invest-NL. Energy systems using green hydrogen play an important role here. This requires innovation, entrepreneurship and the active involvement of many different parties from every part of the energy chain. In order to accelerate this transition, Invest-NL has provided various companies and projects with financing and/or made them fundable.

Making innovative hydrogen propositions fundable

Making the transition to a carbon-neutral economy fundable has the highest priority for Invest-NL. Energy systems using green hydrogen play an important role here. This requires innovation, entrepreneurship and the active involvement of many different parties from every part of the energy chain. In order to accelerate this transition, Invest-NL has provided various companies and projects with financing and/or made them fundable.

A growing number of companies and entrepreneurs in the Netherlands are working on innovative hydrogen technologies. These are young start-ups and scale-ups, but increasingly also established SMEs. These pioneers are creating new markets and business models with their innovative solutions. In many cases, their solutions and ambitions are so innovative, and therefore risky, that it is difficult for them to scale up and obtain financing.

Through Hydrogen Business Challenger, Invest-NL helps young and established SMEs struggling to properly communicate their business plans and ideas to investors.

For whom is Hydrogen Business Challenger intended?

We focus on entrepreneurs working on innovations for electrolysers and the hydrogen supply chain. This can range from a role in cost-efficient production to hydrogen supply. And from materials suppliers to systems integrators. In the case of electrolysers, consider, for example:

System integration of the electrolysis system
Subsystems including electrolysis stack, gas and water treatment technology, cooling, power electronics and system control
Components including membrane electrode assemblies (MEA), seals and current collectors
Components including gas diffusion layers, membranes, catalysts
Materials o. coatings, alloys and fibres

How could Hydrogen Business Challenger work for you?

In a short and intensive process, we can help you by testing your business case and related plans so that you can improve your proposition to investors. If applicable, we can also put you in touch with potential investors.

The process obviously also covers the technical aspects. But investors also want to see that your company pays attention to non-technical aspects. Market demand, compliance with laws and regulations, financing, business model, cooperation partners: all these aspects are the building blocks for a successful business plan. And we can help you here.

After an initial selection and introduction, we will make a plan in which we look together at where (further) help is needed. The programme is thus specifically designed for your case.Depending on your business case, we will see which of our experts can best help you. Topics that may be covered include:

Identifying the market for your company's offering
Exploring the funding landscape
Improving your value proposition and business model
Identifying risks and countermeasures
Building a business case for investors
Thinking about scaling up
Formulating a financing requirement that fits your growth ambitions
Testing improved investment demand with a committee of financial experts

Note: we will not improve your plans, you will do that yourself. But we can help you with input, knowledge, expertise, feedback and possibly contacts.

The outcome of the process is a sharper proposition that will give you faster access to funding and strengthen your success rate in the emerging and fast-growing European hydrogen market.

Participation is free of charge, but you will be expected to invest sufficient time and commitment in the programme for about 3 months. The exact schedule will be determined by mutual agreement.