Dutch start-ups attracted €5.3 billion in investment in 2021, tripling 2020 total

Investments in Dutch start-ups are increasing, mainly because larger financial deals are taking place more frequently. According to research by the Dutch Startup Association (DSA) and Techleap.nl, a total of 5.3 billion euros in venture capital went to fast-growing start-up companies last year. That is more than three times as much as the 1.7 billion euros in 2020, and that was already an increase over 2019.

Several large financing rounds have led to a significant increase in investments. In 2020 there were only two rounds of more than 100 million euros, while last year there were nine. Some of the benefitting companies include the Amsterdam payment service provider Mollie, software company Messagebird, and online supermarket Picnic, each of which collected hundreds of millions of euros. The strong growth trend is expected to continue this year.

Large foreign investment parties, mainly from the United States, have been particularly interested in investing in Dutch start-ups with funds created in recent years. According to the researchers, there are also more and more companies in the Netherlands that can qualify for a large round of investment in terms of both size and growth.

The clear imbalance in the origin of capital in the start-up sector has also caused concern. In the midst of all this interest from foreign investors, the percentage of investment coming from Dutch investors has fallen further. According to the researchers, this means that Dutch investors and pension funds, for example, have relatively little influence on the growth and innovation in their home market. And this will benefit from the returns achieved, especially abroad.

Accountancy firm KPMG, business analysis agency Dealroom.co, and various other organizations were also involved in the investigation.