Meet the Amsterdam-based startups that raised funding in August

In recent years, Amsterdam’s startup scene has advanced significantly. With numerous exciting events, job opportunities, and renowned academies, Amsterdam packs an increasingly bigger punch as a startup ecosystem.

According to Dealroom, the capital city of the Netherlands has already secured €698M so far in 2022, and the value of its startup environment has been rapidly increasing.

So today, we bring you a list of five startups that raised funding in the month of August, 2022. Some of them are hiring as well. 

Note: certain details of these startups such as founders’ names, founding year, and the total funding raised, have been sourced from Dealroom. 

Kumasi Drinks

Founder(s): Lars Gierveld, Linda Klunder, Rogier Power

Founded in: 2021

Total Funding: Undisclosed

Kumasi Drinks is a soft drink company that prevents food waste as well as fights poverty. The company claims to have developed a new strain made from a waste product – the pulp of the cocoa fruit from Ghana.

Until now, farmers used to throw away this pulp and only used the beans. But Kumasi saw an opportunity here. It pays the cocoa farmers for the pulp and thus fights food waste and poverty. The farmers earn up to 30 per cent more per kilo of cocoa by selling this pulp.

The soft drink that Kumasi makes is available in two variants: the thirst-quencher Sappi and the tantalising Gassi. Both consist purely of juice and water, without additives. The juice contains Magnesium, Vitamin B1, Potassium, and Zinc.

The company recently raised an undisclosed amount in a Seed round of funding from Impact Tech Ventures and others.

Matrixian Group

Founder(s): Luke Liplijn

Founded in: 2016

Total Funding: €2.8M

Matrixian Group helps organisations through data and technology to create value for individuals, companies, and society. The company interprets open data and converts it into valuable insights. At present, it works for organisations of all sizes, such as from PostNL to the local pharmacy.

Matrixian Group’s technology can be used for various objectives, like visualising 3D items in real space, mapping real estate investments, and expanding consumer reach at the local level. The company believes that when location data and technology are combined, fresh perspectives on consumers can be gained.

Late this month, the company raised €2M from Pride Capital Partners to realise scalable growth. It is also currently hiring for various roles at different locations – check them out here.

Infinity Skies

Founder(s): Marc Bruinsma, Sander Dijkens

Founded in: 2021

Total Funding: €3.5M

Infinity Skies is a P2E Game developed by DreamFuel Games. It is a sandbox game where users can build their castle on an island in the sky. This castle will be made from the ground up solely using NFTs as the essential building blocks. All structural components, furniture, decorations, and such will be tradeable NFTs. 

DreamFuel Games says that the gameplay revolves around four core elements: build, adventure, socialise, and trade. The ultimate goal is to become the ‘King of Infinity Skies.’ Other players can visit the castle built by the users through the castle lobby, unless it has been set to private.

In August, the Dutch gaming studio raised €3.5M from various investors, including Skyvision Capital, Jump Capital, and OKx Blockdream Venture.

Thorizon

Founder(s): Sander de Groot, Lucas Pool

Founded in: 2018

Total Funding: €12.5M

Thorizon is a spin-off from the Nuclear Research and consultancy Group (NRG), the organisation that operates the High Flux Reactor in Petten. The company is dedicated to advancing the creation of next-generation nuclear reactors and making a positive impact on current energy problems. It aims to create a dependable nuclear reactor that uses fuel effectively, reduces radioactive waste, and doesn’t produce CO2 while operating, in order to keep the earth clean.

Recently, the company announced that it has raised €12.5M in a fresh round led by Positron Ventures with an aim to develop a new generation of nuclear power plants. Though Thorizon does not have a careers page, it is advising talents to share about their interest in the company by contacting directly via email. Apply here.

Vosbor

Founder(s): Maarten Elferink

Founded in: 2019

Total Funding: €6.8M

Vosbor brings the physical agricultural commodities markets online to manage risk and commodity flows better. Its aim is to make agricultural commodity trading cheaper and markets more accessible. 

By digitising the agriculture trade, Vosbor is easing the threats to global food security, as existing offline markets are inadequate to build systemic resilience.

For example, the US, Brazil, Russia, and Ukraine are breadbaskets because they produce more crops than they consume domestically. When exports from these countries are disrupted, it can cause a global food crisis as we’ve seen in 2008, 2011, and today.

Vosbor recently announced that it secured €6.8M in a Seed round led by Lux Capital. Market One Capital, FJ Labs, 7percent Ventures, Athos Capital, and Nucleus Capital also participated in the round. Besides the funding, the company also revealed that Chris Mahoney, former CEO of Glencore Agriculture, and Soren Schroder, former CEO of Bunge, have invested and joined the company’s team.