In the past few decades, the Netherlands has established itself as a key player in the startup ecosystem, facilitating an environment where innovation can thrive and grow.
Having said that, South Holland is taking things to the next level thanks to its dynamic ecosystem, promoting creativity and driving economic growth.
The rise of South Holland is no accident.
According to Techleap’s State of Dutch Tech 2024 report, South Holland is home to 21 per cent of all startups and scale-ups in the Netherlands and an impressive 29 per cent of all Dutch deep tech startups.
Beyond deep tech, South Holland is becoming a powerhouse of impact-focused startups and scaleups, showing steady growth over the last ten years.
On top of that, the region holds strong position in energy transition, sustainability, health, and digital technology, connecting with the Sustainable Development Goals.
In a testament to the region’s potential, 22 startups from the South Holland region have been named in the 19th edition of the KVK Innovation Top 100 list.
KVK Innovation Top 100 list
Every year, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK) publishes the KVK Innovation Top 100, showcasing successful innovations from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Netherlands.
Each time, expert panels and a jury draw up a new ranking list based on impact, originality, availability, realised turnover, and growth potential.
The finalists were divided into five categories:
- Circular economy
- Energy transition
- Labor market and society
- Food, water, and infrastructure
- Health and care
This year, Leiden-based Concord Neonatal—part of the Health & Care category, has been crowned the 19th KVK Innovation Top 100 winner. This startup helps caregivers provide lifesaving care right after birth while the umbilical cord is still attached.
It seeks to improve maternity care with the Concord Birth Flow, which enables the stabilisation and resuscitation of newborns with an intact umbilical cord, keeping them close to their mothers.
Here are the remaining 21 most innovative companies from South Holland, according to the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK).
Voca Care
Category: Labour Market and Society
Rankings: 7
Voca Zorg offers a marketplace platform that connects healthcare institutions with ZZP’s (self-employed individuals). This helps ensure proper handling of fiscal matters and makes the invoicing and hiring processes clearer.
Baggie
Category: Labour Market and Society
Rankings: 8
Baggie has developed a signal-blocking phone pouch with special foil on the inside. The signal-blocking phone pouch allows students to go offline within seconds and helps them stay focused during important moments, such as classes at school, without distractions from their phones.
Scenebrook
Category: Labour Market and Society
Rankings: 12
Scenebrook is a no-code Mixed Reality platform that allows you to quickly and easily create and share Mixed Reality experiences. And all from the browser with WebXR. As per the company’s claims, it is being used by various customers, such as educational institutions, companies, and municipalities, and helps hundreds of users create and experience VR experiences.
upUco
Category: Labour Market and Society
Rankings: 13
upUco is an HR consultancy and IT company focusing on talent-oriented recruitment and employee development within organisations.
Roboworks
Category: Labour Market and Society
Rankings: 15
Roboworks develops robotic solutions for efficiently unloading, sorting, and stacking boxes from incoming shipping containers.
Tolly Wolly Studio
Category: Labour Market and Society
Rankings: 16
Tolly Wolly Studio specialises in creating innovative concepts from design to execution. With its in-house design studio and workshop, the team offers services in interior design, art installations, playground equipment, and theater decor.
Corekees Management
Category: Labour Market and Society
Rankings: 17
Corekees connects profitable investment projects with a social and sustainable impact to investors who want both positive change and financial returns.
Solinatra Europe
Category: Circular Economy
Rankings: 3
Solinatra is the developer and producer of a unique biomaterial that can replace single-use plastic. Solinatra is 100 per cent natural, made from waste streams from agricultural and food production, and biodegrades in all situations without leaving behind microplastics or harmful substances.
Biosphere Solar
Category: Circular Economy
Rankings: 10
Biosphere Solar makes renewable energy production more sustainable by using circular principles in making solar panels. The design ensures that the panels are easy to repair and take apart, making them last longer. This also makes it easier to recycle valuable materials.
Candy Converters
Category: Circular Economy
Rankings: 15
Candy Converters produces biodegradable confetti using candy wrappers that would otherwise end up in landfills. This Conscious Confetti, made from potato starch, gives these wrappers a circular lifecycle, reducing the need for new raw materials while maximizing reuse.
Nature’s Principles BV
Category: Circular Economy
Rankings: 17
Nature’s Principles is creating a new way to produce lactic acid by improving the fermentation process. Unlike the traditional method, the company developed a method that uses potato residue and a mix of different bacteria to produce lactic acid. This new technique can handle tough leftover materials and doesn’t require sterile conditions.
New Returns
Category: Circular Economy
Rankings: 18
New Return focuses on the purchase and sale of consumer goods that cannot be sold as new online. This gives a second chance to internet returns, ensuring they are properly disposed of instead of destroyed, thus supporting the circular economy and reducing waste.
Lobster Robotics
Category: Energy Transition
Rankings: 3
Lobster Robotics is a Dutch deep-tech startup developing autonomous underwater robots that precisely and systematically capture maps of the seafloor using optical sensing and photogrammetry techniques.
DYSECO
Category: Energy Transition
Rankings: 5
DYSECO supplies innovative technical air treatment solutions for critical sectors such as museums, cleanrooms, and hospitals. Utilising dynamic climate control, DYSECO matches the indoor climate to the process so that the air treatment becomes more effective and energy-efficient.
The Warmth
Category: Energy Transition
Rankings:6
The company specialises in the development, sales, and installation of designed heat pumps.
Top Systems
Category: Energy Transition
Rankings: 10
Top Systems specialises in providing sustainable and reliable battery-based power solutions for locations without a power grid, during power shortages, and for energy storage. They work with high-quality brands to deliver innovative systems, including their latest product, the Li-Swap interchangeable battery system for electric construction equipment.
Juvoly
Category: Health & Care
Rankings: 2
Juvoly has developed an AI-powered speech technology that automatically summarises a conversation with a patient into a medical record.
ChatLicense
Category: Health & Care
Rankings: 4
Chatlicense offers an app that helps children learn safe internet practices. Through the game “Netflix meets Klokhuis,” kids learn about passwords, safe surfing, and social media influence. Parents can join and access a guide with expert tips and discussion starters to engage with their children.
UbiOps
Category: Health & Care
Rankings: 5
UbiOps is a Dutch AI software platform designed to help data scientists easily convert their AI models, such as large language models (LLMs), into scalable APIs on any type of on-premise or cloud infrastructure.
Plant Partner
Category: Food, Water & Infrastructure
Rankings: 8
Plant Partner provides tailored solutions and consulting in the bulk material handling industry. With over 20 years of experience in the international bulk material technology market, the company serves clients across various sectors, including pharmaceuticals, food, and chemicals.
Urban Reef
Category: Food, Water & Infrastructure
Rankings: 17
Urban Reef 3D prints nature-inclusive elements for biodiversity and climate adaptation in the city. They print with circular materials such as clay from dredging.
01
From employee advocacy to social selling: Oktopost founder Daniel Kushner on the future of B2B marketing