The Netherlands is well-known for its large and successful startups, such as Adyen, Booking.com, and TomTom. And in recent years, there has been a surge in the number of smaller Dutch startups making a name for themselves.
The Netherlands has a strong culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, which has helped to create a supportive environment for tech startups.
Numerous accelerators and incubators, as well as co-working spaces and meetups, provide resources and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs. The Dutch government also offers a range of incentives for businesses, including tax breaks and subsidies.
A report from Ebitwise reveals that the Dutch startups and scaleups have raised approximately €1.27B in venture capital in Q2 2022.
We have compiled a list of 10 Dutch startups that raised the largest funding rounds in 2022 and are currently hiring.
Perpetual Next
Founder/s: Martijn van Rheenen
HQ: Amsterdam
Fundraised in 2022: €320M
Hiring: Yes
Perpetual Next is a climate tech company that aims to reduce climate change by upgrading organic waste streams to valuable raw materials and products for sustainable use.
The Dutch company does this by reusing residual flows and upgrading organic residual flows into high-quality raw materials and products, all while contributing to the circular economy. The company’s production facilities are located in the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, and Estonia.Â
The company raised €320M in a Series A round of funding in June this year. Currently, the company is hiring for five positions. Click here to check vacancies.Â
Leyden Labs
Founder/s: Jaap Goudsmit, Koenraad Wiedhaup and Ronald Brus
HQ: Amsterdam
Fundraised in 2022: €124.17M
Hiring: Yes
Leyden Labs is developing intranasal medicines to stop viruses before they infect the lungs. According to the company, its intranasal product candidates (e.g. nasal sprays) will be self-administrable, providing people with the freedom to protect themselves instantaneously from infection and prevent transmission.
The Dutch startup utilises its platform to target commonalities of viral families and protect humanity from known and future viruses.
The platform is built on two concepts: broad protection against known viruses, new variants, and newly emerging viruses, and protection at the gate, i.e., in the mucosa (e.g., in the nose and throat).
In February, Leyden Labs raised $140M (approximately €124.17M) in a Series B round to support the development of its platform, product portfolio, and team.Â
Leyden Labs is looking to hire highly talented people to join its mission. Click here to explore vacancies.Â
Backbase
Founder/s: Jouk Pleiter, Gerbert Kaandorp
HQ: Amsterdam
Fundraised in 2022: €120M
Hiring: Yes
Backbase is an engagement banking platform that empowers financial institutions to accelerate their digital transformation.Â
The Dutch fintech company is trying to re-architect banking around the customer. The company has over 150 customers worldwide, including Advanzia, Banco Caja Social, Banco de la Nacion Peru, and more.
Backbase raised €120M in a growth equity round of funding in June and reached the unicorn status at a valuation of €2.5B.Â
Currently, Backbase is hiring. Check out the vacancies here.Â
Pyramid Analytics
Founder/s: Avi Perez, Herbert Ochtman, Omri Kohl
HQ: Amsterdam
Fundraised in 2022: €113.58M
Hiring: Yes
Pyramid Analytics is a decision intelligence platform provider that offers insights to make faster, more intelligent decisions. The platform provides direct access to any data, enables automated governed self-service for users, and serves any analytics needed in a no-code environment.Â
It also combines data preparation, business analytics, and data science in a single environment with AI guidance, reducing cost and complexity.
In May, the Dutch company raised around €113.58M in a Series E round of funding led by H.I.G. Growth Partners.Â
The company is hiring for various positions in the UK, US, and Israel. Explore the opportunities here.
Lightyear
Founder/s: Arjo van der Ham, Koen van Ham, Lex Hoefsloot, Martijn Lammers, Qurein Biewenga
HQ: Helmond
Fundraised in 2022: €81M
Hiring: Yes
Lightyear is a tech company that develops scalable grid-independent solar electric vehicles. In June, the company launched its production-intent vehicle of the world’s first solar car, Lightyear 0, featuring five square metres of patented, double-curved solar arrays, allowing the vehicle to charge itself while commuting or simply parked outdoors. Lightyear has also been developing Lightyear 2, which will cost €30,000. It is expected to go into production by 2025.
In September, the Dutch company raised €81M from public consortiums like Invest-NL and regional development agencies for the provinces of North Brabant and Limburg (BOM and LIOF).Â
Currently, Lightyear has 101 openings across various departments. Click here to check them.Â
SMART Photonics
Founder/s: NA
HQ: Eindhoven
Fundraised in 2022: €75M
Hiring: Yes
SMART Photonics, a partner of the PhotonDelta ecosystem, is focused on offering foundry production services predominantly for Indium Phosphide-based photonic components.Â
The company offers a complete production process from epitaxial growth and re-growth, processing, polishing, and dicing wafers into chips. The Dutch company also helps its clients support from the proof of concept phase up to including full production. In April, SMART Photonics raised €75M from the National Growthfund.Â
Currently, the Dutch company is hiring across various categories. Check them out here.Â
Crisp
Founder/s: Tom Peeters, Michiel Roodenburg, Eric Klaassen
HQ: Amsterdam
Funding in 2022: €75M
Hiring: Yes
Crisp aims to make better food accessible for everyone. The startup claims to be the supermarket app for fresh food. The service distributes groceries throughout the Netherlands and Belgium seven days a week. However, orders placed through the app before 10 PM get delivered the next day.Â
The marketplace stocks more than 2000 products from over 800 farmers, growers, and makers, and runs on proprietary software to enable zero inventory and negative working capital.
The company delivers groceries through its fleet of cars in both the Netherlands and Belgium, and it is quickly converting to 100 per cent electric delivery. In October, the company raised €75M from existing and new investors.Â
The company is also looking out for talent. Click here to explore the options.Â
Fastned
Founder/s: Michiel Langezaal, Bart Lubbers
HQ: Amsterdam
Funding in 2022: €75M
Hiring:
Fastned aims to accelerate the transition to electric mobility by giving freedom to electric drivers. The company develops a fast-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles across Europe.
Fastned owns and operates a 215 electric vehicle charging stations network in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, the UK, and Belgium.
The majority of its stations are located in Dutch highway rest areas. The company’s fast-charging infrastructure helps drivers charge their EVs up to 300 km of range in 15 minutes.
In October, the Amsterdam-based company raised €75M from Schroders Capital. Fastned is now hiring for various positions in the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Belgium. Click here to check out the opportunities.Â
TestGorilla
Founder/s: Wouter Durville and Otto Verhage
HQ: Amsterdam
Fundraised in 2022: €66.83M
Hiring: Yes
TestGorilla is a pre-employment testing software platform that helps companies hire the right talent by assessing the candidate’s job success, including cognitive abilities, soft skills, specific job skills, and more. Around 1,500 businesses, including the NHS, Sony, PepsiCo, and Bain & Company, use TestGorilla tests to hire better and more diverse talent.Â
In June, TestGorilla raised €66.83M in a Series A round of funding co-led by Atomico and Balderton Capital.Â
Click here to check out their vacancies.Â
Floryn
Founder/s: Sven van der Biezen, Marijn van Aerle, Gion van den Bogaert
HQ: s-Hertogenbosch
Fundraised in 2022: €65M
Hiring: Yes
Floryn is an online lending market for small and medium-sized enterprises that offers loans of up to €3M. The Dutch company uses machine learning and data analysis to quickly evaluate risks by analysing recent banking transactions and other relevant data points. In October, the company raised €65M from NatWest, a London-based retail banking company. Check out the open positions here.Â
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