General
Anne Mieke van der Werf leaves her role as Director of Market Development at Invest-NL
17 augustus 2026
August 20, 2026
2 minutes
VNO-NCW, Invest-NL and entrepreneurs discuss what Dutch scale-ups need
What do quantum technology, new battery materials, precision fermentation and medical technology have in common? They are technologies in which Dutch companies can lead the world. Provided we give them the space to grow here in the Netherlands.
Last Monday, Coen van Oostrom, who took up the role of VNO-NCW chair in May, met Invest-NL and a number of innovative scale-ups. At the place where many Dutch deep-tech companies take their first steps, YES!Delft, we visited, among other things, the lab of our portfolio company QuantWare and CarbonX’s battery testing facility.
Entrepreneurs from our portfolio companies Xeltis, Vivici, AQUABATTERY and Fairphone then joined us to discuss an important question: what is needed to help innovative companies grow from the Netherlands?
The discussion made it clear that the challenge arises when companies want to take the step towards scaling up. At that point, entrepreneurs fall between different forms of financing. Their capital needs become too large for venture capital, while banks and other financiers still consider the risk too high. At the same time, investors increasingly demand more evidence before committing: revenue, production at scale or offtake agreements. Capital is needed first to achieve precisely those things.
But funding is only one piece of the puzzle. Entrepreneurs also face lengthy procedures, differing regulations across Europe and a lack of production capacity and suppliers, risking them turning to other countries.
The challenge is to create an environment in which they can continue to grow here. With capital suited to their stage of growth, investors who understand new technology, sufficient production capacity and regulations that enable innovation. Coen van Oostrom summed it up well: “We need to pick up the pace, the money needs to be there and obstacles need to be removed.”
That is the challenge Invest-NL works on every day: ensuring that innovative companies are not only founded in the Netherlands, but also find the space and capital here to grow further.
Questions about this topic? Sanne is happy to help!
Sanne Snieder
sr. marketing and communication advisor
