Berlin-based NAO, a co-investment platform, announced that it is expanding into the Netherlands.
From October, Dutch private investors will be able to invest in alternative investment opportunities through the NAO app for as little as €1.
These include private equity, private debt, venture capital, infrastructure, money market and hedge funds. NAO’s digital platform makes investing in private markets as easy for Dutch people as buying an ETF.
“The Dutch are financially savvy and open to innovative investment solutions in new asset classes. There is a strong DIY mentality when it comes to investing,” explains Robin Binder, founder and CEO of NAO.
“Dutch people are looking for transparent and cost-effective solutions and want to invest in a self-determined way. At the same time, alternative asset classes were previously reserved for institutional investors and were not accessible to retail investors. We are specifically addressing this gap in the market,” adds Binder.
The announcement comes six months after raising over €1M in a second closing of its seed financing round.
Why the Netherlands?
Following the launch in Germany (June 2023) and Austria (August 2024), the German company has now decided to step into the Dutch soil.
According to the company, the Netherlands is characterised by high per capita financial assets — This reached over €117K in 2023, 69 per cent higher than the German level (€69K).
According to the Dutch Central Bank(DNB), Dutch households have accumulated a total of over €600.5B in accounts, of which €487.1B are in savings accounts.
The company also believes that there is a high willingness to invest.
With a volume of €188.9B (Q1 2025), one in four households invests in securities, reports the Dutch Financial Supervisory Authority (AFM).
“The invested capital is concentrated in traditional asset classes. Alternative investments such as private equity, venture capital and infrastructure are reserved for institutional investors. Alternative asset classes offer historically attractive returns and are proving to be less volatile than equities,” says the company.
NAO: A co-investment platform for private and alternative investments
Founded in 2022 by Robin Binder, Philipp Nowakowski, and Amel Hasanovic, NAO is a co-investment platform designed to provide access to private and alternative investments.
The mission of NAO founder Robin Binder is to make alternative investments as easily accessible as ETFs and thus support people in building up long-term wealth.
The platform offers carefully selected investment opportunities that were previously available only to a small financial elite.
The NAO team works with renowned banks and asset managers such as Baader Bank, BNP Paribas Asset Management, Chartered Investments, FERI, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Muzinich & Co, Partners Group, Redstone, UBS, UniCredit and Vontobel.
