Dutch tech startup industry: 10 important things that happened in 2018

The year 2018 is nearing its end and 2019 is already welcoming us. This year, there have been many important events. Especially, when it comes to the Dutch tech startup ecosystem, there have been several interesting and noteworthy incidents. Today, we at Silicon Canals have come up with the 10 most important things that happened in the Dutch tech startup industry this year.

#1 Hiber got launched its second nano-satellite

Dutch space startup Hiber celebrated the lift-off of HiberBand, its second nano-satellite. The Netherlands government backed the startup for its global satellite solution, which connects 90% of the world to use connected tech. The nano-satellite will fly over the earth’s poles 16 times in a day and equator twice in a day. It will let the planet stream data to and from connected tech.

#2 Delft startup Hardt Hyperloop announces ambitious project

Hardt Hyperloop, a Dutch startup has announced an ambitious project. It is making it possible for people to travel via a vacuum tube at over 1000 kilometres per hour speed. As per the results shared by the company, it is possible to commute the 450 kilometres stretch between Amsterdam and Frankfurt in just 50 minutes.

#3 Mosa Meat transformed the global meat industry

Dutch startup Mosa Meat backed by German drugmaker Merck KGaA and a European meat processor has brought in a transformation in the global meat industry. The company produced beef from cattle cells using the cell-culture technology. The startup aims to develop the commercial clean meat products and consumers can benefit from the same by 2021. The startup received €7.5 million investment from a Swiss meat processing company, Bell Food Group and a German pharmaceutical company, Merck.

#4 Adyen IPO

Amsterdam-based Adyen, a payment startup announced its intention to go public in May this year. Notably, the company completed its successful validation in June raising an initial price of €400 per share. The Netherlands-based payments startup is a rival to PayPal and Stripe.

#5 Adriaan Mol from Mollie won the best online entrepreneur award

At the LOEY Awards 2018, Adriaan Mol, the founder of Mollie and Messagebird won the best online entrepreneur of the Netherlands. He stepped into the internet world at a young age of 15 years. His style of entrepreneurship is very product-oriented.

#6 Temper and The Inner Circle grabbed the awards at Deloitte Fast 50 2018

At Deloitte Technology Fast 50 in Amsterdam in October, The Inner Circle showed an impressive growth rate of 3460%. The extremely selective dating app that won the Most Disruptive Innovator title. At the same platform, Temper, an online marketplace for freelancers involved in the hospitality industry won the Rising Star 2018 title.

#7 felyx raised €3 million funding

Amsterdam-based electric scooter startup felyx announced its expansion plan to Rotterdam. felyx raised funding of €3 million to fuel its expansion and growth. The startup aims to start the concept of shared mobility with 324 e-scooters in Rotterdam. It lets users rent e-scooters via the felyx app at as low as €0.30 per minute.

#8 Etergo launched the first e-scooter running Android apps

Bolt Mobility, a Dutch automotive startup announced the world’s first e-scooter running Android apps. The scooters have inbuilt GPS and 4G connectivity support. These e-scooters have electronically controlled locks and are aimed at minimizing distractions while travelling. Besides this, the company also announced that it is rebranded as Etergo and got a new website too.

#9 Framer, Dott and Tiqets raised €20 million funding

Several Dutch startups received funding this year. Usually, the funding helps them in their global expansion, further development of their products and services and more. This year, Dutch startups such as Framer, Dott and Tiqets raised a whopping funding of €20 million each.

#10 Travelbird quit, SecurityMatters, Mendix and Relayr got acquired

The Dutch startup ecosystem has been witnessing many notable funding rounds and acquisitions in the recent times. Even the almost bankrupt startups such as Travelbird were able to get a new start with the acquisition. Some of the major acquisitions that took place in the Dutch business space this year are that of Travelbird by Secret Escapes, SecurityMatters by ForeScout for €113 million, Mendix by Siemens for €628 million and Relayr (a Startupbootcamp Amsterdam alumnus) by Munich Re for €250 million.

Stay tuned to Silicon Canals for more updates in the tech startup world.

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