The Netherlands has progressed to become a startup hub. The country is home to many innovative tech startups. Many of these startups prove to be an inspiration to the young entrepreneurs planning to come up with their own companies to rival their counterparts in Silicon Valley. Though some of them have failed by filing bankruptcy, there are a bunch of inspiring and sustainable tech startups.
Silicon Canals has curated a list of such inspiring sustainable startups from the Netherlands. Do give it a read.
#1 Fairphone
Fairphone is a Dutch smartphone maker that raised €2.5 million from crowdfunding. The Amsterdam-based startup founded in 2010 aims to bring about fair trade in the smartphone industry. The company wants its customers to own a smartphone made using the fairest components made under the fairest conditions. This is made possible with the modular smartphone and long lasting design by making it easier to repair. The company focuses on a circular economy by using its resources smartly in every part of the device’s lifecycle.
#2 Voltogo
The Netherlands is known for its canals. While boating is the second most common means of transport next to biking in the country, it contributes to pollution due to the diesel engine. To resolve the issue, engineers Job Veltman and Folkert Roscam Abbing founded Voltogo, a battery startup recently. The startup offers Voltogo AppBattery, which is a portable battery charger that powers electric boats. The electric battery is removable and can be charged at a nearby water cafe. Voltogo claims that boats using its battery render 50% more engine power than those using existing motors.
#3 Quicargo
Dutch transport startup Quicargo was launched in September 2017. It was founded by Israeli CEO, Avishai Trabelsi and Roni Liberman (CPO). It aims to handle the inefficiency in the road freight by connecting businesses that require transportation with empty or partially empty trucks. The company has a huge database of road routes and trucks’ availability to do this work. The company handles everything from managing the transactions, making the payments, doing the necessary paperwork and ensuring things are in order. As a result, QuiCargo saves time for the companies involved in the transaction.
#4 Flo-Bro
Flo-Bro is a Dutch-Czechian startup that was launched as a Kickstarter campaign to battle the serious issue of plastic pollution. The company founded by Radek Oborný and Robin Rijnbeek devised the first universal and portable water filter for travelers. The finalized Flo-Bro product is compact and intuitive. Called Flo-Bro One, it is a lightweight and small-sized device designed to fit in the travelers’ bags. It uses the membrane testing and flushing technology and these make the water filter reusable thereby making the expensive replaceable filters obsolete.
#5 PeelPioneers
PeelPioneers founded in 2017 works waste-to-product company Renewi. The company developed a bio-refinery concept, which converts citrus peel waste into valuable resources. The startup raised over €1 million and this will use the money to build a recycling plant for citrus peelings in Son, a Renewi site. Notably, Renewi will supply the peelings for recycling. After having launched a commercial pilot in 2017, the startup aims to have a fully functional plant in the Netherlands this autumn.
#6 Bin2Barrel
Founded in 2012 by Paul Harkema and Floris Geeris, Bin2Barrel is Dutch chemical recycling company that is aimed at developing plastic-to-fuel projects. The company aims to turn plastic waste into a sustainable alternative to the conventional transport fuel. It recently started the construction of its first recycling plan in Amsterdam’s port area. Bin2Barrel was acquired by Integrated Green Energy Singapore Ltd. and is known as IGES.
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