The Netherlands, renowned for its pioneering spirit in technology and innovation, is home to a vibrant ecosystem of deep tech startups. These enterprises are at the forefront of transforming industries through groundbreaking advancements in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cybersecurity, and more. According to TechLeap NL’s 2025 Deep Tech Index and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), deep tech now represents more than €6.8 billion in combined startup value across fields including photonics, quantum technology, and semiconductor research. National initiatives such as the Deep Tech Investment Fund (DTIF 2023–2026) and the National Growth Fund are key to accelerating commercialization.
In recent years, Rotterdam’s tech scene has witnessed a fascinating development: the rise of deep technology startups. These ambitious companies, driven by advanced scientific and technological breakthroughs, are tackling complex global challenges and revolutionizing biotech, AI, and clean energy. In 2025, Rotterdam Tech City and Erasmus Centre for Data Analytics introduced joint incubators focusing on sustainable AI and maritime robotics, aligning with the Dutch AI Strategy and Climate Agreement goals. The deep technology startups integrate cutting-edge fields like artificial intelligence, robotics, and quantum computing into their solutions.
Companies like Rubrik Security Cloud, leveraging AI for data security resilience; Apollo Agriculture, revolutionizing farming with machine learning credit models; Stream, enhancing in-app communication with sophisticated APIs; and Edge Impulse, leading the edge AI domain, exemplify the Dutch knack for harnessing deep tech to solve complex global challenges. Other notable contributors include QuantWare (Delft‑based quantum processor manufacturer) and LionVolt (Eindhoven‑based solid‑state battery innovator), both recipients of Deep Tech Investment Fund backing in 2025.
In this blog, we will delve into 15 deep tech startups that are innovating and also setting trends on the global stage.
How We Ranked These Companies
In order to rank these companies, we focused exclusively on companies whose technologies fall under the umbrella of deep tech. These are firms developing transformative solutions in fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and advanced materials, among others. We used the Dealroom Signal to rank these companies. Here is how it works:
- Purpose-Oriented Scoring: Unlike generic quality or performance scores, the Dealroom Signal is tailored to highlight the most promising upcoming funding opportunities. It seeks out companies demonstrating significant traction and those that appear to be gearing up for a funding event or are round-ready.
- Predictive Algorithm: Dealroom Signal employs a predictive algorithm designed to sift through the noise and surface potential high-growth companies. This makes discovering standout startups as straightforward as checking your dashboard.
- Data Inputs: The algorithm incorporates over a dozen data points, which can be broadly categorized into four main areas:
- Growth Rate: This includes metrics like employee growth and product adoption rates, indicating the startup’s current momentum.
- Completion Score and Context: The algorithm assesses how well a company fits into trending segments or areas of interest, along with the completeness of their Dealroom profile.
- Founding Team Composition: Factors such as the founders’ previous entrepreneurial experiences, their work backgrounds, and educational qualifications are taken into account.
- Timing: This input evaluates whether a startup is likely to raise its next funding round soon, based on proprietary Dealroom benchmarks on the typical intervals between funding rounds.
- Scoring Methodology: The Dealroom Signal score is an average of the four main inputs: completeness, founding team, growth rate, and timing. After a funding round, a startup’s score resets to zero, peaks at around one year post-funding, and then gradually decreases, with the timing score’s exact trajectory varying by the startup’s stage.
- User Customization: Users can personalize their dashboard to display startups according to specific stages, such as (Pre) Seed, Series A, or Breakout opportunities. Additionally, personalized alerts can be set up to combine the algorithm’s insights with individual preferences, ensuring users are notified about startups that match their criteria.
Since 2025, Dealroom Signal integrates EU “Open Dataset Access Regulation” indicators from the EU Data Act and the Dutch Innovation Funding Registry, ensuring compliance with data‑sharing and transparency protocols under the European Chips Act and the NIS 2 Directive. By leveraging the Dealroom Signal, we aim to provide a nuanced, forward-looking analysis of the deep tech startups poised for significant growth and funding milestones in the Netherlands, ensuring our rankings reflect the dynamic nature of the tech ecosystem.
Top 15 Deep Tech Startups
The Ocean Cleanup
Sector: Environmental Conservation
The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization dedicated to removing plastic pollution from the oceans and rivers. Using innovative technologies, they target the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the world’s most polluting rivers. With millions of kilograms of plastic removed to date, their mission is to eliminate 90% of floating ocean plastic, contributing to the preservation of marine ecosystems and wildlife. As of 2025, The Ocean Cleanup reports over 370 tons of ocean plastic removed annually and active collaborations with Rijkswaterstaat to integrate river interceptors into Dutch waterways.
Meatable
Sector: Cultivated Meat Production
Meatable is pioneering the production of real meat without the ethical and environmental downsides of industrial farming. Using a sample from unharmed animals, they replicate natural muscle and fat growth to produce meat in a matter of weeks, not years. This innovative process aims to satisfy global meat demand sustainably, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and eliminating the need for animal slaughter, leading the way towards a cleaner and more compassionate food system. In 2025, Meatable inaugurated its pilot production facility in Delft and began regulatory review under the EU Novel Foods Framework, positioning the Netherlands as a leading testbed for cultivated‑meat oversight.
Airborne
Sector: Composite Materials & Automation
Airborne is at the forefront of composite technology, offering digital automation systems that are highly flexible and require no programming. Specializing in Automated Ply Placement, Airborne can create multi-material tailored blank laminates unmatched by other systems. With over 25 years of experience in composites, they provide both automation solutions and manufacturing services across aerospace, mobility, marine, and industrial sectors. Airborne was awarded a 2024 EIC Accelerator grant to scale automated composite‑recycling solutions in line with the EU Circular Critical Materials Act.
Bitfury
Sector: Blockchain Technology
Bitfury Group, established in 2011, stands as a comprehensive blockchain technology company. Originally one of the pioneering Bitcoin miners, Bitfury has expanded its operations to deliver a wide array of infrastructure solutions powering the Web 3.0 ecosystem. Their product range spans from hardware and security to software solutions aimed at making digital assets secure, sustainable, and functional. In 2025, Bitfury’s Amsterdam hub expanded its focus on AI‑driven blockchain compliance under the EU MiCA framework and Cybersecurity Act certification program.
Metis AI Platform
Sector: Artificial Intelligence
The Metis AI Platform is at the forefront of democratizing Artificial Intelligence, especially for Edge computing and computer vision applications. By offering advanced hardware acceleration and user-friendly software, Metis simplifies the development, integration, and deployment of AI solutions, significantly reducing time-to-market. Their mission is to make powerful, efficient AI accessible to a wider audience, thereby transforming how AI at the Edge is implemented across various sectors. Headquartered in Eindhoven’s High Tech Campus, Axelera AI closed a €72 million Series B round in 2025 to expand European AI chip manufacturing supported by Invest‑NL.
Framer
Sector: Web Design and Development
Framer is a dynamic platform where creativity in web design meets efficiency. It provides a suite of tools for designers to craft stunning websites with ease, supporting features from layout design to SEO optimization. Framer stands out by offering a seamless design-to-publish process, ensuring that sites not only look impressive but also perform excellently on search engines. Framer transitioned its headquarters operations to Amsterdam in 2024, marking it as one of the Netherlands’ leading no‑code software exports.
ONWARD
Sector: Medical Devices & Therapies for Spinal Cord Injuries
ONWARD is dedicated to restoring movement, function, and independence for individuals with spinal cord injuries through ARC Therapy – targeted, programmed stimulation of the spinal cord. ONWARD’s ARCEX and ARCIM platforms offer both external and implantable solutions for spinal cord stimulation. Their pioneering work is backed by leading neuroscience research institutions and aims to offer not only improved mobility but also potential benefits like bladder control and blood pressure regulation. ONWARD Medical (Euronext: ONWD) achieved CE mark approval in 2025 for its ARC‑EX therapy, supported by Eindhoven Technical University’s neuroengineering research.
Aircision
Sector: Telecommunications
Aircision is committed to enhancing global communication by providing high-speed connectivity solutions, aiming to reduce inequalities and contribute to a more sustainable infrastructure. Their approach includes conducting smart material assessments to ensure the use of environmentally friendly components. Aircision operates from Eindhoven Photonics Campus and participated in the RVO‑supported 2025 Quantum Communication Field Trials linking multiple data centers in the Randstad region.
Hai Robotics
Sector: Warehouse Automation
Hai Robotics revolutionizes warehouse operations with its advanced Autonomous Case-handling Robot (ACR) systems, significantly enhancing storage density and operational efficiency. Their rapid deployment capability transforms warehouses within months, increasing efficiency by 3-4 times and storage density by 80-400%. The company established a Benelux logistics center near Utrecht in 2025 under the Smart Industry Hub Program NL, supporting automated warehouse deployment case studies.
Atmos
Sector: Aerial Surveying
Atmos specializes in VTOL fixed-wing drones for high-accuracy mapping and surveying. Their flagship drone, Marlyn, operates in challenging conditions, including high winds, and covers extensive areas per flight. Designed and manufactured in the Netherlands, Marlyn combines top-tier cameras with advanced navigation systems, offering precise photogrammetry data for various applications, from environmental protection to precision agriculture. Atmos UAV secured a €9 million investment led by Innovation Quarter and joined the NL Space Campus Accelerator 2024 to expand agricultural survey applications across Europe.
Nearfield Instruments (NFI)
Sector: Metrology Solutions for Nano-electronics
NFI is revolutionizing process control in the nano-electronics sector with its advanced 3D scanning probe metrology solutions. Their high throughput atomic force microscopy system offers atom-scale resolution 3D metrology at unprecedented speeds. NFI’s innovations support the industry’s need for precise measurements, contributing to the development of next-generation electronic devices. In 2025, NFI secured €55 million in funding for semiconductor metrology innovation under the European Chips Act Pilot Line NL initiative.
Cortalix
Sector: Biopharmaceuticals
Emerging from the legacy of BiOrion, Cortalix is dedicated to advancing PET-imaging diagnostics and targeted radiotherapeutics for fibrotic conditions. With a focus on leveraging single domain antibodies, Cortalix aims to enhance patient care by providing precise and innovative diagnostic and treatment options, continuing the mission to address unmet medical needs in fibrosis. In 2025, Cortalix partnered with Amsterdam UMC on clinical PET trials, supported through the Dutch Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (LifeSciences 2025) program.
Apollo Agriculture
Sector: Agricultural Technology
Apollo Agriculture empowers Kenyan and Zambian farmers by providing financing for high-quality farming inputs, resulting in yields up to 2.5 times higher than the average. Utilizing machine learning credit models for instant financing decisions, Apollo collaborates with over a thousand agrodealers to ensure accessibility. Apollo expanded its Netherlands data-science operations in 2025 through Wageningen University collaboration focusing on predictive climate resilience models.
Edge Impulse
Sector: Edge AI and Machine Learning
Edge Impulse enables developers to build, train, and optimize AI models for edge devices, catering to a range of applications from low-power MCUs to advanced GPUs. Their platform supports diverse data sources and ensures high-quality dataset building and algorithm development. With a focus on health and industrial use cases, Edge Impulse facilitates the integration of AI into products, offering optimized model deployment across various hardware, ensuring future-proof and efficient edge intelligence solutions. The company runs its European engineering hub from Haarlem, contributing to the EU AI Act testing consortium for responsible embedded AI deployments in 2025.
Conclusion
As we conclude our exploration of the Top 15 Deep Tech Startups in the Netherlands, it’s evident that the Dutch landscape is a fertile ground for innovation and technological advancement. From the production of real of Meatable to the agricultural revolution sparked by Apollo Agriculture, these startups are not just shaping their respective industries but also setting a precedent for global technological evolution.
As of 2025, Dutch deep tech ventures collectively employ over 14,000 people and represent nearly 40% of the country’s VC investment volume (RVO and TechLeap NL estimates). Government policies under the Deep Tech Investment Fund and Innovation Mission AI 2030 continue to promote university-industry co-creation programs.
These companies are just the tip of the iceberg, representing a vibrant ecosystem where technology, sustainability, and innovation intersect to create a better future. This synergy between public funding and private innovation positions the Netherlands as Europe’s third-largest deep-tech hub after Germany and France.
The Dutch deep tech sector is a beacon of progress, driving forward with solutions that promise to enhance lives, streamline businesses, and sustain our planet.
Read more about about tech Companies in the Netherlands here.
