Rotterdam’s venture studio Builders secures €3M to roll out across Europe, preps €25M fund

Rotterdam’s Builders secures €3M in funding to expand its AI-focused venture-building activities and plans further growth across Europe.

Rotterdam-based Builders, a venture studio, has raised an additional €3M in funding. Including the previous €1.5M round, the total funding now stands at €4.5M. The Dutch company plans to use the funds to expand its AI ecosystem and begin its European rollout.

The funding round was supported by, among others, family offices Den Breems & Schouten B.V., Invint Capital, Vajoinvest, Hedje Invest and Plott Invest. 

The round also saw participation from angel investors, including Peter Kaas, Wouter Holtslag, Edwin de Jonge, Eric Carbijn, Richard Budding, Karol Wojtaszek and Emil Wojtaszek, Joeri van den Bovenkamp-Hofman, Ruud Vodegel, Hector Rodriguez, Wilbert Nederpelt, Steven van Houweling, Roland van Gulik, Herjan Meloen, Tristan Orzero, and Patrick Veldhuizen, Eliska Went, Theo Wieckardt, Patrick van de Werken, and Sylvia Dekker.

Aims to become a self-sustaining venture studio

Founded in 2021, Builders is a venture studio that works with entrepreneurs to create enterprise AI companies. The studio supports founders from concept to seed stage, providing resources in development, validation, recruitment, funding, and growth.

Builders has launched six ventures since its inception and continues to expand its AI ecosystem across Europe. Following its first €1.5M funding round, Builders developed ventures such as Noon, Obeyo, and Influentials. Noon and Obeyo were discontinued, while Influentials was later sold.

The new €3M round supports Builders’ focus on enterprise AI software. The studio has since developed ventures including Everday, Avery, and Cortena, all approaching seed-stage funding.

Builders plans to use the funding to expand operations and launch at least four companies each year, moving toward self-sufficiency.

Sharon Klaver, co-founder of Builders, says, “We don’t build from a distance or a board seat – we’re in the trenches alongside the entrepreneurs. With each iteration, we sharpen our model, and by now we know which founders and markets align with our ambition. This funding allows us to further roll out and scale this across Europe.”

Capital utilisation

Builders has announced plans to expand its venture-building activities across Europe, supported by new funding. 

The company will collaborate with other startup studios and venture ecosystems to expand its model and increase the number of new ventures from four to ten each year.

To support this expansion, Builders is preparing a €25M fund that will invest across its AI ecosystem. The fund will provide follow-on capital for existing portfolio companies and finance new collaborations in European markets. The first closing of the fund is scheduled for summer 2026.

Remco Schouten, Partner at Den Breems & Schouten BV, says, “Builders has accumulated a wealth of data over the past years on successfully building companies. With a clear focus on AI – and therefore the future of work – a lean model, and a hands-on approach, the company is ready for the next growth phase. We are happy to support that.”